Moewardi ( Perfected Spelling: Muwardi; 1907–1948) is a

National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...

from

Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...

Biography

Moewardi was born in Pati,

, in 1907. After studying at

STOVIA The ("school for the training of native physicians") or STOVIA was a medicine school in Batavia, now Indonesia's capital Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DK ...

(a school for

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

doctors) in Batavia (now

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

), he began studying as a specialist in throat, nose, and ear infections. He also chaired the city's branch of

Jong Java , was a Dutch East Indies youth organization founded on March 7, 1915, by at the STOVIA building under the name Tri Koro Dharmo ('Three Noble Goals'). It was founded in response to the perceived elitism of the Budi Utomo movement by many young p ...

. He practised medicine extensively during the Japanese occupation (1942–45). After the Japanese defeat in the Pacific, Indonesian politicians began preparing to proclaim the country's independence from Dutch colonial control. Moewardi, by this time living in

Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...

, established the Barisan Pelopor. This group which organised security at Ikada Square (now Merdeka Square) in

, to help secure the proclamation. Moewardi was one of the speakers at the event. Afterwards, Moewardi tasked his men with organising security for new president

Sukarno Sukarno (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 the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

and vice-president

Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta ( ; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman, nationalist, and independence activist who served as the country's first Vice President of Indonesia, vice president as well as the third prime minister. Known as ...

, as well as other government figures. Moewardi was offered the position of Minister of Defence but refused it; the position went, ''in absentia'', to Supriyadi. During the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as 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 A ...

there was extensive military contact between Dutch and Indonesian forces. By early 1946 the capital was under Dutch control, and the nascent government abandoned Jakarta for

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the 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 Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

. Moewardi moved Barisan Pelopor to

and renamed it Barisan Banteng; the group was eventually merged into the

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...

. Moewardi would accompany them in battles, helping the injured. Afterwards, Moewardi established a hospital and medical school in Surakarta. In 1948 he, together with a faction of other groups opposed to the

Renville Agreement The Renville Agreement was a United Nations Security Council-brokered political accord between the Netherlands, which was seeking to re-establish its colony in Southeast Asia, and Indonesian Republicans seeking Indonesian independence during the ...

, established the (People's Revolution Movement). On 13 September 1948, while en route to his practice, Moewardi was kidnapped by the

Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesia. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its Indo ...

and later murdered. He had previously attempted to organise a team to confront the communists following the

Madiun Affair The Madiun Affair (), known locally as the Communist Party of Indonesia rebellion of 1948 (), was an armed conflict between the government of the self-proclaimed Republic of Indonesia and the left-wing opposition group ''Front Demokrasi Rakyat ...

, and the city itself had little semblance of government. Moewardi was deemed a

on 9 August 1964. A hospital in Surakarta and street in Jakarta are both named after him.

References

Works cited

* * * {{Authority control 1907 births 1948 deaths Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan National Heroes of Indonesia STOVIA alumni