JAKARTA - The progress of Ki Hajar Dewantara in advancing national education is undeniable. The Taman Siswa, which he founded, became an opportunity for commoners to get an education, even the equivalent of the Nobility and the Dutch. This is a story about Ki Hajar Dewantara before Taman Siswa.
Since he was a child, the figure whose real name is Soewardi Soerjaningrat is known to have a temper tantrum and burn easily. Quoted from Irna HN Hadi in the book Soewardi Soejaningrat Dalam Pengasingan (1985), although he was known for being stubborn and naughty since childhood Soerwardi was down to earth.
He was accustomed to hanging out with children who were not of noble descent. However, it was also this trait that often got him into fights with Dutch children.
One time, when he came home from school, Soetartinah was harassed by Karel, a Dutch boy who often provoked arguments. Seeing this, Soewardi and his friends did not remain silent.
"They blocked the corner of the road. When they faced each other, Karel and Soewardi's gang hide and cursed at each other. Influent Dutch, Soewardi cursed. Fighting was inevitable”, said Irna.
After graduating from Europeesche Lagere School (ELS) - where white children were educated together with Nobility children, Soewardi then continued his education at the School Opleiding van Indische Artsen (STOVIA). It was at this school that the Javanese prince mingled with youths of various ethnic groups from all over the country.
Even so, according to him, the rules presented at STOVIA contained a lot of discrimination. All these things are very offensive. Some of them are related to the prohibition for students from Java and Sumatra to wear European clothing unless they are Christians.
However, Soewardi made the ban a matter of pride. Soewardi is increasingly proud to wear traditional clothes in his daily life. It is recorded that until the end of his life, he often wore a sarong, coat, and cap.
Not only that. There is also another discrimination in STOVIA which prohibits students living in dormitories from celebrating Eid by setting off firecrackers. In fact, Eid al-Fitr for the people of Indonesia has a national character.
In that sense, Eid al-Fitr celebrations are commonly known throughout Indonesia, especially with the sound of firecrackers. Regarding firecrackers, we have also reviewed them in the article Gelagar Riwayat Petasan di Bulan Ramadan.
"Therefore, Soewardi and his friends sounded several dozens of firecrackers. As a result, the dormitory leadership was angry and Soewardi and his friends were put in a closed room as punishment, "wrote in the book of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia 1945-2018 (2018).
Ki Hajar Dewantara's criticism
In the end, Soewardi did not finish his education at the STOVIA Javanese Medical School. Then, he moved to Bandung in 1912. That was the starting point for him joining De Expres newspaper as an editor.
As a figure of high guts, the opportunity to criticize the Dutch then arose at the beginning of the hundred years of Dutch independence from French colonization in 1913. The Company at that time wanted to celebrate the centennial celebration of Dutch independence on a large scale by including the natives.
This momentum was used by Soerwardi and other triad figures, Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo and Ernest Douwes Dekker. Soewardi then founded the Bumiputra Committee which later published an article entitled Als ik eens Nederlander was (1913).
The article, which is translated into Indonesian If I was a Dutchman, was transformed into the most radical writing in the Dutch East Indies. Soewardi wrote as if he were a Dutchman criticizing the contradiction of the massive celebration of Dutch independence from French colonization. Meanwhile, the Dutch still colonized the place where the celebration took place.
"Really, if I were Dutch, then I would never have wanted to celebrate a commemoration party like that here in a country we colonized. First, give the oppressed people freedom, only after that, we will commemorate our own independence!", wrote Soewardi.
Exiled
However, at first, the article did not lead the Dutch government to take steps to exile Soewardi from the Dutch East Indies. As Takashi Shiraishi wrote in an article entitled Impian Mereka Masih Bersama Kita in the book 1000 Tahun Nusantara (2000), problems began to arise after Soewardi's article was translated into Malay.
“Even though the content is Subversive in tone, it is no different from the many articles published by Douwes Dekker in De Expres. The difference is, De Expres is a Dutch language newspaper that only Dutch literate people can understand. Meanwhile, Soewardi's article which has been translated into Malay can be read by many people who are literate in Malay", added Takashi Shiraishi.
Due to this article, the Company considered Soewardi's article to be very dangerous. Because it is suspected that Soewardi's writing could feel the spirit and influence other native groups to fight against the Company. So, the Dutch government took immediate action to arrest and throw the triumvirate (Soewardi, Douwes Dekker, Tjipto) out of the Dutch East Indies.
"In the Bumiputra Committee incident, Dekker was considered a deviant evangelist (by the Company), while Tjipto and Soewardi were the apostles", said Kenji Tsuchiya in the book Demokrasi dan Kepemimpinan: Kebangkitan Gerakan Taman Siswa (2019).
Before his banishment, at the trial, the Company also cared about Soewardi because he came from aristocratic circles. The Company at that time intended to free Soewardi of all accusations as long as he was willing to resign from all kinds of political activities.
Unfortunately, Soewardi already intends not to step backward. To the extent that, Soewardi's father, Pangeran Soerjaningrat was asked to advise his son. Miraculously, his father's comments seemed to sympathize with Soewardi by saying: He really is a punk.
As a result, Soewardi was exiled to the Netherlands for six years. Only in 1919, he arrived back in his homeland. Because his spirit was still passionate about fighting against the Dutch with his sharp writing, Soewardi often dealt with the authorities, even Soewardi had felt the coldness of the prison tiles.
Soewardi began to change his radical style in a movement when his wife fell ill. Since then, the direction of Soewardi's struggle has changed. From there Soewardi chose education as his struggling epidemic. He co-founded the National Onderwijs Institute Taman Siswa or the Taman Siswa National Education Institute on July 3, 1922, and tried to relinquish his nobility by adopting a new name: Ki Hajar Dewantara.
* Read other information about EDUCATION or read other interesting articles from Detha Arya Tifada.
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