Gedung Joang 45: The center for independence

By Ida Indawati Khouw

The "Gedung Joang 45" on Jl. Menteng Raya No. 31 in Central Jakarta is very historic as it was the center where nationalist youths started movements to reach the country's independence. This is the 58th article on the old and protected buildings in the city.

JAKARTA (JP): Dutch businessman in Batavia, L.C. Schomper, probably never imagined that his luxurious hotel, which was named after him, would one day become the center of youth movement that brought the Dutch East Indies (Dutch reference for Indonesia during their occupation here) to its independence in 1945.

The Schomper hotel, located now on Jl. Menteng Raya 31 in Central Jakarta, was turned into Gedung Joang 45 since 26 years ago to mark Indonesian struggle for independence.

There is no precise information when the Dutch businessman built his estate, at that time located at the newly-built city center Weltevreden. But his son, Pans Schomper, noted in his book Chaos after Paradise, The Promise of the Japanese Egg Man that the building had been functioning as hotel when he was born on Oct. 27, 1926.

Schomper described his family estate as "looked imposing, a typical old colonial building with marble pillars in the hall and the entrance, and marble all along the width."

In the left and right side of the main building were wings with rooms for guests. In between the wings lay a piece of land, the end of which was bordered by a row of buildings.

Schomper does not continue the story of his family ownership of the building, he just comment that, "It was an effrontery that in 1974, the building was converted into a museum 'Gedung Joang 45' entirely dedicated to the independence struggle of Indonesia and declared a national monument."

The building was unoccupied when the Japanese colonial arrived in 1942 and drove the Dutch out.

The Japanese authority took over the building and handed it over to Sendenbu, the propaganda agency. Since then, the building was used as an education center for youths to support the Japanese presence here.

Historical records show that in the beginning, Japanese tried to win the heart of Indonesians -- who were eager to be freed from the Dutch -- through the propaganda that the Japanese presence was to free Asian countries from the white people's oppression through the establishment of the so-called Asia Timur Raya, or the Great Eastern Asia.

To reach the goal, the new colonial government tried anything to mobilize people, especially the youths, who were involved in physical exercises and obliged to learn the Japanese language.

"Despite tight control from the authority, Indonesian leaders always used all of the chances to lift up the spirit of struggle for independence. The obligation to drive the support for the (Japanese) war was used to raise the feeling of love to the country," book title Peranan Gedung Menteng 31 dalam Perjuangan Kemerdekaan (the Role of the Menteng 31 Building in the Struggle for Independence) said.

The same way was also implemented for those joining the education center at the former Schomper hotel, in which since July 1942 was used as the center to train youths to become the cadres who support the Japanese.

But the "school" was then used by Indonesian leaders, who served as teachers there, to grow hope for independence.

The teachers included leading national leaders like Sukarno, who taught political science, Mohammad Hatta, who taught economics, Sunario on state science and Amir Sjarifuddin on Eastern psychology and philosophy. There were also Japanese teachers namely Nakatani on the Japanese language and Shimizu on general knowledge.

The hotel was divided into class rooms, while former bedrooms for guests at the left and right wings were used as boarding house for the students.

"The education center was then popularly known as Ashrama Angkatan Baru Indonesia (the Boarding House of the Indonesian New Generation), consisted of high school and university students, who voluntarily joined the training due to having the same goal, the independence," the book on Menteng 31 building said.

Popular names in the history of Indonesian independence became the leaders of the ashrama, like Sukarno (who was the chairman) and his vice chairman Chairul Saleh.

Instead of supporting the Japanese occupation, the youth organization prepared itself to oppose the new imperialist.

The youth then set up a semi-military organization called Barisan Banteng (literally mean Bull Front), which consisted of revolutionists who had hatred against the Japanese.

The organization, which also created several marching tunes for the struggle, was immediately growing in big cities in Java. In Jakarta alone, it had about 10,000 members, the book said.

In a short time, the songs were getting popular, singing along the streets although the Japanese authority banned people to sing such songs.

If the national leaders like Sukarno (who then became Indonesia's first president) or Hatta (then first vice president) delivered speeches, the organization would deploy the members to listen to them.

In its development, the Japanese authority soon realized the motive behind the setting up Barisan Banteng and told the leaders to revoke the organization.

However, the youths still continued their activities at the Menteng 31 building with their Angkatan Baru organization, while at the same time, other youth groups started to emerge. All of them worked for the Japanese while at the same time preparing confrontation against the cruel ruler.

The name Angkatan Baru was then used as a movement which grouped all Indonesian youth organizations on June 15, 1945, focusing on winning the country's independence.

It was the organization members, who played famous kidnapping of Sukarno and Hatta to a small town Rengas Dengklok in West Java, forcing the two to proclaim the independence day on Aug. 17, 1945.

Within the building complex is now displayed photographs, drawings and paintings related to the struggle of the independence, images of the freedom fighters along with uniforms, flags, insignia and other memorabilia.

At the left wing one can also see black "Buick" sedan with its "Rep. 1" license plate, which was used by Sukarno in performing his duties as the president, and a cream color "Rep. 2" sedan of the vice president.