Today, President Jokowi Awarded The Titles Of Heroes To 4 National Figures, One Of Them Was Usmar Ismail

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Instagram @jokowi)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo will confer the title of national hero and honors to four national figures. The title of hero was given in a ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday, November 10 at around 10.00 western Indonesia time.

The four figures who will be given the title range from kings to directors. The four were Kunciututu from Central Sulawesi, Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris from East Kalimantan, Usmar Ismail from DKI Jakarta, and Raden Aria Wangsakara from Banten.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said the government would give the title of hero to four figures from hundreds of names submitted.

One of the figures who will get the title is Usmar Ismail who is a film director, writer, and warrior from Minangkabau.

Mahfud said the awarding of the title would be officially carried out by President Joko Widodo on November 10 or to coincide with Heroes' Day.

"The government, in this case the President, has issued a decision to give the title of heroes to four fighters who inspire them to build a sovereign Indonesia and/or fight to advance Indonesia," Mahfud said in a press conference broadcast on the YouTube Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Thursday, October 28.

Besides Usmar Ismail, other names that will get the title of hero are Kunciututu who is the king of Central Sulawesi from Parigi Moutong Regency; Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris is the 14th Sultan of the Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate, East Kalimantan; and Raden Aria Wangsakara who is a cleric who founded the Tangerang area.

"This is a national hero who will be officially awarded to the families of the deceased at the Bogor Palace on Heroes' Day on November 10," said Mahfud.

Mahfud said these four figures must have met the applicable criteria in the submission process as national heroes. Not only that, but they also come from areas where previously none of the citizens had been awarded the title of hero.

"This time there are hundreds that have been put forward and all are well. So, this time the government prioritizes other than character, there is regional equity," explained the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK).

"Until now, Central Sulawesi has not had a national hero, then East Kalimantan has not. Then from Jakarta there is a film figure and one from Banten. That is this year's national hero," he concluded.