Bung Karno's testament

Bung Karno's testament

From Merdeka"

Indonesia's first president Bung Karno's family have made statements, which I have read in various newspapers, that Soekarno wrote a testament describing the place he wanted to be buried.

The site was peaceful and comfortable, surrounded by trees and a river, filled with pristine water, flowed nearby, according to the testament. The gravestone would carry the following inscription: "Here rests in peace Bung Karno, the spokesman of the Indonesian people."

I myself did hear this testament mentioned during one of Bung Karno's addresses, aired through the Radio of the Republic of Indonesia (RRI), in a repeat broadcast (the address being broadcast live during the day) some time in 1965 or 1966 when I still lived in Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta.

According to Bung Karno's family, his testament refers, in fact, to "Ing Puri Bima Sakti", located on Jl. Batu Tulis, Bogor. The environment is peaceful and comfortable with leafy trees and the pristine Cisadane river flowing nearby. This is indeed what Bung Karno meant in his testament.

Let me quote the opinion of Kh. Fadholi el Manik, chairman of the Indonesian Moslems Assembly -- a mass organization affiliated with the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). In the June 28 issue of Terbit" (if I am not mistaken), Fadholi said: "According to Islam, every testament, oral or written, must be fulfilled. And if the testament is not fulfilled, those carrying the testament will have committed a sin and will be doomed to disaster. While those preventing the fulfillment of this testament must be made to understand the reasons behind the need to fulfill the testament."

(Bung Karno is buried in the town of Blitar, East Java, despite his wish to be buried in Bogor).

Let me now write a brief account of Bung Karno's struggle for independence during the Dutch colonial years.

From the time he graduated as an engineer from THS (now the Bandung Institute of Technology, ITB) in 1926, Bung Karno devoted himself to the political struggle to liberate Indonesia from the Dutch colonial yolk.

He set up the Bandung "Generasi Study Club" in 1926 and served as club secretary. Then in 1927 he established a new organization based on the concept of nationalism under the name of the Indonesian Nationalist Association. This later became the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) and Bung Karno himself became chairman. This party was based on the principle of non- cooperation with Dutch colonial rule.

Bung Karno (Soekarno) was intellectual, handsome, brave, possessed charm and charisma and excelled as an orator. In a short time he had established support for PNI and successfully fostered cooperation with a number of moderate leaders.

He became known to the Priangan community as "the wounded bull of Priangan" or "the hero of Priangan", titles bestowed on him by those involved in the movement for Indonesia's independence.

In late 1929, a young Soekarno was arrested along with his colleagues. He was brought to the court and was sentenced to four years in prison. He was incarcerated in Sukamiskin jail. In late 1931 he was set free.

However, in 1933, he was again arrested and then exiled to Ende, in Flores, before being transferred to Bengkulu. Following the banishment of Soekarno, all other party leaders suffered repressive action and the new PNI chairman, Syahrir, was also exiled.

Then in early 1942 the Pacific War began and in March of that year the Japanese troops occupied Indonesia. Bung Karno, Bung Syahrir and others were set free by the Japanese troops and returned to Jakarta.

(On Aug. 17, 1945, two days after the Japanese surrendered to the Allied forces, Soekarno was named president of the newly proclaimed Republic of Indonesia).

E. KARTAAMIDJAJA

Bogor, West Java