Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Muhammad Husein Mutahar (; full name: (); 5 August 1916 – 9 June 2004) was the founder of

Paskibraka The Paskibraka () is a youth troop-formed organization and/or flag-raising squad in Indonesia which has the main task to escort, raise and lower the heirloom national flag of Indonesia (now duplicate) in Independence day ceremonies commemorati ...

, a

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

organization in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

which has the main task for raising and lowering the heirloom national flag of Indonesia (now duplicate) in ceremonies commemorating the

independence day of Indonesia The Independence Day of Indonesia (in Indonesian formally known as ''Hari Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia'' shortened "HUT RI", or simply Hari Kemerdekaan, and colloquially referred by the people as ''Tujuhbelasan'', meaning "the Se ...

(17 August). Mutahar was also an Indonesian music

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, especially for national songs and children's songs. As a composer, he was better known as H. Mutahar as his abbreviation name. In addition, as a

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

Mutahar was once served as Indonesian ambassador to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

in 1969 to 1973.

Biography

Early life

Husein Mutahar was born in

Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...

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 ...

on 5 August 1916. Mutahar came from al-Muṭahar clan of the family of

Ba 'Alawi sada The Ba 'Alawi sada (), or the House of Ba 'Alawi (), is a group of Hadhrami Sayyid families and social group originating in Hadhramaut in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. They trace their lineage to Ahmad al-Muhajir who was born i ...

, his father was named

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

Salim bin Ahmad bin Salim al-Mutahar.

Education

Mutahar went to elementary school at

Europeesche Lagere School Europeesche Lagere School (ELS) was a European elementary school system in what was then the Dutch East Indies during colonial rule. The schools were intended primarily for Europeans. The implementation of basic education at that time was diffe ...

for seven years. While studying at the ELS, in addition to studying general knowledge at school, he also concurrently studied the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

with a female teacher named Encik Nur. After graduating, he then went to middle school in

Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs ( Dutch, "more advanced primary education") was during part of the twentieth century a level of education in the Netherlands, Suriname and the Dutch East Indies. The system was comparable with the junior high school ...

while concurrently studying religious knowledge with

Kyai A kyai ( ) is an expert in Islam. This denomination is usually used among the ethnic Javanese people. Origins The word kyai is originally from Javanese. Sometimes, it is spelled kiai. Traditionally, students of Islam in Indonesia would study ...

Saleh in

. After three years, he went to high school at Algemene Middelbare School and majored in Eastern Literature, especially

Malay language Malay ( , ; , Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken primarily by Malays (ethnic group), Malays in several islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula on the mainland Asia. The lang ...

, in

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 ...

. Mutahar had studied at the Faculty of Law of

Gadjah Mada University Gadjah Mada University (; , abbreviated as UGM) is a public research university located in Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Officially founded on 19 December 1949, Gadjah Mada University is one of the oldest and largest institut ...

, from 1946 to 1947, after two years he then chose to drop out for participating in 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 ...

. In addition, he also attended the Training School Diplomatic and Consular Affairs in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and also attended the Training School Diplomatic and Consular Affairs at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

office in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Personal life

Mutahar was not married during his life, but has 8 adopted children (6 boys and 2 girls). Some were "submitted" from their mother (who were widow) or from their father some time before he was passing away. There was also a father or mother who voluntarily gave up his children to be recognized as Mutahar's children.

Career

Military career

As a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

, Mutahar fought in the

Battle of Semarang The Battle of Semarang (), in Indonesia also known as ''Pertempuran Lima Hari'' (Five Days' Battle) was a clash between Japanese forces of the Sixteenth Army and Indonesian forces consisting of People's Security Agency personnel and ''pemuda'' ...

. Mutahar moved to

with

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 ...

when there was the transfer of capital of the Republic of Indonesia from

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 ...

to Yogyakarta in 1946, he was invited by

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Mohammad Nazir Mohammad Nazir (; 8 March 1946 – 21 November 2024) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 14 Test matches and four One Day Internationals from 1969 to 1984. Nazir took 7 wickets for 99 runs on debut in the first innings of the 1st Test betwe ...

who was served as Chief of Staff of the Navy. Mutahar was later appointed a secretary of commander with the rank of a Lieutenant. While accompanying Nazir, Sukarno remembered Mutahar as a driver driving his car in Semarang, a few days after the Five Day Battle. Mutahar was then asked by Sukarno from Nazir to serve as his adjutant and was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. Mutahar then became Adjutant III, then Adjutant II of the President of the Republic of Indonesia from 1946 to 1948.

Political career

Mutahar had been a member of a political party from 1938 to 1942. During that time he became a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

in the Consultative Bureau of the Ministry of Industry for North Central Java, Department of Economic Affairs. After Indonesia was occupied by Japan, in 1943 he then became secretary to the head of economic division at the

Governor's office. After Indonesian independence during

's leadership in 1966, Mutahar was assigned as Director General of Youth Affairs and Scout at the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia until 1968 when

Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...

's leadership. Furthermore, from 1969 to 1979, he became an employee of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. In addition, as a

he was later appointed as Indonesian Ambassador to the Vatican in 1969–1973. But his last position in politics was as Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1974.

Music composer career

As a music composer, Mutahar was better known as H. Mutahar as his abbreviation name and has created nearly a hundred songs. His first work was Syukur, the song was written in Semarang on September 7, 1944 and was first introduced to the public in January 1945, a few months before the

Proclamation of Indonesian Independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian Nati ...

on August 17, 1945. Through the song of Syukur, Mutahar wanted to reveal a great praise and affirm to the listener that the homeland of Indonesia which will soon be free is a gift of God. His second song was created in 1946 under the title

Hari Merdeka Independence Day (), also known as National Day (), is the independence day of the Federation of Malaya from the British Empire. It commemorates the Malayan Declaration of Independence of 31 August 1957, and is defined in article 160 of the ...

. The song was created in the toilet of Hotel Garuda

, at that time he was roommate with Hoegeng Iman Santoso who are both in charge of escorting Sukarno. Hoegeng confused to find paper and pens because Mutahar rushed to pour his ideas onto the paper. Hari Merdeka is often played on the anniversary of the Proclamation. In addition, the song of Syukur and Hari Merdeka was ever reworked by

Addie MS Addie Muljadi Sumaatmadja or better known as Addie MS (born in Jakarta, Indonesia on 7 October 1959) is an Indonesian conductor, producer and composer of Sundanese and Javanese descent. He currently directs the Twilite Orchestra, which he fo ...

with a philharmonic orchestra in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. His last works include Dirgahayu Indonesiaku (created in 1995 and became the official song on the 50th anniversary of Indonesian Independence), Hymne Almamater (Hymne Universitas Indonesia), and several other hymns born of his concern over the destruction of Indonesia's nature. One of the hymns of his creation, Hymne Pramuka (created in 1964) is today the official song for the Gerakan Pramuka Indonesia. For the children's song category, Mutahar was also a composer of several children's songs, including Gembira, Tepuk Tangan Silang-silang, Mari Tepuk, Slamatlah, Jangan Putus Asa, and Saat Berpisah.

Activities for the nation and people

Major Mutahar was part of the 6-man color party that on 17 August 1946, just as the

was raging, took on the first national flag raising ceremony in

in commemoration of the 1st anniversary of national independence, presided by President

at the Gedung Agung Palace. Together with 5 other youths with him as the escorts, he raised the

Bendera Pusaka The () was the first Indonesian flag. Sewn by Sukarno's wife Fatmawati, it was raised for the first time when Sukarno proclaimed Indonesia's independence on 17 August 1945. Although required by law to be housed in the National Monument, the fl ...

(the

Flag of Indonesia The national flag of Indonesia is a simple Bicolour (flag), bicolor with two horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with an overall ratio of 2:3. It was introduced and hoisted in public during the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ...

) just as

Indonesia Raya "" ('Indonesia the Great') is the national anthem of Indonesia. It has been the national anthem since the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945. The song was introduced by its composer, Wage Rudolf Supratman, on 28 October ...

was played by a

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

to a joyful populace. It would be repeated again in 1947 and 1949. With the transfer of the capital to Jakarta, Mutahar did not see any flag raising ceremonies until 1966 at the

Merdeka Palace The Merdeka Palace (; also known in Indonesian as and during the Dutch colonial times as ), is one of seven presidential palaces in Indonesia. It is located on the north side of the Merdeka Square, Jakarta, Merdeka Square in Central Jakarta, In ...

but the flag raising method still remained. In 1967, he advised then President

on the formation of the ''Pasukan Pengibar Bendera Pusaka'' or National Heirloom Flag Hoisting Troop, with a mission to escort, hoist and lower the flag during Independence Day and other national holiday celebrations in the national and regional levels. In time for the 22nd Independence Day, his suggestion was accepted. The Pasikbraka of today traces its origin to the 70-man color party that was formed for the 1967 Independence Day national flag ceremonies, he was the first mentor of the unit and helped chose and train its first generation personnel.

Awards

On February 15, 1961, Mutahar was awarded Bintang Mahaputra Pratama by the government of the Republic of Indonesia without a presidential decree. In addition, he also received the Bintang Gerilya award unknown dates and years of the conferment.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mutahar, Husein 1916 births 2004 deaths Indonesian composers Indonesian Muslims Indonesian people of Yemeni descent Ambassadors of Indonesia to the Holy See