Refusing to Sell His Parents' Name, This Official's Son Chooses a Life of Hardship
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Most children of officials choose an easy life by trading on their parents’ names. However, there is a wealthy individual who instead opts for a life of hardship by struggling on his own.
The figure of Soesalit has come under public scrutiny because he voluntarily chose to lead a simple life despite facing economic limitations. His name is not as well-known as his biological mother, R.A. Kartini.
Nevertheless, Soesalit’s obscurity stems from his own decision not to climb the ladder of success by relying on his famous mother Kartini’s name.
In his time, Soesalit was a rather fortunate child. He was born into an official’s family because his father, Raden Mas Adipati Ario Djojoadiningrat, served as Regent of Rembang. Later, history also records that his mother, Kartini, became a great figure due to her visionary thinking that transcended her era.
Despite this, Soesalit did not want to rely on the great names of both parents to build his life. Wardiman Djojonegoro in Kartini (2024) recounts that Soesalit actually had the right to succeed his father as regent. However, he firmly refused. Many relatives repeatedly asked Soesalit to take the position, but his response always ended in rejection.
Instead, he chose to join the military in 1943. He was trained by Japanese troops and later joined as a soldier in Pembela Tanah Air (PETA). When Indonesia gained independence, Soesalit effectively became part of the People’s Security Army of the Republic of Indonesia. From there, his career slowly shone.
According to Sitisoemandari Soeroto in Kartini: A Biography (1979), Soesalit was always involved in several battles against the Dutch, which quickly led to his promotion. Likewise, his name became increasingly famous.
The peak of his success as a soldier occurred in 1946. He was appointed as Commander of Diponegoro Division II, leading the most important troops because they were tasked with guarding the national capital in Yogyakarta.
He even held several civilian positions at times. One of them was as an advisor to the Minister of Defence in Ali Sastro’s Cabinet in 1953.
When this happened, few people knew that Soesalit was the son of Indonesia’s great figure, R.A. Kartini. He deliberately did not trade on his mother’s great name.
Yet, throughout his life, Kartini’s stories repeatedly served as inspiration and were retold by many generations about the woman who advocated for equality through her letters. Even then, the song about his mother titled “Ibu Kita Kartini” composed by W.R. Supratman was already popular and continues to be sung by many people.
Soesalit’s superior, General Nasution, witnessed how he did not flaunt his parents’ names. Nasution saw that when no longer on duty, Soesalit preferred to live in poverty as a veteran. He did not claim his rights as a veteran.
According to Nasution, quoted from Kartini: A Biography (1979), he could have easily avoided poverty by stating that he was Kartini’s only son. That way, many people would show sympathy and could change the life of the two-star general.
However, Soesalit steadfastly held to the principle instilled from the beginning: he did not want to reveal that he was Kartini’s descendant. Because of this principle, the man born in Rembang remained impoverished until his death on 17 March 1962.