Soerastri Karma Trimurti (11 May 1912 – 20 May 2008), who was known as S. K. Trimuti, was an Indonesian

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, who took part in the

Indonesian independence movement The Indonesian National Awakening ( id, Kebangkitan Nasional Indonesia) is a term for the period in the first half of the 20th century, during which people from many parts of the archipelago of Indonesia first began to develop a national conscio ...

against

colonial rule Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

by 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 ...

. She later served as Indonesia's first labor minister from 1947 until 1948 under Indonesian Prime Minister

Amir Sjarifuddin Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, EVO: Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap; 27 April 1907 – 19 December 1948) was an Indonesian politician and journalist who served as the second prime minister of Indonesia from 1947 until 19 ...

Biography

Early life

S. K. Trimurti was born on 11 May 1912, in

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

, Central Java. She attended to Sekolah Guru Putri (Girl Elementary School).

Indonesian Independence Movement

She became active in the

during the 1930s, officially joining the nationalist

Partindo The Indonesia Party ( id, Partai Indonesia), better known as Partindo, was a nationalist political party in Indonesia that existed before independence and was revived in 1957 as a leftist party. Pre-independence party In 1927, future Indonesian p ...

(Indonesian Party) in 1933, shortly after completing her schooling at Tweede Inlandsche School. Trimurti began her career as an elementary school

after leaving Tweede Inlandsche School. She taught in elementary schools in Bandung, Surakarta and

Banyumas Banyumas ( jv, ꦧꦚꦸꦩꦱ꧀, formerly spelt "Banjoemas") Regency is a regency ( id, kabupaten) in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Purwokerto, but that town no longer has a central a ...

during the 1930s. However, she was arrested by Dutch authorities in 1936 for distributing anti-colonial leaflets. Trimuti was imprisoned for nine months at the Bulu Prison in Semarang. Trimurti switched careers from teaching to

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

following her release from prison. She soon became well known in journalistic and anti-colonial circles as a critical journalist. Trimurti often used different, shortened

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

s of her real name, such as Trimurti or Karma, in her writings to avoid being arrested again by Dutch colonial authorities. During her reporting career, Trimurti worked for a number of Indonesian newspapers including '' Pesat'', , '' Genderang'', '' Bedung'' and ''

Pikiran Rakyat ''Pikiran Rakyat'' ( Indonesian: ''People's Thought'') is a daily newspaper published in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Its circulation covers West Java and Banten Province. History ''Pikiran Rakyat'' was first published on 30 May 1950 by direct ...

''. She published ''Pesat'' together with her husband. In the Japanese occupation era, ''Pesat'' was banned by Japanese military government. She also was arrested and tortured. SK Trimurti from Panjebar Semangat 1939

Post-Independence

Trimurti, who was a known advocate for

workers' rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...

, was appointed as Indonesia's first Minister of Labor under Prime Minister

. She served in that capacity from 1947 until 1948. She was on the Executive of the Labour Party of Indonesia, and led its women's wing Working Women's Front. She co-founded the Gerwis, an Indonesian women's organization, in 1950, which was later renamed as

Gerwani Gerwani ( id, Gerakan Wanita Indonesia, "Indonesian Women's Movement") was a women's organization founded as Gerwis (, "Movement of Conscious Indonesian Women") in Semarang, Central Java, on 4 June 1950. In 1954, Gerwis as an activist-based mov ...

. She left the organization in 1965. She returned to

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

when she was 41 years old. She studied

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

at the

University of Indonesia The University of Indonesia ( id, Universitas Indonesia, abbreviated as UI) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the D ...

. She declined an appointment to become Indonesia's Social Affairs Minister in 1959 in order to complete her degree. Trimurti was a member and signer of Petition 50 in 1980, which protested Suharto's use of Pancasila against his political opponents. The signers of Petition 50 included prominent Indonesian independence supporters as well as government and military officials, such as Trimurti and the former

Governor of Jakarta The Jakarta Special Capital Region is administratively equal to a province with special status as the capital of Indonesia. Instead of a mayor, the executive head of Jakarta is a governor. The governor of Jakarta is an elected politician who, alon ...

Ali Sadikin Ali Sadikin (7 July 1926 – 20 May 2008), better known as Bang Ali, was an Indonesian politician who served as the fourth governor of Jakarta from 1966 until 1977. Prior to becoming governor, he served as Minister of Transportation from 1963 u ...

Death

S. K. Trimurti died at 6:20 P.M. on 20 May 2008, at the age of 96, at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Jakarta, Indonesia after being hospitalized for two weeks. She had been in failing health and confined to her bedroom for the prior year. According to her son, Heru Baskoro, Trimurti had died of a broken vein. She had also been suffering from a low

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyt ...

level and high blood pressure. A ceremony honoring Trimurti as a "

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

for Indonesia's independence" was held at the state palace in Central Jakarta. She was buried at

Kalibata Heroes Cemetery The National Main Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Nasional Utama, Kalibata, colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes Cemetery ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Kalibata, or ''TMP Kalibata'') is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South ...

Personal life

In 1938 she was married to Muhammad Ibnu Sayuti, the

typist Typist is a person who types, a clerical worker who writes documents, using a typewriter. Skills and occupations Typist may also refer to: *Data entry clerk, someone who types data into a database via a computer or terminal. * Audio typist, someone ...

of the

Indonesian Declaration of 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 t ...

, which was proclaimed by Sukarno on 17 August 1945. Trimurti spent much of the rest of her life at her rented residence in

Bekasi Bekasi (, su, ) is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.the city of planet Bekasi is his nickname.It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census by Statistic ...

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 ...

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trimurti, S. K. 1912 births 2008 deaths People from Boyolali Regency Indonesian women activists Indonesian educators Indonesian women educators Indonesian journalists Indonesian women journalists Workers' rights activists Indonesian women writers Government ministers of Indonesia Labour Party of Indonesia politicians Women government ministers of Indonesia People from Bekasi Indonesian National Awakening Indonesian torture victims People of the Indonesian National Revolution 20th-century journalists 20th-century Indonesian women politicians 20th-century Indonesian politicians