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| Dok. Ist |
"Allahuakbar"
shouted Bung Tomo, burning the spirit of arek-arek Suroboyo 75 years ago. On 10
November 1945 there was a great battle in Surabaya which is always remembered
today. This battle was caused by the killing of Brigadier General Mallaby, a
British Brigadier General, the leader of the Allied troops who was accompanied
by the NICA (Dutch army) in an attempt to occupy Indonesia after the
proclamation of independence. Not long after Mallaby's death, the Allies gave
an ultimatum for all Indonesian leaders to surrender and lay down their
weapons.
The reaction of the people in Surabaya was
far beyond expectations. Instead, they viewed the ultimatum as an insult, not a
threat as the Allies had hoped. In a book written by Andi Suwirta, entitled
Indonesian Revolution in News and Views, states that there were two important
figures who succeeded in igniting the spirit of struggle and unity of the
people of Surabaya at that time.
First, a young man named Sutomo or better
known as Bung Tomo. Through his speech, he succeeded in inspiring and burning
the enthusiasm of the Suroboyo areknies to unite to fight against the Allied
troops and defend their independence. Among the pieces of Bung Tomo's speech
were "It is better for us to be devastated than not free, our motto
remains, be independent or die".
Next, there was a character who emphasized
Bung Tomo's speech with calm, but convincing words. He is Governor Soerjo.
Soerojo said that succeeded in igniting the spirit of the people of Surabaya,
namely "All attempts to negotiate have failed. In order to defend our
sovereignty, we must stand tall and dare to face every situation. Now in the
face of the English ultimatum, we will cling to that belief. We will stand tall
and refuse to accept the ultimatum. Let us steadfastly unite between the
Government, the People, the Police, TKR (indonesian army) and all the youth
forces asking God the Almighty to bestow His mercy. Have a good fight".
The two figures above succeeded in
sparking fighting spirit and unity among the youths at that time, although with
different language styles and delivery. In the battle of November 10, 1945,
Indonesian fighters bravely attacked and crushed the allied forces using
makeshift weapons. The result of the battle Indonesia won strategically, politically
and psychologically because it showed the world that Indonesia already had its
own army and security forces and showed that Indonesia was worthy of
independence, despite the many casualties that had fallen.
75 years have passed since this event, but
the spirit of struggle and unity of the fighters at that time seemed to begin
to disappear. This is evidenced by the state of the Indonesian economy which
has not improved, divisions and conflicts between people.
Currently, the Indonesian people are struggling
to break free from the never-ending Covid-19 Pandemic. Various efforts have
been made by the Indonesian government, for example, by carrying out large and
small scale lockdowns.
Quoted from liputan6.com, the
Director-General of Risk Financing Management of the Ministry of Finance, Lucky
Alfirman, said that the role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is
very important to the Indonesian economy. focusing on MSMEs, "he said in a
webinar" Support for Export-Oriented MSMEs "in Jakarta, Tuesday
(8/9/2020).
It does not stop there, the government
also provides an interest subsidy program for People's Business Credit (KUR)
loans for MSME entrepreneurs. In conditions full of uncertainty, the government
continues to commit to providing interest subsidies for MSMEs to pay their
instalments.
"Furthermore, we also provide
guarantees for working capital credit for our MSMEs in collaboration with
Jamkrindo and Askrindo. Where the government bears no cost guarantee fees and
80 per cent of all defaults of business actors," he explained.
Then the final form of government
contribution was also marked by the launch of productive presidential
assistance for MSMEs. Where each UMKM
was given assistance worth 2.4 million.
Apart from the economic problems caused by
the Covid-19 pandemic, divisions and conflicts between Indonesian citizens are
currently It still happens a lot. This
can be seen from data of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) which states that
in the 2011-2018 period, the number of villages / kelurahan that became
conflict areas was recorded at around 3,100 villages / kelurahan. Conflicts between fellow citizens that are
still widely heard also occurred in Papua which claimed many lives and also
conflicts between students and the police during a demonstration some time
ago. These various incidents illustrate
the loss of unity among youth today which is far different from that of the
youth during the events of 10 November 1945.
At this time, Indonesia needs a leader
with a heroic spirit such as Bung Tomo and Governor Soerjo in various fields,
be it economic, political, etc. Because,
to advance Indonesia requires a figure who can invite and arouse the spirit of
struggle and unity to realize something you aspire to.
A leader must be ready to make sacrifices
for the sake of the nation and state, so that everything he dreams of can be
achieved. Every citizen can become a
leader who has a heroic spirit as long as he is sincere and willing to
sacrifice for the sake of the Indonesian nation. In fact, the progress of a nation is
determined by its own citizens, if we are not the ones advancing Indonesia,
then who will?
Writer: Rido Idham
Translator: Dian Ananda, Audina and Anas.