NasDem Proposes Istiqlal Architect Friedrich Silaban as National Hero

The NasDem Party faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) has proposed that the architect of the Istiqlal Mosque, Friedrich Silaban, be named a national hero. Deputy Chairman of the NasDem Faction, Martin Manurung, stated that he has engaged various parties, from the North Tapanuli regional government—Silaban’s birthplace—to his family, to submit the proposal. “We brainstormed, unifying our vision on how to work together to initiate the series of proposals for Mr Friedrich Silaban to become a national hero,” Martin said at the parliamentary complex on Monday (13/7). He noted that Friedrich was not only the architect of the Istiqlal building, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, but also of the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) complex, the National Monument (Monas), and the Bank Indonesia building. “In the view of the NasDem Faction, these are not merely buildings, but the idea of Indonesian-ness conceived by the nation’s founders was realised by the late Mr Friedrich Silaban in his building designs,” he said. Martin added that his party will soon coordinate with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Culture to convey the proposal, which will subsequently be submitted to the President. “Of course, the proposal goes to the President. We will propose it to the President later,” he stated. Meanwhile, Friedrich’s son, Panogu Silaban, expressed his gratitude for the proposal to name his father a national hero. He welcomed the initiative. “I am very grateful. It is a source of pride for our family and an honour for my father,” he said. Friedrich was a Protestant Christian who served as the architect of Istiqlal. At the time, he won a design competition held by President Soekarno in 1955. Friedrich Silaban later received the Civil Service Star of Honour, specifically the Bintang Jasa Utama, from the government for his design of Istiqlal. He passed away on 14 May 1984 due to health issues and was buried in the Cipaku Public Cemetery in Bogor, West Java.