Soekarno And Mohammad Hatta Designated As National Heroes In Today's History, November 7, 2012

Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta were declared national heroes based on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's decision on November 7, 2012. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Today, 10 years ago, November 7, 2012, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) designated Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta as national heroes. SBY considers that no one doubts the heroism and contribution either to the homeland or the nation.

Both are figures who never tire of moving against colonialism and imperialism on earth. There is no doubt. His actions were so admirable. Soekarno-Hatta had gone to prison and exile. All for the sake of an independent Indonesia.

The figures of Soekarno and Hatta are important actors in the course of the nation's history. Both are figures who are different in terms of thought and understanding. However, they are united in one attitude: independent Indonesia.

Bung Karno himself reached maturity in politics when he studied in Bandung. The phases of being a student actually sharpened Soekarno's sensitivity to the suffering of the people. He also dared to stand up against all kinds of bad treatment of the Dutch colonialists.

It's not much different though. He matured in politics in the Netherlands. Indische Vereeniging or the Indies Association (later the Indonesian Association) became a forum for voicing anti-colonialism. Even if it's not as fresh as Soekarno. He struggles with his own style.

Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta. (Wikimedia Commons)

His thoughts are often used as a basis for resistance. Hatta's guts did not even shrink when he was tried because he was considered treason in the Netherlands. His plea for Indonesia Vrij (Indonesian Merdeka) boomed, even outside the courtroom. The whole Nusantara finally knew that there was a fighter in the Netherlands. Bung Hatta, his name.

“The figurehead of the Indonesian Association in the Netherlands, Mohammad Hatta, has since 1923 proclaimed the importance of unity and the impossibility of cooperation with the colonial government. However, Soekarno's role cannot be underestimated. His greatest merit is to absorb what Hatta put forward, synthesize from it and translate it into a language that is easier for the masses to absorb.”

“In addition to the magical power of his oration, Soekarno gained a wider audience and impact, more than Hatta could have hoped for, but at the same time, it made him sad. With his words, Soekarno bridged and unified the different elements and gave them a common identity. With that, Soekarno was credited with inspiring the 1928 Youth Pledge and brilliantly formulating the state foundation of Pancasila. Soekarno became the undeniable personification of 'one Indonesia' at that time," wrote a Tempo Magazine report entitled Soekarno: Seorang Bima, Seorang Hamlet (2001).

The narratives of the two that brought Indonesia's independence need not be doubted. Hatta's power of thought collaborated with Bung Karno's rhetorical force for Indonesia to take a step towards independence. This collaboration can break down the walls of colonialism. However, that spirit did not necessarily make the two figures appointed as national heroes.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono designated Soekarno and Hatta as national heroes on November 7, 2012. (Wikimedia Commons)

All Indonesian people just cheered happily when the 6th President of Indonesia, SBY, wrote the ink of history. He became president who officially appointed Soekarno and Hatta as Indonesian national heroes on November 7, 2012. The determination was fully contained in Presidential Decree No. 84/TK/YEAR 2012.

"We should emulate both of them. Bung Karno was a great thinker and fighter and was able to inflame the people's spirit to realize his ideals, to build solidarity between countries under oppression to become independent and sovereign countries."

"Bung Karno was also at the front to maintain the independence and sovereignty of the nation. On the other hand, Bung Hatta is an accomplished administrator, economist, and diplomacy expert," said SBY as quoted on the State Secretariat page.