National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia) is the highest-level
title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
awarded in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. It is posthumously given by the
Government of Indonesia
The term Government of Indonesia ( id, Pemerintah Indonesia) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and ju ...
for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual deeds which can be remembered and exemplified for all time by other citizens" or "extraordinary service furthering the interests of the state and people". The
Ministry of Social Affairs
A Ministry of Social Affairs or Department of Social Affairs is the common name for a government department found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments. While there is some variation in the responsibilities of ...
gives seven criteria which an individual must fulfill, as follows:
#Have been an Indonesian citizen who is deceased and, during his lifetime, led an armed struggle or produced a concept or product useful to the state;
#Have continued the struggle throughout his life and performed above and beyond the call of duty;
#Have had a wide-reaching impact through his actions;
#Have shown a high degree of
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
;
#Have been of good moral standing and respectable character;
#Never surrendered to his enemies; and
#Never committed an act which taints his or her legacy.
Nominations undergo a four-step process and must be approved at each level. A proposal is made by the general populace in a
city or regency to the mayor or regent, who must then make a request to the
province's governor. The governor then makes a recommendation to the Ministry of Social Affairs, which forwards it to the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
, represented by the Board of Titles (); this board consists of two academics, two persons of a military background, and three persons who have previously received an award or title. Those selected by the president, as represented by the Board, are awarded the title at a ceremony in the Indonesian capital of
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 ...
. Since 2000, the ceremony has occurred in early November, coinciding with
Indonesia's Heroes' Day ().
The legal framework for the title, initially styled National Independence Hero (), was established with the release of Presidential Decree No. 241 of 1958. The title was first awarded on 30 August 1959 to the politician turned writer
Abdul Muis
Abdul Muis (also spelt Abdoel Moeis; 1886 – 17 July 1959), was an Indonesian writer, journalist and nationalist. He advocated for Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands. He was the first person to be named a national hero by President S ...
, who had died the previous month. This title was used for the rest of
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 ...
's rule. When
Suharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
rose to power in the mid-1960s, the title was given its current name. Special titles at the level of National Hero have also been awarded. Hero of the Revolution () was given in 1965 to ten victims of the
30 September Movement that resulted in end of Sukarno reign, while Sukarno and former vice-president
Mohammad Hatta
Mohammad Hatta (; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman and nationalist who served as the country's first vice president. Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indone ...
were given the title Proclamation Heroes () in 1988 for their role in reading the
Proclamation of Indonesian Independence
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of th ...
.
A total of 185 men and 15 women have been deemed national heroes, most recently Soeharto Sastrosoeyoso,
Paku Alam VIII
Sri Paku Alam VIII (10 April 1910 – 11 September 1998) was Duke (''Adipati'') of Pakualaman serving the second Governor of Yogyakarta. He was the son of Paku Alam VII and ''Gusti Bendara Raden Ayu Retno Poewoso''. His child name was ''Gusti Rad ...
, Rubini Natawisastra, Salahuddin bin Talibuddin and Ahmad Sanusi in 2022.
These heroes have come from all parts of the
Indonesian archipelago
The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago ( id, Kepulauan Indonesia) or Nusantara, may refer either to the islands comprising the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands.
History ...
, from
Aceh
Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
in the west to
Papua in the east. They represent numerous
ethnicities
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
, including
native Indonesians
Native Indonesians, also known as ''Pribumi'' (), are Indonesians whose ancestral roots lie mainly in the archipelago, distinguished from Indonesians of known (partial) foreign descent, like Chinese Indonesians (Tionghoa), Arab Indonesians, India ...
,
ethnic Chinese
The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation.
Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...
,
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
and
Eurasians. They include
prime ministers
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is no ...
,
guerrillas, government ministers, soldiers, royalty, journalists, and a bishop.
The following list is initially presented in alphabetical order; owing to differing cultural naming conventions, not all entries are sorted by last name. The list is further sortable by year of birth, death, and recognition. Names are standardised using the
Indonesian Spelling System
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 ...
and thus may not reflect the original spelling.
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National Heroes of Indonesia
Explanatory notes
Footnotes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:National Heroes Of Indonesia
Lists of award winners
Lists of Indonesian people
Hero (title)