Social Affairs Ministry to Oversee National Hero Title Proposal for Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana
The Ministry of Social Affairs is committed to overseeing the process of proposing the national hero title for the non-military cultural thinker and man of letters, Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (STA).
Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf stated that the proposal from Universitas Nasional (UNAS) is currently being processed and will be forwarded to the relevant agencies for further study. “It is currently being processed, and many figures are involved. The process will be continued. We will oversee it until it reaches the Title Council of the Ministry of Culture, led by Mr Fadli Zon,” he said following a national seminar on the STA Hero Title Proposal at the Universitas Nasional campus hall in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The Minister admitted he could not yet provide detailed data as the ministry has not yet held a special plenary meeting regarding the total number of hero title proposals received this year. Nevertheless, he ensured that the name of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana has been included as one of the priority proposals ready for the Ministry of Social Affairs to process through the official mechanism.
In this regard, he revealed that President Prabowo Subianto has opened wide opportunities for the public to propose hero titles for inspiring figures who fought behind the scenes of public life. “The essence of STA’s heroism is immense because, although he did not participate in physical combat on the battlefield, the late statesman played a significant role in pioneering the world of education and promoting the standardisation of modern Indonesian,” said Saifullah.
Saifullah is a 1985 alumnus of UNAS. He personally recalled the relevance of STA’s thoughts during his tenure as Rector of UNAS, where he always instilled a climate of freedom of opinion and democratic expression among his students. Under STA’s leadership during that period, the campus grew into a fertile centre for discussion for student activist movements from various universities.