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)