Provincial Government Proposes Relocation of Fatmawati Soekarno's Grave to Bengkulu

The Bengkulu Provincial Government has proposed relocating the grave of Indonesia’s first First Lady, Fatmawati Soekarno, from Jakarta to Bengkulu as a form of respect for this national figure. “We propose that Ibu Fatmawati’s grave be relocated to Bengkulu, her birthplace,” said Assistant for Government and Public Welfare of the Bengkulu Provincial Secretariat, Khairil Anwar, in Bengkulu on Wednesday. He conveyed this after leading a meeting with related regional apparatus organisations (OPD) to form a study team for relocating Fatmawati Soekarno’s grave. The plan is to move the grave to the Taman Remaja complex, which will be revitalised into an integrated area. The proposal will be submitted to relevant parties, particularly the family and the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Bengkulu Provincial Government plans for the relocation site to be in the Taman Remaja area, which will be revitalised into an integrated zone based on historical tourism. Fatmawati Soekarno is known as the seamstress of Sang Saka Merah Putih and the wife of Indonesia’s first President, Soekarno, who had a long history with Bengkulu. The two met during Soekarno’s exile in Bengkulu and married on 1 June 1943, after which Fatmawati sewed the heirloom flag in 1944, which was hoisted during the 1945 Proclamation of Independence. Fatmawati was born in Bengkulu on 5 February 1923 with the original name Fatimah and was the daughter of Muhammadiyah figure Hasan Din and Siti Chodijah. Fatmawati passed away in Malaysia on 14 May 1980 and was buried in TPU Karet Bivak, Central Jakarta, and has been awarded the title of National Hero by Indonesia’s fourth President Abdurrahman Wahid through Presidential Decree Number 118/TK/2000. As a form of respect, the government has also built the Fatmawati Monument in Bengkulu, which serves as one of the historical markers of this female figure’s struggle.