Continued from VOI's signature Writing Series, "Becoming a National Hero". In the article "Becoming a National Hero in a Land of Forgetfulness" we discussed the extent to which the government rewards their services. In this article, we will look at the awarding of national hero titles from period to period of government.
November 10, 2019 is an important day for the six names of the nation's children. Ruhana Kuddus, Sultan Himayatuddin, Prof. Dr. M Sardjito, KH Abdul Kahar Mudzakkir, AA Maramis, and KH Masjkur were awarded the title of national hero by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). The six names were appointed under Presidential Decree (Keppres) Number 120 / TK Year 2019 after passing the selection of the 20 nominees for national hero candidates.
The first name, Ruhana Kuddus is the first female journalist in Indonesia. Ruhana also founded the Amaia Setia Crafts school (KAS) in his hometown of Kotagadang, West Sumatra. The school focuses on developing girls' skills.
In addition, Ruhana is also known as the founder of Soenting Melajoe newspaper in July 1912 after serving for a long time at the Oetoesan Melajoe newspaper published since 1911. This position made her the first woman to establish a newspaper in Indonesia.
Sultan Himayatuddin is the leader of the Buton Sultanate which is located on Buton Island, southeast of Sulawesi Island. Sultan La Karambau, who has the title Sultan Himayatuddin Ibnu Sultaani Liyaauddin Islamail, is known as a leader who loves justice.
The Sultan was disturbed when the Dutch VOC unilaterally restricted the shipping of the Butonese and waived taxes for VOC ships that docked at Buton Harbor. His soul became more and more rebellious when the VOC destroyed the spices in Buton. When he was appointed the 20th Sultan of Buton, he immediately declared his opposition to VOC domination.
Prof. Dr. M Sardjito is a doctor who graduated from STOVIA in 1915. During the independence period, Sardjito was instrumental in treating freedom fighters. He is active in providing medicines and vitamins for the fighters.
In addition, Sardjito also built health posts for soldiers in Yogyakarta and its surroundings. And if you've ever heard of "Sardjito biscuits", that name comes from his name. Sardjito is the person who pioneered the creation of soldier biscuits for Indonesian soldiers during the war.
Abdul Kahar Mudzakkir is one of the Muslim figures who contributed to the establishment and development of the Islamic College (STI). In this educational institution, which is now transforming into the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII), Sardjito served as chancellor until 1960. Mudzakkir is also known as a Muhammadiyah figure as well as the founder of the Indonesian Independence Preparatory Investigation Agency (BPUPKI).
The name Alexander Andries Maramis is known as a fighter for Indonesian independence. Maramis is active in the membership of BPUPKI and the Central Indonesian National Commission (KNIP). Maramis has also served as finance minister. From that position, Maramis played a role in the development and printing of the first Indonesian banknotes, also known as Oeang Republik Indonesia (ORI).
Last name, KH Masykur. He has served as Minister of Religion of Indonesia in the period 1947-1949 and 1953-1955. KH Masykur's involvement in the struggle for independence occurred during the Japanese occupation. Like the two previous names, KH Masykur is also actively involved in the activities carried out by BPUPKI.
In addition, KH Masykur was also noted as the founder of the Homeland Defense unit (Peta) which recently transformed into the people's army and the TNI throughout Java. During the 10 November 1945 war in Surabaya, KH Masykur's name was also famous as the leader of the Sabilillah Line.
National hero in every regime
Apart from the six names above, the Jokowi regime has given 22 other names the national hero. If calculated from each regime, Indonesia has registered 185 names of national heroes. They come from different backgrounds and regions.
If it is broken down into regions, the three provinces in Java are the biggest contributors to national heroes. Central Java is the largest with 36 people. After that, East Java with 21 and Yogyakarta which contributed 16 people.
Data recorded by the Ministry of Social Affairs up to 2014 and quotations from mass media coverage until 2019 recorded Suharto's name as the president who gave the most titles of national heroes. Since the beginning of his reign until the New Order regime he led collapsed, Suharto has given the title of national hero to 68 national figures.
After Soeharto, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) became the second president who gave the title of national hero the most. It was recorded that there were 39 figures who were given the title of national heroes during the SBY administration. After SBY, the first president, Sukarno, gave the most national hero titles. During the Old Order, Sukarno gave 36 figures the title of national hero.
In the next regime, BJ Habibie gave eight titles, the same as the number of hero titles given by the Megawati Sukarnoputri government. Meanwhile, the government that has the least amount of hero titles is Abdurrahman Wahid or Gus Dur: one person.
A land of heroes
Although many names are still forgotten, Indonesia is actually the country with the highest number of national heroes in the world. Historian Asvi Warman Adam has expressed his views on this matter. According to him, the large number of heroes is an asset to build national unity and integrity in the future.
"Indonesia is a big country with 250 million inhabitants. If we have 250 heroes, it means that one person becomes a role model for 1 million other people. So please increase the number of our heroes," said Asvi in a public discussion written by Suara.com. , ago.
Another country that also has quite a number of national heroes is the United States (US). However, the figure is still far below the number of national heroes in Indonesia. Citing the official US national website, nps.gov, Uncle Sam's country only listed 52 names as national heroes.
According to Wineburg and Monte-Sano in the Journal of American History (2008), people who are considered heroes in the US are those who are at the forefront of fighting for rights, alleviating misery, correcting injustice, and promoting freedom. For example, Martin Luther King, a civil society rights champion.
Meanwhile, a country that has given very few national heroes titles is the Philippines. The government of the Sea Pearl of Orien has only recorded two national hero titles to Jose Riza and Andres Bonifacio. Jose Rizal is a revolutionary fighter who demands political independence for Filipinos.
Like Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio is also known as a Filipino revolutionary figure. He is the founder of the Katipunan, a secret society that aims to fight the Spanish occupation during its colonial era in the Philippines.
Even so, there are actually nine names that were previously nominated as national heroes of the Philippines. However, only the names Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio were inaugurated. To this day, the Philippine government has made the date of the death of the two figures a national holiday.
Next article: "The Title of National Hero in the Veil of Eternal Politicization"
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