Robert Wolter Mongisidi (

Manado Manado () is the capital City status in Indonesia, city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 Census giving a population of 451,916 distribu ...

, February 14, 1925 –

Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...

, September 5, 1949) was part of Indonesia's struggle for independence from the Dutch in

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sula ...

Biography

Robert was born in Malalayang (now part of

) and was the son of Petrus Mongisidi and Lina Suawa. He started his education in 1931 in elementary school ( nl, Hollands Inlandsche School (HIS)), which was followed by middle school ( nl, Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO)) at Frater Don Bosco in Manado. Mongisidi was then educated as a Japanese language teacher at a school in

Tomohon Tomohon is a city in North Sulawesi ('' Sulawesi Utara'') Province, in central Indonesia. It covers an area of 147.21 km2, and had a population of 91,553 at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. rising to 100,587 at the 2020 Cen ...

. After his studies, he taught Japanese in Liwutung, in the

Minahasa The Minahasans (alternative spelling: Minahassa) are an ethnic group native to the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the Minahasan p ...

region, and in

Luwuk Luwuk is the capital of Banggai Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its area is 72.82 km2 following boundary changes in 2012 and 2015. There used to be an oil industry in the region. At the 2020 census it had a total population of 34,849 in ...

Central Sulawesi Central Sulawesi (Indonesian: ''Sulawesi Tengah'') is a province of Indonesia located at the centre of the island of Sulawesi. The administrative capital and largest city is located in Palu. The 2010 census recorded a population of 2,635,009 for ...

, before making his way to

Grave of Robert Wolter Monginsidi 27 November 1950 p1

Indonesia's independence was proclaimed while Mongisidi was in Makassar. However, the Dutch sought to regain control of Indonesia after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. They returned through the

Netherlands Indies Civil Administration The Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (abbreviated NICA; nl, Nederlandsch-Indische Civiele Administratie) was a semi-military organisation, established April 1944, tasked with the restoration of civil administration and law of Dutch colonia ...

(NICA). Mongisidi became involved in the struggle against NICA in Makassar. On July 17, 1946, Mongisidi with Ranggong Daeng Romo and others formed the Indonesian people's resistance army in Sulawesi ( id, Laskar Pemberontak Rakyat Indonesia Sulawesi (LAPRIS)), which continually harassed and attacked Dutch positions. He was caught by the Dutch on February 28, 1947, but managed to escape on October 27, 1947. The Dutch caught him again and this time sentenced him to death. Mongisidi was executed by firing squad on September 5, 1949. His body was moved to the Makassar heroes cemetery on November 10, 1950. Chris Soumokil, Volume I of Pendidikan Politik Rakjat, p79

Chris Soumokil, Volume I of Pendidikan Politik Rakjat, p79

Honors

Robert Wolter Mongisidi was posthumously named a

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

( id, Pahlawan Nasional) by the government of Indonesia on November 6, 1973. He also received the country's highest honor, the Bintang Mahaputra (Adipradana), on November 10, 1973. His then 80-year-old father, Petrus, accepted the honor. The airport in

Kendari Kendari is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Southeast Sulawesi. With a population of 345,107 according to the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the province, and the fourth most on Sulawesi. The city covers an area of , ...

South East Sulawesi Southeast Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Tenggara) is a province on the island of Sulawesi, forming the southeastern peninsula of that island, together with a number of substantial offshore islands such as Buton, Muna, Kabaena and Wawonii (formerly c ...

was formerly named in honor of Mongisidi (it is now named

Haluoleo Airport Haluoleo International Airport (formerly Wolter Monginsidi International Airport) is an airport in Kendari, South East Sulawesi, Indonesia . The previous name of the airport was named for Robert Wolter Monginsidi (1925–1949), an Indonesian nat ...

). The Indonesian naval ship KRI Wolter Mongisidi was also named on behalf Mongisidi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monginsidi, Robert Wolter 1925 births 1949 deaths People from Manado Indonesian Christians Minahasa people Executed Indonesian people National Heroes of Indonesia