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Nama: Putra Anggara Maulana

Kelas: XI-LB

Mata Pelajaran: Bahasa Inggris

Heroes:

TAN MALAKA

 Born : 2 june 1897 ,

Limapuluh koto,
Dutch East
Indies
 Died : 21 February 1949 (aged
51)
Selopanggung,
Kediri
Regency,
Indonesia
 Cause of death : Execution by
firing
squad
 Nationality : Indonesia
 Awards : National Hero of
 Indonesia
 Main Interest: Epistemology,

Socialism, Marxism,
Trotskyism,
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Panislamism
 Notable ideas : Madilog, National
Marxism,
100% Freedom
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Early life
Tan Malaka (2 June 1897 – 21 February 1949) was a teacher, Indonesian Philosopher, founder of
Struggle Union (Persatuan Perjuangan) and Murba Party, independent guerrilla,
Indonesian fighter, and Indonesian national hero. Tempo credited him as Father of the Republic
of Indonesia (Indonesian: Bapak Republik Indonesia)

Tan Malaka's full name was Ibrahim Gelar Datuk Sutan Malaka. He was born in present-day
Nagari Pandam Gadang, Suliki, Lima Puluh Kota Regency, West Sumatra, which was then under
the rule of the Dutch East Indies. His date of birth in unclear, and varies from source to source,
but is likely sometime between 1894 and 1897.

His father was HM. Rasad Caniago, an agricultural employee, and Rangkayo Sinah Simabur, a
daughter of a respected figure in the village. As a child, Tan Malaka lived with his parents in
Suliki, and studied religious knowledge and trained in the pencak silat martial arts In 1908, Tan
Malaka attended the Kweekschool, a state teacher's school, at Fort de Kock. At the
Kweekschool, Tan Malaka studied the Dutch languange and became a skilled football
player. According to his teacher, G. H. Horensma, although Malaka was sometimes disobedient,
he was an excellent student. He graduated in 1913, and returned to his village. His return would
be ceremonialized by the conferment on him of a high adat title of datuk and the offer of
a fiancee. However, he only accepted the title.  He succeeded in getting money from the village
to continues his education abroad, and he sailed for Rotterdam that same year.

Life Journeys
Following his graduation, he left the Netherlands and returned to his village. He accepted a job
offer by Dr. C. W. Janssen to teach the children of the tea plantation coolies, at
Sanembah, Tanjung Morawa, Deli, East Sumatra. He went there in December , but began
teaching only in January 1920. He produced subversive propaganda for the coolies, known as
the Deli Spoor, and began learning of the deterioration of the indigenous people that had
occurred. In addition to teaching, he made a contact with ISDV, and wrote some works for the
press. As a journalist, he wrote on the striking differences in wealth between capitalists and
workers, in one of his earliest works, the "Land of Paupers"; which was included in a March
1920 issue of Het Vrije Woord. Tan Malaka also wrote on the suffering of the coolies in
the Sumatera Post.

Tan Malaka went to Batavia (now Jakarta) when his old teacher, G. H. Horensma, offered him a
job as a teacher; however, Tan Malaka rejected the offer. As he wanted to establish his own
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school; to which his old teacher accepted the reason and supported him. In 1921, Tan Malaka
was elected to the Volksraad as member of the Left-wing grouping, but resigned on 23 February
1921. He subsequently left Batavia and arrived at Yogyakarta in early March 1921, and stayed as
the house of Sutopo, a former leader of Budi Utomo. There, he wrote a proposal for a grammar
school. In Yogyakarta, he participated in the Sarekat Islam organization's 5th congress and met
with a number of prominent Islamic figures, including H.O.S. Tjokroaminoto, Agus Salim,
Darsono, and Semaun. The congress discussed the topic of double membership of both the
Sarekat Islam and the Communist Party (PKI). Agus Salim, and another figure, Abdul Muis,
forbade it, while Semaun and Darsono were both PKI members.

Sarekat Islam was split as a result, forming the Sarekat Islam Putih (White Sarekat Islam), led
by Tjokroaminoto, and the Sarekat Islam Merah (Red Sarekat Islam), led by Semaun and based
in Semarang. After the congress, Tan Malaka was asked by Semaun to go to Semarang to join
PKI. He accepted the offer, and went to Semarang. Arriving in Semarang, he became ill. A
month later, he had returned to health, and participated in a meeting with fellow Sarekat Islam
Semarang members. The meeting concluded that a rival to the government-administered schools
were needed. This led to the creation of a new school, named the Sekolah Sarekat
Islam ("Sarekat Islam School"), which would be better known as Sekolah Tan Malaka ("Tan
Malaka's School"). The schools spread to Bandung and Ternate, with enrollment beginning on
21 June 1921. The schools were the main reason for Tan Malaka's growing prestige and rapid
rise within the PKI. As a guidebook for the schools, Tan Malaka wrote the SI Semarang dan
Onderwijs, a guide to managing the schools.

In June 1921, Tan Malaka became the chairman of the Serikat Pegawai Pertjitakan ("Printing
Workers Association"), and served as the vice chairman and treasurer of the Serikat Pegawai
Pelikan Hindia (SPPH; "Indies Oils Workers Association").Between May and August his first
book, Sovjet atau Parlemen? ("Soviet or Parliament?"), which was serialized in the PKI's journal,
the Soeara Ra'jat ("People's Voice"); his other works, including articles, were published in
another journal and PKI newspaper, the Sinar Hindia ("The Hindia Star"). In June, he was one of
the leaders of the Revolutionaire Vakcentrale ("Revolutionary Trade Union Federation"), and in
August he was elected to the editorial board of SPPH's journal, the Soeara Tambang ("Miner's
Voice"). Tan Malaka then replaced Semaun, who left the Dutch East Indies in October, as the
chairman of PKI after a congress on 24 – 25 December 1921 in Semarang. Differences can be
seen from their ledership styles, as Semaun was more cautious, whilst Tan Malaka was more
radical. Under his leadership, the PKI maintained a good relationship with Sarekat Islam.

On 13 February 1922, while he visited a school in Bandung, he was arrested by Dutch

authorities, who felt threatened by the existence of the Communist Party. He was first exiled
to Kupang; however, he wanted to be exiled to the Netherlands, and was sent there by the Dutch
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authorities. However, the date of his arrival in the Netherlands is disputed. In the Netherlands, he
joined the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) and was appointed as the third candidate
of the party for the House of Representatives, at the 1922 elections. He was the first Dutch
colonial subject (since he was from the Dutch East Indies) to ever to run for office in the
Netherlands. He didn't expect to be elected because, under the system of proportional
representation in use, his third position on the ticket made his election highly unlikely. His stated
goal in running was instead to gain a platform to speak about Dutch actions in Indonesia, and to
work to persuade the CPN to support Indonesian independence. Although he did not win a seat,
he received unexpectedly strong support. Before the counting of votes was finished, he left the
Netherlands and went to Germany.

In Berlin, he met with Darsono, an Indonesian communist who was related to the West
European Bureau of the Comintern, and possibly met M.N. Roy. Tan Malaka then continued
to Moscow, and arrived in October 1922 to participate in the Executive Committee of the
Comintern. At the Fourth World Congress of the Comintern in Moscow, Tan Malka proposed
that communism and Pan-Islamism could collaborate; however, his proposal was rejected by
many. In January 1923, he and Semaun were appointed correspondents of Die Rote
Gewerkschafts-Internationale ("The Red Union International"). During the first half 1923, he
also wrote for the journals of the Indonesian and Dutch labor movements.

He also became an agent of the Eastern Bureau of the Comintern as he reported on the ECCI
plenum in June 1923. Tan Malaka then went to Canton (now Guangzhou), arriving in December
1923, and edited the English journal, The Dawn, for an organization of transport workers of the
Pacific. In August 1924 Malaka requested the government of the Dutch East Indies to allow him
to return home because of illness. The government accepted this, but with burdensome terms to
be imposed; he did not return home. In December 1924, the PKI began to collapse, as it was
suppressed by the Dutch government. As a response, Tan Malaka wrote the Naar de Republiek
Indonesia (Towards the Republic of Indonesia), which was published in Canton in April 1925. It
explained the situation in the world, from the Netherlands which suffered an economic crisis, the
Dutch East Indies which had opportunities to carry out a revolution by nationalist movements
and PKI, to his prediction that the United States and Japan would "settle with the sword which of
them is the more powerful in the Pacific."

In July 1925, Tan Malaka moved to Manila, Philippines, because the environment was more
similar to Indonesia. Malaka arrived in Manila on 20 July. There, he became a correspondent of
the nationalist newspaper El Debate ("The Debate"), which was edited by Francisco Varona.
Publication of his works, such as a second edition of Naar de Republiek Indonesia (December
1925) and Semangat Moeda (Young Spirit; 1926) might have been supported by Varona. There,
Malaka also met with Filipino figures Mariano de los Santos, José Abad Santos, and Crisanto
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Evangelista. In Indonesia, PKI decided to revolt within six months of its meeting, which was
held around December 1925. The government was aware of this and exiled several party leaders.
In February 1926, Alimin went to Manila to request approval from Tan Malaka. Tan Malaka
eventually rejected this strategy, and stated that the condition of the party was still too weak, and
it had no power to carry out yet another revolution.

He described in his autobiography his frustration with his inability to secure information about
events in Indonesia from his place in the Philippines, and his lack of influence with the PKI's
leadership. As Comintern representative for Southeast Asia, Tan Malaka argued that he had
authority to reject the PKI's plan, an assertion which was, in retrospect, denied by certain former
PKI members. Tan Malaka sent Alimin to Singapore to convey his views, and ordered him to
organize an impromptu meeting between the leaders. Seeing no progress, he went to Singapore
himself to meet Alimin and learned that Alimin and Musso had traveled to Moscow to seek help
to carry out a revolt. In Singapore, Tan Malaka met Subakat, another PKI leader, who shared his
views. They decided to thwart Musso and Alimin's plan. During this period he wrote the Massa
Actie (Mass Action), which contained his view on Indonesian revolution and nationalist
movements. In this book, he proposes Aslia, a social federation between Southeast Asia
countries and Northern Australia. The book was intended to support his effort to reverse the
direction of PKI and gain support of the cadres on his side.

In December 1926, Tan Malaka went to Bangkok, where he studied the defeat of PKI. He,
along with Djamaludin Tamin and Subakat, established the Partai Republik Indonesia ("Republic
of Indonesia Party") in early June 1927, distancing himself from the Comintern as well as, in the
new party's manifesto, criticizing the PKI. While the party did have a small membership inside
the country, it never grew to be a large organization; however, with the PKI gone underground, it
was the only organization in the late 1920s which was publicly calling for immediate
independence for Indonesia. Some party cadres included future-Vice President Adam Malik,
future People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Chaerul Saleh, and poet and
politician Mohammad Yamin.

He then went back to the Philippines in August 1927. He was arrested on 12 August 1927 on
charges entering illegally the Philippines territory. He was helped by Dr. San Jose Abad helped
him in court, however, he accepted the verdict that he would be deported to Amoy (Xiamen),
China.

The police of the Kulangsu (Gulangyu) International Settlement, were notified of Tan Malaka's
passage to Amoy, waited for him in the harbor with the intention of arresting him for extradition
to the Dutch East Indies, as the Dutch wanted to apprehend him, and send him to the Boven-
Digoel concentration camp. But he managed to escape as the sympathetic captain and crew
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protected him, entrusting his safety to a ship inspector. The ship inspector took Tan Malaka to a
guest house from where he made his way to Sionching village with newly made acquaintances.
Tan Malaka then traveled to Shanghai in the end of 1929.43 Poeze writes that Malaka may have
met Alimin there in August 1931, and made an agreement with him that Malaka would work
again for the Comintern.44 Malaka moved to Shanghai in September 1932 after the attack made
by the Japanese forces, and decided to go to India, disguised as a Chinese-Filipino and using an
alias. When he was in Hong Kong in early October 1932, he was arrested by British officials
from Singapore, and was detained for several months.

He hoped to have a chance to argue his case under British law and possibly seek asylum in
the United Kingdom, but after several months of interrogation and being moved between the
"European" and the "Chinese" sections of the jail, it was decided that he would simply be exiled
from Hong Kong without charges. He was then deported again to Amoy. Tan Malaka then
escaped once again, and traveled to Iwe village in the south of China. There, he was treated with
traditional Chinese medicine for his illness. After his health improved in the beginning of 1936,
he traveled back to Amoy and formed a Foreign Language School. Abidin Kusno argues that this
stay in Shanghai was an important period in shaping Tan Malaka's later actions during the
Indonesian revolution of the late 1940s; the port city was nominally under Chinese sovereignty
but was dominated first by European nations with trading concessions in the city, and then by
Japan after its September 1932 invasion.

The oppression of the Chinese he saw under both of these powers, Kusno argues, contributed to
his uncompromising position against collaboration with the Japanese or negotiation with the
Dutch in the 1940s, when many prominent Indonesian nationalists were adopting a more
conciliatory stance. In August 1937, he went to Singapore under a fake Chinese identity and
became a teacher. After the Dutch surrendered to Japan, he returned to Indonesia via Penang. He
then sailed to Sumatra arriving in Jakarta in mid-1942, where he wrote Madilog. After he felt he
had to have a job, he applied to Social Welfare Agency and was soon sent to a coal mine in
Bayah, on southern coast of West Java.
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National revolution

Tan Malaka, c. 1945

After the proclamation of the independence of Indonesia, he began to meet his people of his own
and the younger generation. He also started using his real name again, after 20 years using
aliases. He then traveled to in Java and saw the people of the city of Surabaya, fighting against
the British army in November. He realized the differences of struggling between the people in
some places and the leaders in Jakarta. He thought the leaders were too weak in negotiation with
the Dutch.47 His solution to this perceived disconnect was to found the Persatuan
Perjuangan ("Struggle Front, or United Action"), a coalition of about 140 smaller groups, notably
not including the PKI. After a few months of discussion, the coalition was formally founded at a
congress in Surakarta in mid-January 1946.49

The coalition adopted a "Minimum Program", which declared that only complete independence
was acceptable, that government must obey the wishes of the people, and that foreign-owned
plantations and industry should be nationalized.49 The Persatuan Perjuangan had widespread
popular support, as well as support in the republican army. With Major General Sudirman being
a strong supporter of the coalition Tan Malaka was organizing. In February 1946, the
organization forced the temporary resignation of Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir, a proponent of
negotiation with the Dutch, and Sukarno consulted with Tan Malaka to seek his support.
However, Tan Malaka was apparently unable to bridge political divisions within his coalition to
transform it into actual political control, and he was arrested shortly thereafter,52 with Sjahrir
returning to lead Sukarno's cabinet.50 52
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Upon his release, he spent the following months in Yogyakarta, and attempted to form a new
political party, called the Partai Murba (Proletarian Party), but was unable to repeat his previous
success at attracting a following. When the Dutch captured the national government in December
1948, he fled from Yogyakarta, and headed to rural East Java, where he hoped he would be
protected by anti-republican guerrilla forces. He established his headquarters in Blimbing, a
village surrounded by rice fields, and connected himself to Major Sabarudin, leader of the 38th
Battalion. In his opinion, Major Sabarudin's was the only armed group that was actually fighting
the Dutch.53

Sabarudin, however, was in conflict with all other armed groups. On 17 February,
the TNI leaders in East Java decided that Sabarudin and his companions were to be captured and
convicted following military law. On the 19th, they captured Tan Malaka in Blimbing. On 20
February, the Dutch Korps Speciale Troepen (KST) happened to start an offensive named
"Operation Tiger" from the East Javanese town of Nganjuk. They advanced quickly and brutally.
Poeze describes in detail how the TNI soldiers fled into the mountains and how Tan Malaka,
already injured, walked into a TNI post and was promptly executed on 21 February 1949.
Malaka was fatally shot at the foothills of Mount Wilis, Selopanggung, Kediri Regency after an
arrest and detention in Patje village. According to Poeze, the shot was ordered by Second
Lieutenant Sukotjo of Sikatan battalion, Brawijaya division.53 No report was made and Malaka
was buried in the woods.54