Four forgotten independence heroes get official recognition

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government awarded four public figures National Hero status for their past contributions to the country at a ceremony held at the State Palace on Friday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono handed out medals to the heroes' descendants, witnessed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla and members of the cabinet.

The National Hero status for Adnan Kapau Gani, Moestopo, Ignatius Slamet Riyadi and Ide Agung Anak Gde Agung, was decided through a presidential decree.

"These national heroes were outstanding individuals who did a lot for Indonesia. But they are also people that our country has forgotten. It took us a long time to see that they did a lot," said a historian from the University of Indonesia, Anhar Gonggong.

He added that Indonesians must keep in mind that while the heroes gained nothing from the award, the people gained new figures they could look up to as examples in their lives.

Adnan Kapau Gani was born on Sept. 16, 1905, in West Sumatra and spent all his life keeping the Dutch colonialists from taking over South Sumatra. He was also one of the initiators of the Youth Pledge Congress in 1928.

Moestopo was active in the military and a former chairman of the People's Honor Body, but he was also a prominent person in the field of higher education. He established Moestopo Beragama University in 1952.

Ignatius Slamet Riyadi was involved in the military conflict with the Dutch in an effort to secure the city of Surakarta, Central Java, and he also fought against the separatist movements of Darul Islam, Tentara Islam Indonesia and the South Molucca Republic. He died aged just 23 on Nov. 4, 1950.

Politician Ide Agung Anak Gde Agung was awarded for his advocating Indonesia's independence through negotiation instead of bamboo spears and bullets.

Recent research by a historian at the University of Indonesia, Professor Leirissa RZ, has confirmed the role of the Bijeenkomst Federaale Overleg, initiated by Anak Agung as part of his diplomatic strategy to consolidate Indonesia's authority as a nation, in efforts to restore the archipelago's sovereignty through diplomacy.

"The assumption that the late Anak Agung was involved in subversive actions has been proven wrong. We are in a healthy process of revising history, when we start to acknowledge that diplomacy holds an important role in the development of Indonesia," said Anak Agung Gde Agung, the son of Anak Agung.

He explained, "My father began his fight in an early age. When he was made king (of Gianyar) at the age of 23, he already insisted that Bali free itself from the claws of the Dutch and be a part of Indonesia."

Meanwhile, a former independence fighter in Bali, Desak Raka Nadha, 81, said that she didn't agree with the government's decision to make Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung a national hero.

"When we were in the struggle, we were the ones who had to face torture. Meanwhile, Anak Agung was a federalist who worked together with the Dutch government. That alone disqualifies him from the status of national hero," she told The Jakarta Post in a phone interview. (lva)