Jakartans to pay homage to Thamrin

Jakartans to pay homage to Thamrin

JAKARTA (JP): A celebration marking the 60th anniversary of
noted Betawi (native Jakartan) figure Muhammad Hoesni Thamrin's
death will be held on Thursday.

Chairman of the event's organizing committee Abdul Radjak said
on Tuesday that the occasion would include a visit to the tomb of
the national hero located in Karet Bivak cemetery in Central
Jakarta.

Abdul said that independence campaigner and former foreign
minister Roeslan Abdul Gani was expected to address some 3,000
invitees at the ceremony commemorating Thamrin's heroism.

Among attendants listed are President Abdurrahman Wahid and
Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, officials from the city
administration, city councilors, and leaders from the Betawi
Consultative Body.

"People only recognize the famous name of the Jl. Thamrin
thoroughfare in the capital. But they never know that Thamrin is
also a Betawi leader, who fought for his people in the city from
1919," Radjak said.

Thamrin, born in Feb. 16, 1894, was raised by a wealthy
family. His father was the head of a local subdistrict under the
Dutch government and his mother was a religious teacher.

Young Thamrin went to the Dutch school and then worked as an
employee at a private exploration company in Batavia, the old
name for Jakarta, but later resigned.

Thamrin was widely known among people of diverse social status
as a young political figure.

Among the accomplishment of Thamrin's work was the community
development program in various areas of Batavia, such as the
construction of Ciliwung canal river and the resurfacing of local
streets.

In 1927, Thamrin established the Indonesian Party (Parindra),
which gave him accessibility to other fellow independence
strugglers, including the first Indonesian president Sukarno.

Throughout his lifetime Thamrin often donated his property to
the community, including a house on Gang Kenari, locally known as
Gedung Joeang, which was the venue of a landmark gathering among
Indonesian progressive youth leaders in 1928.

Thamrin died on Jan. 11, 1941 while being held under house-
arrest. (07)