''Pemandangan'' was a daily

Indonesian language Indonesian ( ) is the official language, official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standard language, standardized variety (linguistics), variety of Malay language, Malay, an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that has be ...

newspaper published in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

(or later

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 ...

) between 1933 and 1958. It was one of the few local newspapers which was initially allowed to operate during the

Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. It was one of the most crucial and important periods in modern Indonesian history. In May ...

History

The newspaper was first published on 8 April 1933 by journalist

Saeroen Saeroen ( Perfected Spelling: Saerun; fl. 1920s–1962) was an Indonesian journalist and screenwriter. Born in Yogyakarta, he became a journalist after a time working at a railway station. By the mid-1930s he had established the daily ''Pemandang ...

. In the first few months after the first issue, the sales of the newspaper could not cover expenditures, and the newspaper received financial support from local plantation owner

Oene Djoenaidi Oene Djoenaidi (3 March 1895 – 6 June 1966), better known in Indonesia as R.H.O. Djoenaidi, was an Indonesian businessman. He sponsored the '' Pemandangan'' newspaper and was active in early Indonesian press. Early life Djoenaidi was born on 3 M ...

. Saeroen would write editorials in ''Pemandangan'' under the pen name "Kampret" (bat), but these editorials resulted in ''Pemandangan'' being censored by the

government. It also ceased publication for a week between 17 and 24 May 1940, due to censorship. ''Pemandangan'' would continue to publish following the

Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–1942 was the conquest of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) by forces from the Empire of Japan in the early days of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Forces from the Allies attempted ...

, and was the only newspaper to continue publication during the early occupation period without any shutdowns. During the occupation period, it was the chief competitor of the Japanese-sponsored newspaper '' Asia Raya''. ''Pemandangan'' had a stance of being neutral with respect to political parties, though it maintained a nationalist stance. Around that time, the paper had a daily circulation of 7,000. The paper was censored at least twice during the occupation - in both cases due to images of Japanese Emperor

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

being obscured by the

Japanese flag The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner bearing a crimson-red circle at its center. This flag is officially called the , but is more commonly known in Japan as the . It embodies the country's sobriquet: the Land of the Rising S ...

and both resulting in the arrest of editor-in-chief

Soemanang Soerjowinoto Soemanang Soerjowinoto ( EYD: Sumanang Suryowinoto, 1 May 1908 – 13 June 1988) was an Indonesian journalist, politician, and banker. Born in Yogyakarta, Soemanang entered journalism after working in law for some time, founding his first newspa ...

. In the aftermath of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

and 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 ...

, Djoenaidi enlisted journalist

Rosihan Anwar Rosihan Anwar (10 May 1922 – 14 April 2011) was a renowned Indonesian journalist and author. Rosihan Anwar was born in Kubang Nan Dua, West Sumatra. Rosihan received his early education at HIS and MULO in Padang. He continued his studies at A ...

to use ''Pemandangans existing printing facilities to publish another newspaper, ''

Pedoman ''Pedoman'' (''Guide'') was an Indonesian daily newspaper. It was the main organ of the Socialist Party of Indonesia. Rosihan Anwar Rosihan Anwar (10 May 1922 – 14 April 2011) was a renowned Indonesian journalist and author. Rosihan Anwar wa ...

''. In 1953, ''Pemandangan'' was accused of leaking national secrets - specifically, on new civil servant salaries and foreign investments to 21 firms - in a column, and its editor-in-chief Asa Bafaqih was put on trial. Bafaqih accepted full responsibility, while refusing to reveal the names of informants in accordance with the journalistic code. The investigation was eventually ceased by the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

at that time, Soeprapto. It ceased publication in 1958.

Notable staff

, founder *

, owner *

Mohammad Tabrani Mohammad Tabrani Soerjowitjitro (10 October 1904 – 12 January 1984) was an Indonesian journalist and politician. He originated from the island of Madura and received journalistic education in Europe. In his early journalistic career, Tabrani was ...

, editor-in-chief *

Anwar Tjokroaminoto Oetarjo Anwar Tjokroaminoto (3 May 1909 – 16 November 1975) was an Indonesian politician and journalist. He served as Minister of Social Affairs for a year in the Wilopo Cabinet, and was the Prime Minister of Pasundan for less than a month dur ...

, deputy editor *

, editor-in-chief, later Economic Minister * Asa Bafaqih, editor-in-chief

References

Bibliography

*{{cite book , last1=Mark , first1=Ethan , title=Japan's Occupation of Java in the Second World War: A Transnational History , date=2018 , publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing , isbn=978-1-350-02221-8 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M1FiDwAAQBAJ , language=en Indonesian-language newspapers Publications established in 1933 Publications disestablished in 1958 Indonesian press Defunct newspapers published in Indonesia Mass media in Jakarta Newspapers published in the Dutch East Indies