Memorial days<\/p>\n
In an article published in the Republika daily on Feb. 27,
\n1996, K.H. Firdaus, a former vice-chairman of Syarikat Islam
\n(SI), expressed his strong objection to the government's adoption
\nof the founding date of Budi Utomo (BU), May 20, 1908, as
\nNational Awakening Day. He argued that there was nothing national
\nabout BU as its membership was open only to ethnic Javanese,
\nconsisting mainly of Dutch-minded bureaucrats who were never
\ninvolved in direct struggle for Indonesia's independence. He
\nproposed that Oct. 16, 1905, the establishment date of Serikat
\nDagang Islam (whose name was officially changed to Syarikat Islam
\nin 1911) should be observed as National Awakening Day instead.
\nThis is not only because it preceded BU by nearly three years,
\nbut because SI fought for the independence of Indonesia and
\ndenounced Dutch exploitation.<\/p>\n
I fully agree with K.H. Firdaus' view that BU was parochial
\nand that SI was more nationalistic. I am amazed that the
\nIndonesian government has failed to realize this easily
\nresearched distinction. SI's one million members came from
\nvarious ethnic groups throughout Indonesia. Furthermore, unlike
\nBU, it used Malay, the country's lingua franca, as its main
\nlanguage of communication.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, even after the founding SI, regional feelings
\nwere still strong in Indonesia, as evidenced by the establishment
\nof unashamedly provincial organizations such as Jong Java (Young
\nJavanese Union). It was not until Oct. 28, 1928, that Indonesians
\nfinally declared that they belonged to one country with one
\nlanguage. I believe that Oct. 28, 1928, would also be an
\nappropriate choice for National Awakening Day.<\/p>\n
Another memorial day in need of revision is Kartini Day, which
\nhonors only one of Indonesia's national heroines. It is well
\nknown that Kartini's five years correspondence with her Dutch
\nfriends at the turn of the century (1899-1904) provides not only
\na moving account of her search for a viable and purposeful life
\nfor herself, but also a record of her desire to free other
\nJavanese women from the suffocating atmosphere of the traditional
\nculture.<\/p>\n
However, no matter how noble her ideals and dreams were, the
\nlives and struggles of the other officially recognized heroines
\nshould also be remembered. For instance, the immense sacrifice
\nand struggles of Tjut Nyak Dien, who led thousands of men and
\nwomen in a protracted guerrilla war against the Dutch colonial
\narmy in the jungles of Aceh from 1899 to 1905, was truly
\noutstanding. Also impressive were the political orator and
\nagitator Rasuna Said, who openly attacked the Dutch colonial
\npolicy in West Sumatra in the early 1930s, as well as Dewi
\nSartika, the dedicated teacher from West Java and Christina Marta
\nTyahohu, the early 19th century freedom fighter from the
\nMoluccas.<\/p>\n
I call on the Indonesian government to change the date of
\nNational Awakening Day from May 20 to either Oct. 16 or Oct. 28.
\nKartini Day should be replaced with Heroines Day (to be observed
\non a suitable date) to commemorate the ideals and achievements of
\nall heroines, including Kartini.<\/p>\n
MASLI ARMAN<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/memorial-days-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }