Parada Harahap
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Parada Harahap (born 1899 in
Sipirok Sipirok is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and the seat (capital) of South Tapanuli Regency. It is known for the Batu Jomba Sipirok, a badly maintained highway which becomes difficult and dangerous during wet weather. Notable resident ...
,
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
, died 1959 in
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 ...
) was an important journalist and writer from the late colonial period and early independence era 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, ...
. In the 1930s, he was called the "king of the Java press". He pioneered a new kind of politically neutral
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 ...
newspaper in the 1930s which would cater to the rising middle class of the Indies.


Biography


Early life

Parada was born on December 15, 1899, into a
Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...
family in Pargarutan,
Sipirok Sipirok is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and the seat (capital) of South Tapanuli Regency. It is known for the Batu Jomba Sipirok, a badly maintained highway which becomes difficult and dangerous during wet weather. Notable resident ...
,
South Tapanuli Regency South Tapanuli (Tapanuli Selatan in Indonesian Language, abbreviated Tapsel) is a regency in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Its seat is the town of Sipirok. This regency was originally very large and contained thousands of towns and villages, includin ...
,
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
, now part of
North Sumatra North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...
province 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, ...
. Although most
Batak people Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...
are
Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
, Harahap was a Muslim Batak. He was largely self-taught and an enthusiastic reader from a young age, mainly reading materials sent to him by his sister who lived in
Bukittinggi Bukittinggi (, Jawi script, Jawi: , formerly ) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 121,028 in 2020.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. An official es ...
. However, he did also get a formal education, studying at the Teacher's Training School (''Kweekschool'') in
Bukittinggi Bukittinggi (, Jawi script, Jawi: , formerly ) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 121,028 in 2020.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. An official es ...
. At the age of 15 he became a clerk at a rubber plantation ''Rubber Cultuur Mij. Amsterdam'' in the
Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of i ...
area of
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
. During his teen years he gained an interest in newspapers, subscribing to Pewarta Deli and Andalas, and often writing letters to Soetan Palindoengan, editor of ''Pewarta Deli''.


Newspaper career

Harahap's career in newspapers started in 1918 when he became editor of Sinar Merdeka in
Padang Padang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 909,040 at the 2020 Census;Bad ...
, as well as editor of a
Batak language __FORCETOC__ The Batak languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken by the Batak people in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra and surrounding areas. Internal classification The Batak languages can be divided into two mai ...
paper in
Sibolga Sibolga (formerly sometimes Siboga) is a city and a port located in the natural harbour of Sibolga Bay on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia. The city is located on the western side of North Sumatra facing the Indian Ocean, ...
called ''Poestaka''. During this time he was also active in the
Sarekat Islam Sarekat Islam or Syarikat Islam ( 'Islamic Association' or 'Islamic Union'; SI) was an Indonesian socio-political organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century during the Dutch colonial era. Initially, SI served as a cooperative of ...
in
Padang Padang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 909,040 at the 2020 Census;Bad ...
. In 1922 Harahap relocated from
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
to
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
. He started as a low-level printing assistant at Sin Po in Batavia. With the recommendation of some Sumatran journalist notables, he then became head editor of a competing paper, Neratja. There, he learned a lot about the business from
Abdul Muis 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. He was the first person to be named a national hero by President ...
,
Agus Salim ''Haji'' Agus Salim (; 8 October 1884 – 4 November 1954) was an Indonesian journalist, diplomat, and statesman. He served as Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1947 and 1949. Early life Agus Salim was born Masjhoedoelhaq Salim ...
and Djojosoediro. After 9 months there he launched his own newspaper, Bintang Hindia. He soon expanded his news holdings, founding the wire service ''Algemene Pers en Nieuws Agentschaap'' ( Alpena). He then founded a series of new papers:
Bintang Timoer ''Bintang Timur'' (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''"Star of the East"''), also spelled Bintang Timoer before 1947, was a popular daily newspaper published in the Dutch East Indies and Indonesia. History The newspaper was launched in September ...
, Djawa Barat, Sinar Pasundan, Semangat, as well as
Dutch-language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...
''De Volks Courant''. Of those papers,
Bintang Timoer ''Bintang Timur'' (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''"Star of the East"''), also spelled Bintang Timoer before 1947, was a popular daily newspaper published in the Dutch East Indies and Indonesia. History The newspaper was launched in September ...
, launched in September 1926, quickly became the most successful, not least due to the popular writing of Abdoel Rivai. Even before its first issue, the
Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...
newspaper
Algemeen handelsblad voor Nederlandsch-Indië Algemeen handelsblad voor Nederlandsch-Indië (Dutch language, Dutch: General trade newspaper for the Dutch East Indies) was a Dutch language newspaper, published from 1924 to 1942 in Semarang, Dutch East Indies. History 1924-1926: Founding und ...
was already recommending it to "the natives" due to Harahap's reputation for hard work and dedication to good journalism. The editorial lineup in the first year, aside from Harahap, were G. Soetadipradja, Kadar, Hatnid and Abdullah Badjrei. The paper noted that ''Bintang Timoer'' would be independent of any religious or political faction, and that it had a more modern layout than most
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 ...
papers, with illustrations and more space given to content. Since the paper was not involving itself in politics, it even promised that while "the importance of Indonesia will be kept in mind, since no party interests are served, Indonesia will be understood as a 'geographical concept' not in the meaning of a 'political concept'." That type of statement symbolizes his attitude in the late 1920s and 1930s, that newspapers are a business not a political movement, and accepting Dutch rule in the Indies rather than using the newspaper to fight it. During this time Harahap involved himself in Indies journalism in many important ways. In 1924 he translated the Dutch penal code sections about journalism from Dutch into Malay. In 1925 Harahap also helped organize a new association for Asian journalists in the Indies called the ''Journalistenbond Azie'' (Associations of Journalists of Asia).
Mohammad Tabrani Mohammad Tabrani Soerjowitjirto (10 October 1904 – 12 January 1984) was an Indonesian journalist and politician. He originated from the island of Madura and received journalistic education in Europe. In his early journalistic career, Tabrani wa ...
from Hindia Baroe and Kwee Kek Beng from Sin Po were on the executive board, with
Wage Rudolf Supratman Wage Rudolf Soepratman (''Wage Soepratman'' in the old orthography, commonly known as W. R. Supratman; 9 March 1903 – 17 August 1938) was an Indonesian journalist and songwriter who wrote both the lyrics and melody of the national anthem ...
as chairman.
Bintang Timur ''Bintang Timur'' (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''"Star of the East"''), also spelled Bintang Timoer before 1947, was a popular daily newspaper published in the Dutch East Indies and Indonesia. History The newspaper was launched in September ...
, his newspaper, apparently resumed publication in early 1953 after being unable to publish during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and 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 ...
. Under its new guise in independent
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, ...
, Harahap became president-director and head editor, and promised that the paper would have a "national progressive" line and to present the news in a responsible and neutral manner. In 1956 Harahap was appointed dean of a new college for journalism and political science in Jakarta, the ''Perguruan Tinggi Ilmu Kewartawanan dan Politik'' or ''Akademi Wartawan'', supported by the ''Yayasan Ibnu Chaldun'', a foundation run by various Muslim figures in the city. Harahap died on May 11, 1959, in
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 ...
.


Selected works

* ''Roos van Batavia : atau Gadis terpeladjar jang bebas merdeka'' (1924) * ''Journalistiek (pers- en spreekdelichtenboek)'' (1924) * ''Riwajat Dr. A. Rivai'' (1939) * ''Pers dan journalistiek'' (1941) * ''Vietnam merdeka!'' (1948) * ''Kedudukan pers dalam masjarakat'' (1951) * ''Toradja: Rangkaian Tanah Air'' (1952) (
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
:
Toraja The Torajan are an ethnic group indigenous people, indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, regency of T ...
: Our land series) * ''Indonesia sekarang'' (1952)


References


External links


List of published works
by Parada Harahap in
WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harahap, Parada 1899 births 1959 deaths 20th-century Indonesian journalists Batak people BPUPK Indonesian writers Journalists from the Dutch East Indies Newspaper editors from the Dutch East Indies People from South Tapanuli Regency