Taman Proklamasi
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Taman Proklamasi (Proclamation Park) is a park complex located in
Central Jakarta Central Jakarta (, ), abbreviated as Jakpus, is one of the five Cities of Indonesia, administrative cities () and ''de facto'' Capital City of the Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta. It had 902,973 inhabitants according to the 2010 census ...
, Indonesia. The park is located at the former property of
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 ...
at what was known as the house at Jalan Pegangsaan Timur 56. The house, now demolished, is where 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 ...
was first read by
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 ...
.


History

Taman Proklamasi complex was located at a plot of land where the former residence of Sukarno at Jalan Pegangsaan Timur 56. President Sukarno declared the independence of Indonesia on August 17, 1945 from the front porch of this house. The house then became known as Gedung Proklamasi (Proclamation Building). To mark the first anniversary of the declaration of Indonesian independence, a memorial – in the shape of a small obelisk – was built in 1946 by a group of women in Djakarta. This memorial, known as the ''Memorial Satu Tahun Republik Indonesia'' (One Year Anniversary of Indonesian Republic Memorial), was built at the front lawn of the Proclamation Building. Later the memorial was renamed ''Tugu Proklamasi'' (Proclamation Monument). Since then, the youths and students of Indonesia held an annual ceremony to celebrate the Declaration of Indonesian Independence on August 17. Following the full transfer of Indonesian sovereignty in 1950, the Proclamation Park was annually visited by both the President and the Vice President of Indonesia to laid flowers and honor the lost soldiers of the country. The ceremony was also attended by guests from other countries. Since 1956, the popularity of Taman Proklamasi as ceremonial gathering place began to decline. Despite the advice of the city elders to have the house renovated, in the evening of August 15, 1960, Sukarno ordered the demolition of both the house and the Tugu Proklamasi memorial. According to Sukarno, Tugu Proklamasi was actually Tugu Linggarjati. His statement was not clear, but apparently Sukarno thought that both the house and the monument were not grand enough to be national monuments despite their historical significance. The three fragments of marble from the Tugu Proklamasi was then kept in the house of Jo Masdani as a memorial. The memorial was rebuilt in 1972 under the proposal of governor
Ali Sadikin Ali Sadikin (7 July 1926 – 20 May 2008) 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 until 1966 and Coordinating ...
. On January 1, 1961, President Sukarno inaugurated the construction of Tugu Petir, later also known as the Proclamation Monument. In 1972, the construction of the modernist Gedung Proklamasi (Proclamation Building) – now the Gedung Perintis Kemerdekaan (Independence Pioneers' Building) – was started. In the same year, the Tugu Proklamasi which was demolished earlier was rebuilt in similar design. On August 17, 1980, the last monument of the Taman Proklamasi, the grand-sized Monument of the Proclamator Heroes Sukarno-Hatta, was inaugurated by President
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 ...
.


Monuments

There are three memorials in the Taman Proklamasi: Memorial Satu Tahun Republik Indonesia, Tugu Petir, and Monumen Pahlawan Proklamator Sukarno-Hatta.


Memorial Satu Tahun Republik Indonesia

The ''Memorial Satu Tahun Republik Indonesia'' (Memorial to the First Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia) was the first monument to be built in Taman Proklamasi. It was inaugurated on August 17, 1946 by Prime Minister
Sutan Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian statesman and independence leader who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, prime minister of Indonesia from 1945 until 1947. He played a key role during the Indonesian Na ...
during the Allied occupation. The memorial is in the shape of a small obelisk, with an inscription ''"Atas Usaha Wanita Jakarta"'' ("with the effort of the women of Jakarta"), a depiction of the manuscript of the Indonesian independence, and a map of Indonesia. Shortly after, the memorial was renamed Tugu Proklamasi. Tugu Proklamasi was initiated by several women figures of Indonesia, such as Jo Masdani, Mien Wiranatakusumah,
Zus Ratulangi Emilia Agustina Pangalila Ratulangi (23 July 1922 – 15 February 2025) was an Indonesian-Dutch psychiatrist, pediatrician, politician, and independence activist. She was the daughter of Sam Ratulangi. Early life and education Zus was born in B ...
(daughter of
Sam Ratulangi Gerungan Saul Samuel Jacob Ratulangi (also written as ''Ratu Langie''; 5 November 1890 – 30 June 1949), known as Sam Ratulangi, was a Minahasan teacher, journalist, politician, and National Hero of Indonesia, national hero from North Sulawesi, ...
), Zubaedah, and Ms. Gerung. The sketch of the memorial was done by Kores Siregar, a student from the
Bandung Institute of Technology The Bandung Institute of Technology (; , abbreviated as ITB) is a public research university located in Bandung, Indonesia. It has produced many notable leaders in science, engineering, politics, business, academia, and culture. ITB is one of th ...
. The construction started in July 1946. On the eve of the inauguration of the memorial in mid-August, the mayor of Jakarta
Suwiryo Suwiryo ( EVO: Soewirjo; 17 February 1903 – 27 August 1967) was an Indonesian politician. He served as the first Mayor of Jakarta following the proclamation of Indonesian independence from 1945 until 1947 and again from 1950 until 1951. Ad ...
refused to inaugurate the memorial due to a perceived safety issue. During the proposed time of the inauguration, the Allies had occupied Jakarta and there was a concern that they would start a massacre similar with the
Amritsar massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (), also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, British India, during the annual Baisakhi fair to protest against the ...
in India. Despite the perceived concern, the women-initiators of the construction of Tugu Proklamasi decided to contact the prime minister
Sutan Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian statesman and independence leader who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, prime minister of Indonesia from 1945 until 1947. He played a key role during the Indonesian Na ...
in the afternoon of August 16, 1946 to lead the inauguration of the memorial. Sutan Sjahrir was willing to lead the inauguration and so he took a flight to Jakarta from
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 ...
to inaugurate the memorial, which pushed through without incident. On August 14, 1960, the '' Keng Po'' newspaper reported that the Angkatan '45 (45 Generation) wanted the Tugu Proklamasi, mentioned as "Tugu Linggarjati", to be destroyed. Following the reports, Sukarno ordered the demolition of Tugu Proklamasi and the Proclamation Building in the evening of August 15, 1960. The circumstances were strange because the
Linggadjati Agreement The Linggadjati Agreement (''Linggajati'' in modern Indonesian spelling) was a political accord concluded on 15 November 1946 by the Dutch administration and the unilaterally declared Republic of Indonesia in the village of Linggajati, Kuningan ...
took place on November 10, 1946, whereas the Tugu Proklamasi was inaugurated on August 17, 1946. According to Jo Masdani, at that time 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 ...
had significant power to change the history. After the demolition of the memorial, three slabs of marble from the original monument was given to Jo Masdani as a memorial. In 1968, the governor of Jakarta
Ali Sadikin Ali Sadikin (7 July 1926 – 20 May 2008) 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 until 1966 and Coordinating ...
submitted a proposal to rebuild the original memorial that was demolished by Sukarno in 1960. This proposal was approved and on August 17, 1972, the Proclamation Monument was re-inaugurated at its original location. The inauguration was attended by many public and political figures, among them were the former Vice President Hatta.


Tugu Petir

''Tugu Petir'' or ''Tugu Kilat'' (Lightning Monument) is in the form of a tall pole topped with a lightning symbol. The memorial marks the spot where Sukarno stood while reading the proclamation text. On the base of the monument is a metal inscription ''"Disinilah Dibatjakan Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia pada Tanggal 17 Agustus 1945 djam 10.00 pagi oleh Bung Karno dan Bung Hatta"'' ("This is where the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence was narrated on 17 August 1945 at 10 in the morning by Bung Karno and Bung Hatta") The lightning symbolizes the thundering of the Indonesian declaration of independence.


Monumen Pahlawan Proklamator Sukarno-Hatta

''Monumen Pahlawan Proklamator Sukarno-Hatta'' (Monument of the Proclamator Heroes Sukarno-Hatta) depicts two bronze statues of
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 Hatta standing side by side. Each statue weighed , and was about and in height. The posture of the figures was taken from the photographic documentation when the proclamation was first read. The figures flank a bronze stone tablet measuring , and weighed ; the slab depicts the manuscript of the proclamation of Indonesian independence. On the background of the statues were monolithic sculptures numbered 17, with the highest being , with 45 protrusions on the cascade waterfalls, symbolizing the date of August 17, 1945. The monument was inaugurated on August 17, 1980.


References


Cited works

* * * {{coord missing, Indonesia Central Jakarta Buildings and structures in Jakarta Monuments and memorials in Jakarta Post-independence architecture of Indonesia