Child of a Prominent Figure Lives in Poverty, Refuses to Sell His Parents' Names for Success

Soesalit, the son of a regent and RA Kartini, refused to ride his family’s name to power. He joined the army in 1943, underwent training with the Japanese, and later served in the Pembela Tanah Air (PETA) before becoming part of the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat Republik Indonesia; his career steadily advanced, culminating in his appointment as Commander of Division II Diponegoro in 1946. He also held civil posts, including adviser to the Minister of Defence in the Ali Sastro cabinet in 1953, and chose to live in poverty as a veteran, never publicly claiming Kartini’s lineage; his principle was noted by General Nasution. Today it is rare for people to know that Soesalit was Kartini’s son; he deliberately did not sell his mother’s big name. Throughout his life, Kartini’s stories inspired many generations about a woman who fought for equality through her letters. The popular song about his mother, “Ibu Kita Kartini” by WR Soepratman, was widely sung. Nasution witnessed that he did not flaunt his parents’ name and, after his retirement, chose a life of poverty as a veteran, not claiming veterans’ rights. According to Nasution, he could have avoided poverty by claiming to be Kartini’s only son, which might have elicited sympathy and altered the life of the two-star general. Yet Soesalit upheld his principle of never revealing his Kartini lineage. This principle kept him in poverty until his death on 17 March 1962.