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 ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He was the first person to be named a national hero by President Sukarno.

Biography

Born in Sungai Puar,

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...

in 1886 to a leading member of the Minangkabau, Muis received a western education and studied medicine in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

for three years before being forced to pull out due to ill health. Muis first found employment in the civil service, before switching to journalism and becoming involved in nationalist publications such as ''Kaoem Moeda'', a paper he co-founded in 1912. He became known for his inflammatory articles, which were highly critical of Dutch involvement in Indonesia. For example, essays published in ''De Express'', a Dutch-language newspaper, were highly critical of Dutch attitudes towards Indonesians. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he was active in the movement for greater autonomy for the Indies, and was a member of a delegation of the ''Comité Indië Weerbaar'' (Committee for the Defence of the Indies). Around the same time he joined the Sarekat Islam (Islamic Union), becaming an active member of the organization, and was rapidly promoted through the ranks, becoming its representative to the Netherlands in negotiations aimed at obtaining direct representation for Indonesia in the Dutch parliamentary system. In 1920 he was appointed a member of the ''

Volksraad The Volksraad was a people's assembly or legislature in Dutch or Afrikaans speaking government. Assembly South Africa * Volksraad (South African Republic) (1840–1902) * Volksraad (Natalia Republic), a similar assembly that existed in the Natalia ...

'' (Peoples Council), which later developed into a semi-legislative assembly. Among the members of this body were prominent nationalist leaders Dr. Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo, H.O.S. Tjokroaminoto, Dr.

Sam Ratulangi Dr. Gerungan Saul Samuel Jacob Ratulangi (also written as ''Ratu Langie''; 5 November 1890 – 30 June 1949) was a Minahasan teacher, journalist, politician, and national hero from North Sulawesi, Indonesia. He was part of the committee that rat ...

, M.H. Thamrin, Wiwoho, Sutardjo Kartohadikusumo, Dr. Radjiman, and Soekardjo Wiryopranoto. Muis ran into trouble with the Dutch administration a number of times. He was arrested in 1919 following the murder of a Dutch Controleur in

North Sulawesi North Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the Minahasa Peninsula of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia. It borders the Philippine province of Davao Occidental and Socc ...

just after Muis had completed a speaking tour there. Not long after, in 1922, he led a protest strike in

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, ...

, and was arrested and confined to the city of Garut, in

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

for a period of three years. From the late 1920s Muis shifted his focus from politics to creative writing, and in 1927 he initiated correspondence with the state-owned publishing house

Balai Pustaka Balai Pustaka (; also spelled Balai Poestaka, both meaning "Bureau of Literature") is the state-owned publisher of Indonesia and publisher of major pieces of Indonesian literature such as ''Salah Asuhan'', ''Sitti Nurbaya'' and ''Layar Terkemb ...

. In his first novel, ''

Salah Asuhan ''Salah Asuhan'' (Indonesian: Wrong Upbringing) is an Indonesian novel by Abdul Muis originally published in 1928 by Balai Pustaka. It is widely considered one of the best examples of early modern Indonesian literature. Background ''Salah Asuh ...

'' (''Wrong Upbringing''), published in 1928, Muis depicted the problem of racial and social discrimination in the tragic story of Hanafi and Corrie. The Western-oriented Hanafi and the feisty, liberal Corrie represent the conflict pre-independent Indonesia faced in choosing either to adhere to traditional values, or to adopt Western notions of modernity. The novel has been described as one of the most famous of his works as well as among the most popular works of modern Indonesian fiction. The novel was one of several Indonesian classics to be included in the Indonesian Cultural Heritage Series published by Balai Pustaka in 2009. and, in 2010, an English translation (''Never the Twain'') was also published by the Lontar Foundation as part of the Foundation's Modern Indonesia Series. Muis also published three other major novels, among them '' Pertemuan Jodoh'' (''The Destined Marriage Partners''), published in 1932, and four novels in Indonesian translation. He spent the latter part of his life in

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

, and was involved in the establishment of the

Bandung Institute of Technology The Bandung Institute of Technology ( id, Institut Teknologi Bandung, abbreviated as ITB) is a national research university located in Bandung, Indonesia. Since its establishment in 1920, ITB has been consistently recognized as Indonesia's premi ...

. After Independence he founded ''Persatuan Perjuangan Priangan'', the focus of which was the development of West Java and the Sundanese. Muis died in Bandung in 1959, and is today seen as an important freedom fighter in Indonesia's

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. In 1959, in recognition of his dedication to the nationalist cause he was named a national hero by 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 ...

Selected novels

*''

'' (A Wrong Upbringing), Jakarta : Balai Pustaka, 1928 *'' Pertemuan Jodoh'' (The Destined Marriage Partners), Jakarta : Balai Pustaka, 1932 *''Surapati'', Jakarta : Balai Pustaka, 1950 *''Hendak Berbakti'', Jakarta, 1951 *''Robert Anak Surapati'', Jakarta : Balai Pustaka, 1953

References

External links

*
Bio Abdoel Moeis at Ensiklopedi Tokoh Indonesia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muis, Abdul Minangkabau people National Heroes of Indonesia Indonesian writers Indonesian journalists Year of birth unknown 1959 deaths 1886 births Members of the Volksraad (Dutch East Indies) 20th-century journalists Indonesian newspaper editors Newspaper editors from the Dutch East Indies Sarekat Islam politicians