Exhibition traces life of RI founding father

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Solemn men in black suits stare out of the black-and-white photographs hanging on the white walls of Galeri Lontar's exhibition hall.

Men with fire in their eyes, showing a determination that belies their young age. They must have been no more than 25 years old, yet they already had a mission and were willing to lay down their lives to achieve it. That mission was an independent Republic of Indonesia.

One of the young men in the pictures would later affectionately be known by all Indonesians as Bung Hatta, the inseparable counterpart to Bung Karno. They were Indonesia's founding fathers.

Bung Hatta's given name was Mohammad Athar, nicknamed Atta and later Hatta. He was born on Aug. 12, 1902, to a family with a strong Islamic background in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.

His father, Muhammad Djamil, was a Muslim intellectual and modernist who died when Hatta was only eight months old. Hatta's upbringing was mostly influenced by his grandfather, Syekh Batu Hampar -- a well-known Islamic scholar of the traditional school -- who instilled in him a strong sense of piety.

The family of Hatta's father wanted him to attend Islamic schools but they eventually bowed to the wishes of his mother's family -- a respectable business family -- who sent him to secular, predominantly Dutch schools.

Hatta's life unfolds in the 56-photograph exhibition at the Galeri Lontar. Moments in the life of one of Indonesia's finest men forever immortalized in black and white.

Hatta and his elder sister, Rafiah, between the ages of 10 and 12, standing stiffly, unsmiling, next to a fern on a table. Hatta with two of his friends from the Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO) school at 13 years old, again unsmiling.

Hatta aged 23, a member of the board of the Perhimpoenan Indonesia (Indonesian Association formerly known as Indonesische Vereeniging), straight faced and solemn. And then 25 years old representing the organization in the Presidium of the Congress Against Imperialism and Colonial Oppression held by the League Against Imperialism and for National Independence in 1927.

So young, yet already so serious and full of purpose. In fact, in many of his earlier photographs, Hatta was rarely seen laughing or smiling. Even when attending a tennis match (he wore a suit and tie!) or climbing Mont Blanc in Switzerland.

Only in later years, when the country's independence was secured, would Hatta show the other side of his personality, becoming more animated in his pictures, whether because he loosened up as he got older or as part of a public relations strategy.

His smile was genuine as he saluted the photographer taking his picture during his exile at Menumbing, Bangka island, between December 1948 and June 1949. Hatta also looked happy as he joined local fishermen in pulling in a trawling net from the sea at Pulut, about 20 kilometers from Banda Aceh, in 1949.

The exhibition is part of a series of exhibitions being held across the country in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Hatta's birth.

The exhibition began in August at the National Library together with a book launch, then went on to Semarang in Central Java, Bandung in West Java, Yogyakarta, back to Jakarta, then to Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Galeri Lontar curator Asikin Hasan said.

The exhibition showcases Hatta's life from his younger days between 1902 to 1921, his experiences with the political movements in Europe between 1921 and 1932, the political movements back in Jakarta and his experiences as a political prisoner in Digul and Banda Neira between 1932 and 1942, under Japanese rule between 1942 and 1945, and the war of independence from 1945 to 1949.

It also has shots of Hatta as the father of the koperasi (village cooperative), displaying his love of books and concern for education, as well as photos of his family life.

Asikin said it was hoped the exhibition would help the country's younger people learn a little about the person behind the political figure of Hatta.

Mohammad Hatta, Hati Nurani Bangsa 1902-1980 (Mohammad Hatta, The Country's Conscience 1920-1980) photo exhibition runs from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Galeri Lontar, Jl. Utan Kayu 68H, East Jakarta. For more information call 021-8573388.