UNAS Proposes Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana as National Hero
Universitas Nasional (UNAS) has officially proposed literary figure, cultural expert, and Indonesian education pioneer Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (STA) as a candidate for the 2026 National Hero title. The figure, known as one of the pioneers of modernising the Indonesian language, is considered to have rendered great service in the development of language, literature, education, and Indonesian culture.
Dean of the Faculty of Language and Literature at UNAS, Nana Yuliana, stated that STA’s nomination documents will be submitted to the Regional Title Research and Assessment Team (TP2D) through the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government on Wednesday (1/7/2026).
"After that, it will be reviewed and verified. Then, from the regional team, it will be forwarded to the central government at the Ministry of Social Affairs, then to the Title Council at the Ministry of Culture, and finally to the President. Hopefully, by November, STA can be included as one of the candidates for the National Hero title," Nana said following the National Seminar on Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana at the UNAS Campus in South Jakarta on Tuesday (30/6/2026).
The seminar, themed "Examining the Heroic Legacy of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (STA): Contributions to Indonesian Literature, Language, Education, and Culture," was held as part of the nomination process. The seminar was also attended by Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf, Director General of Culture and Tradition at the Ministry of Culture Restu Gunawan, as well as several literary and cultural figures.
Nana explained that the seminar, originally scheduled for 16 July, was brought forward because all supporting nomination documents must be submitted by 2 July 2026 at the latest.
According to her, STA was a figure who played an important role in modernising the Indonesian language, making it a national language as well as a tool for unifying the nation.
"STA was the first person to write an Indonesian grammar book during the Japanese occupation and introduced the MD (Explaining and Explained) and DM (Explained and Explaining) rules, so that the Indonesian language has a logical structure," she said.