Family and friends fondly remember Pierre Tendean

By Fitrianti Djoni

Thirty-one years ago the now banned Indonesian Communist Party launched an abortive coup, later known as Gerakan 30 September (G-30-S PKI). Six generals and a lieutenant -- Lt. Gen. A. Yani, Maj. Gen. Soeprapto, Maj. Gen. S. Parman, Maj. Gen. Haryono M.T., Brig. Gen. D.I. Pandjaitan, Brig. Gen. Soetoyo Siswomihardjo and First Lt. Pierre A. Tendean -- were kidnapped and killed in Jakarta. Each Sept. 1 Indonesians remember them and many others who died in one of the country's most tragic periods. On this occasion The Jakarta Post interviewed First Lt. Pierre A. Tendean's sisters and two of his former colleagues, who recalled the moments they spent with the young officer.

JAKARTA (JP): Had he lived, Pierre Adrie Tendean would have been 57 years old today and possibly a general.

He might have married a smart and independent woman and together they might have had a lot of children. Maybe.

But it would be unfair to think of Pierre in those terms, for nothing can change the past and the fact that he died 31 years ago.

Born in Jakarta on Feb. 21, 1939, Pierre Adrie Tendean was the second child and only son of Dr. A.L. Tendean, from Manado, North Sulawesi, and Mies. E. Cornell, a woman of Dutch and French descent.

His older sister, Mitzi Farre, is a housewife, and the youngest in the family, Rooswidiati Razak, is a public relations manager for Medistra Hospital.

Pierre spent his youth in Magelang and Semarang. When he finished high school he was faced with three options for further study. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a general practitioner. His mother had other plans for him; she liked the idea of his taking up construction engineering. But Pierre's heart was with the National Military Academy.

To avoid any parental disappointment, he decided to try all three studies at once. He took the entrance test to the Bandung Institute of Technology and the general practitioner's test in Semarang, but only passed the one at the National Military Academy. In the latter choice, he was greatly influenced by Gen. (ret.) A.H. Nasution and enjoyed the support of his sister Mitzi.

Pierre had known the Nasution family, especially Nasution's wife, since childhood. It was Nasution himself who suggested that he enroll in the Army's Technical Academy (formerly ATEKAD) in Bandung. Upon graduation he was to enter the Bandung Institute of Technology to realize his mother's dream.

After ATEKAD, he was made second lieutenant. His popularity grew as he acquired success. He was well liked among friends, not only because of his good looks and the easy way he associated with people, he because he was also a very intelligent man.

During his military education, Pierre had to take part in the military's Sapta Marga Operation in West Sumatra to destroy the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia, the island's separatist movement.

After the ATEKAD course, he was made platoon commander of a battalion of combat engineers based in Medan. A year later, he signed up for an intelligence course.

He was then ordered to penetrate Malaysian enemy territory in the rank of second lieutenant of the army intelligence. He was sent to the front line in 1963, when Indonesia and Malaysia were engaged in conflict. He entered the country as a tourist, a role that suited him well because of his western looks.

After the job in Malaysia, which was rife with danger and which he performed successfully, Pierre was promoted to become adjutant to Gen. A.H. Nasution.

On April 15, 1965, when Nasution was appointed coordinating minister of defense and security/chief commandant of the Armed Forces, Pierre was promoted to first lieutenant. He handed over his job as Nasution's adjutant to his successor.

Pierre was killed by palace guards known as Cakrabirawa, who thought he was Nasution, during the 1965 abortive coup of the Indonesian Communist Party.

"When I'm alone and look out over the garden, green with trees, I always think of the time when we were little children. We, Pierre and I, were very close then; Roos was still too small, she could not play with us," said Mitzi, when The Jakarta Post met with her at her home in Ciomas, Bogor.

"We often climbed trees, played in the rice fields and made our rounds in the kampongs. We had just moved from Jakarta to Cisarua at the time. We were very pleased, because the house allotted to my father was surrounded by a huge garden. It offered a splendid view of the mountains and rice fields. We swam in the river, despite its murky waters, we rowed in boats and wallowed in the mud. Pierre did not mind playing with children from the kampong. He even joined in excursions to collect snails, a common diet of the poor."

Pierre had since childhood displayed a tendency for strong discipline. He shunned loud parties and was blessed with the soul of a leader, according to Mitzi.

"He showed genuine consideration for members of his team. He even pushed it as far as rejecting an assignment into Malaysian territory when he discovered that the majority of the platoon had not been sufficiently trained. "He said it would have been the same as surrendering," Mitzi recalled.

"When a soldier fell in action, Pierre always expressed concern for the ones who were left behind. 'Who is going to take care of them?' he often wondered. The same applied to unknown people who died for the country. Common men, small people, who readily gave their life for their country. 'Will they be awarded?' he would often ask in his letters, or when we talked on the phone," said Mitzi, who obviously loved her brother very much.

Pierre also hated any unfair treatment of subordinates from superiors, like scolding them in public or embarrassing them in any other way. He used to report instances of officer misconduct to his boss.

He once said: "People, whoever they might be, are prone to making mistakes. If an underling has erred, it might be best to call him in private and have a heart-to-heart talk. We don't know if the person made a mistake because of a problem, or because he might not have known what to do, or anything else for that matter.

"Sometimes I'm overcome by sadness when I think of the times with Pierre. Why didn't he die fighting the enemy, or during the physical clashes with colonial rulers? His own people killed him for saving his superior. They tortured him for that," said Mitzi, seemingly lost in thought.

"At any rate, everything has gone the way he wanted. He died a hero, but didn't need to worry as the ones who had to leave wife and children behind. He was still a bachelor when he died," Mitzi added.

Pierre's younger sister, Roos Razak, admitted that she had never been close to her brother because of the age gap. However, she did sense his protective affection.

"Pierre was a serious person. He moved with purpose, wherever he was, in school, sports or in any other field. He also rejected facilities handed down from parents," said Roos, who is still a beauty in middle age.

Pierre possessed a high sense of discipline and responsibility for all of his actions. He was a man of few words, but he talked about his own experience in many letters to his family, Roos recalled.

"My memory of him is very brief. Sometime I feel like reliving those sweet experiences, although I realize as a religious person that it will never happen. One of the everlasting memories was of what Pierre said to my husband when we were getting married: 'I'll leave my little sister in your hands. Take good care of her.' That was on July 2, 1965. It was the last time we met. I cried and Pierre held me in his arms. His wish was fulfilled. I am still happy today," remembered Roos, clearly moved by the memory of her brother.

"I'm very proud of Pierre. I tried to copy his nature and his attitude and I have handed this down to my children, even though they only know him from photographs and stories."

"Pierre Tendean was like a younger brother to me and my wife. It is quite likely that under my influence he became a cadet since his parents were opposed to the idea at first. He stayed with us and was treated as one of the family."

These words were taken from chapter six of Gen. A.H. Nasution's book In The Call Of Duty.

Sutrisno, one of the guards on duty with Pierre Tendean at the residence of Gen. A.H. Nasution during the 1965 communist coup, said that Pierre impressed him when they first met.

"Next to good looks, he had clear skin, he was built like an athlete, he had a high sense of discipline and spoke in a resolute, but wise manner. He was not in the habit of cutting short one's speech," he told the Post in the guard room of Nasution's residence.

His firmness was evident in the way he stepped in to stop children of high-ranking government officials from racing in front of the general's home, or along Jl. Teuku Umar in Menteng area.

"He summoned their parents by letter to see him. He advised them to look after their children and mind their behavior, the more so if they were using office cars in their pranks," said Sutrisno, who sometimes served as Nasution's driver.

"I often think that if Pierre Tendean were alive today, he would have been a stern and wise high-ranking officer. He would have protected his subordinates and taken full responsibility for their conduct," added Sutrisno.

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Hamdan Mansyur, whose final post in the military was chief of the regional police of East and West Nusa Tenggara, was Nasution's adjutant when the fatal incident happened at the general's home.

According to Hamdan, now a businessman, he had taken over from Pierre as Nasution's adjutant and was on duty that night. Pierre was on leave and waiting for a letter from his fiance in Medan.

"That was why he stayed at Nasution's house," said Hamdan.

It was Sept. 30 -- Pierre's mother's birthday. He had planned to go home, but the letter from Medan had not arrived yet. So, he decided to stay until Oct. 1.

When shots outside shook up the household, Pierre and Hamdan were in the adjutant-cum-bedroom. Pierre was wearing a T-shirt, Hamdan in pajamas.

"Pierre went out immediately, clutching a gun in his hands. I changed into my uniform. When I got out of the room I saw that Pierre had been hit and that they had caught him. Immediately, I went back to the room," said Hamdan.

"It wasn't because I didn't want to come out. But I saw at once several trucks packed with Cakrabirawa troops and I was on my own. What could I have done against so many men? Plus I had no idea of what was really happening. All I saw was that Pierre was being lifted on to one of the trucks with soldiers sitting on their haunches, holding their guns at the ready.

"When the consternation died down, I got out of the room and met Mrs. Nasution. She asked me to take Ade (Adik Irma Suryani, the Nasutions' youngest daughter) who had been hit to the hospital and instructed me not to say anything to anyone.

"So, I was held up in the room because of my sleeping gear, while Pierre, who was better dressed, spontaneously grabbed a gun and ran out to meet his captors," said Hamdan.

Hamdan also shared the opinion that Pierre was a highly- disciplined and responsible person. He was, indeed, a soldier at heart. He did not think of his own life. On the contrary, he was worried about the fate of the Nasution family. It was a spontaneous act, and if he had known what it was about, he certainly would have taken the enemy's strength into account.

"I admired Pierre very much. He was only 26 years at the time. I was already 31 years old and married. Though I did not know him very long, I could not fail to notice his natural tendency for perfect discipline and a responsible attitude," said Hamdan.