Moewardi (

Perfected Spelling The Enhanced Spelling of the Indonesian Language ( id, Ejaan Bahasa Indonesia yang Disempurnakan, EYD) is the spelling system used for the Indonesian language. History The Enhanced Spelling of the Indonesian Language ( id, Ejaan Bahasa Indone ...

: Muwardi; 1907–1948) is a

National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia) is the highest-level title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual deeds which can b ...

from

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

Biography

Moewardi was born in Pati,

, in 1907. After studying at

STOVIA The ("school for the training of native physicians") or STOVIA was a medicine school in Batavia, now Indonesia's capital Jakarta. The school was officially opened in March 1902 in a building that is now the Museum of National Awakening in Welt ...

(a school for

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

doctors) in Batavia (now

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

), he began studying as a specialist in throat, nose, and ear infections. He also chaired the city's branch of

Jong Java , was a Dutch East Indies youth organization founded on March 7, 1915 by at the STOVIA building under the name Tri Koro Dharmo ('Three Noble Goals'). It was founded in response to the perceived elitism of the Budi Utomo movement by many young ...

. He practised medicine extensively during the Japanese occupation (1942–45). After the Japanese defeat in the Pacific, Indonesian politicians began preparing to proclaim the country's independence from Dutch colonial control. Moewardi, by this time living in

Surakarta Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...

, established the

Barisan Pelopor The ''Suishintai'' ( ja, 推進体, Suishintai, Pioneer Corps, id, Barisan Pelopor) was the paramilitary youth wing of the '' Jawa Hōkōkai'' (ジャワ奉公会, "Javanese Service Society") which was formed in August 1944 by its leader Sukarno, ...

. This group which organised security at Ikada Square (now Merdeka Square) in

, to help secure the proclamation. Moewardi was one of the speakers at the event. Afterwards, Moewardi tasked his men with organising security for new president

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...

and vice-president Mohammad Hatta, as well as other government figures. Moewardi was offered the position of Minister of Defence but refused it; the position went, ''in absentia'', to

Supriyadi Supriyadi, older spelling Soeprijadi full name Fransiskus Xaverius Soeprijadi (born 13 April 1923 – disappeared 14 February 1945, declared dead 9 August 1975), was an Indonesian national hero who rebelled against the occupying Japanese in ...

. During the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...

there was extensive military contact between Dutch and Indonesian forces. By early 1946 the capital was under Dutch control, and the nascent government abandoned Jakarta for

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

. Moewardi moved Barisan Pelopor to

and renamed it

Barisan Banteng The ''Suishintai'' ( ja, 推進体, Suishintai, Pioneer Corps, id, Barisan Pelopor) was the paramilitary youth wing of the '' Jawa Hōkōkai'' (ジャワ奉公会, "Javanese Service Society") which was formed in August 1944 by its leader Sukarno, ...

; the group was eventually merged into the

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...

. Moewardi would accompany them in battles, helping the injured. Afterwards, Moewardi established a hospital and medical school in Surakarta. In 1948 he, together with a faction of other groups opposed to the

Renville Agreement The Renville Agreement was a United Nations Security Council-brokered political accord between the Netherlands, which was seeking to re-establish its colony in South East Asia, and Indonesian Republicans seeking for Indonesian independence durin ...

, established the (People's Revolution Movement). On 13 September 1948, while en route to his practice, Moewardi was kidnapped by the

Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965. ...

and later murdered. He had previously attempted to organise a team to confront the communists following the

Madiun Affair The Madiun Affair ( id, Peristiwa Madiun), known locally as the Communist Party of Indonesia rebellion of 1948 ( id, Pemberontakan Partai Komunis Indonesia 1948), was an armed conflict between the government of the self-proclaimed Republic of ...

, and the city itself had little semblance of government. Moewardi was deemed a

on 9 August 1964. A hospital in Surakarta and street in Jakarta are both named after him.

References

Works cited

* * * {{Authority control 1907 births 1948 deaths Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan National Heroes of Indonesia STOVIA alumni