The Hero is Real Examples for the Leader

Dok. Ist


"Allahuakbar" shouted Bung Tomo, burning the spirit of arek-arek Suroboyo 75 years ago. On 10 November 1945 there was a great battle in Surabaya which is always remembered today. This battle was caused by the killing of Brigadier General Mallaby, a British Brigadier General, the leader of the Allied troops who was accompanied by the NICA (Dutch army) in an attempt to occupy Indonesia after the proclamation of independence. Not long after Mallaby's death, the Allies gave an ultimatum for all Indonesian leaders to surrender and lay down their weapons.

The reaction of the people in Surabaya was far beyond expectations. Instead, they viewed the ultimatum as an insult, not a threat as the Allies had hoped. In a book written by Andi Suwirta, entitled Indonesian Revolution in News and Views, states that there were two important figures who succeeded in igniting the spirit of struggle and unity of the people of Surabaya at that time.

First, a young man named Sutomo or better known as Bung Tomo. Through his speech, he succeeded in inspiring and burning the enthusiasm of the Suroboyo areknies to unite to fight against the Allied troops and defend their independence. Among the pieces of Bung Tomo's speech were "It is better for us to be devastated than not free, our motto remains, be independent or die".

Next, there was a character who emphasized Bung Tomo's speech with calm, but convincing words. He is Governor Soerjo. Soerojo said that succeeded in igniting the spirit of the people of Surabaya, namely "All attempts to negotiate have failed. In order to defend our sovereignty, we must stand tall and dare to face every situation. Now in the face of the English ultimatum, we will cling to that belief. We will stand tall and refuse to accept the ultimatum. Let us steadfastly unite between the Government, the People, the Police, TKR (indonesian army) and all the youth forces asking God the Almighty to bestow His mercy. Have a good fight".

The two figures above succeeded in sparking fighting spirit and unity among the youths at that time, although with different language styles and delivery. In the battle of November 10, 1945, Indonesian fighters bravely attacked and crushed the allied forces using makeshift weapons. The result of the battle Indonesia won strategically, politically and psychologically because it showed the world that Indonesia already had its own army and security forces and showed that Indonesia was worthy of independence, despite the many casualties that had fallen.

75 years have passed since this event, but the spirit of struggle and unity of the fighters at that time seemed to begin to disappear. This is evidenced by the state of the Indonesian economy which has not improved, divisions and conflicts between people.

Currently, the Indonesian people are struggling to break free from the never-ending Covid-19 Pandemic. Various efforts have been made by the Indonesian government, for example, by carrying out large and small scale lockdowns.

Quoted from liputan6.com, the Director-General of Risk Financing Management of the Ministry of Finance, Lucky Alfirman, said that the role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is very important to the Indonesian economy. focusing on MSMEs, "he said in a webinar" Support for Export-Oriented MSMEs "in Jakarta, Tuesday (8/9/2020).

It does not stop there, the government also provides an interest subsidy program for People's Business Credit (KUR) loans for MSME entrepreneurs. In conditions full of uncertainty, the government continues to commit to providing interest subsidies for MSMEs to pay their instalments.

"Furthermore, we also provide guarantees for working capital credit for our MSMEs in collaboration with Jamkrindo and Askrindo. Where the government bears no cost guarantee fees and 80 per cent of all defaults of business actors," he explained.

Then the final form of government contribution was also marked by the launch of productive presidential assistance for MSMEs.  Where each UMKM was given assistance worth 2.4 million.

Apart from the economic problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, divisions and conflicts between Indonesian citizens are currently It still happens a lot.  This can be seen from data of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) which states that in the 2011-2018 period, the number of villages / kelurahan that became conflict areas was recorded at around 3,100 villages / kelurahan.  Conflicts between fellow citizens that are still widely heard also occurred in Papua which claimed many lives and also conflicts between students and the police during a demonstration some time ago.  These various incidents illustrate the loss of unity among youth today which is far different from that of the youth during the events of 10 November 1945.

At this time, Indonesia needs a leader with a heroic spirit such as Bung Tomo and Governor Soerjo in various fields, be it economic, political, etc.  Because, to advance Indonesia requires a figure who can invite and arouse the spirit of struggle and unity to realize something you aspire to.

A leader must be ready to make sacrifices for the sake of the nation and state, so that everything he dreams of can be achieved.  Every citizen can become a leader who has a heroic spirit as long as he is sincere and willing to sacrifice for the sake of the Indonesian nation.  In fact, the progress of a nation is determined by its own citizens, if we are not the ones advancing Indonesia, then who will?

 

Writer: Rido Idham

Translator: Dian Ananda, Audina and Anas.

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