Monday, April 19, 2010

Letters from EMILIA PANGALILA - RATULANGIE



The second of two important letters to us

Tue, 22 May 2007




Dears,
As you have noticed there came another subject between my activities. The "Protocols", brought me back to the time of the Japanese occupation. Never more we wanted to be occupied by another nation!!!!! Of course we knew already that we, Indonesians were no better then any other people in the world concerning greed, but at least we wanted to be responsible for our own fate. So we, the young students we willing to become guerilla fighters and retire to the jungle. We warned our parents that when they were willing to cooperate with the NICA ( Netherlands Indies Civil Adminstation), they would find us at the other side. I remebered I told so to my father and Wiranata Kusuma, the regent of Preangan, and Dr. Amir of Medan, when we were on our way in an automobile. The daughter of Wiranata was also a medical student and as a freshman she hed chosen me as her mentor. Back to the time of the Declaration of Independence on the 17th of august 1945.
The medical students decided to travel to the different isles of Indonesia from where their parents originated to spread the news and explain to the people what it meant. This was not without danger as the Japanese were still responsible for the rest and order, more over the general population was tired of the war and wanted to have peace and did not understand what independence meant. In general people were cautious! Principally the youngster, pubers and adolescents were open to us, and because of them their parents understood that when they loved their children they had to comply. That was not always the case however.
Before I will go further I want to vent my feelings concerning two Japanese men. Shimizu, the head of the Sendenbu and Nishijima of the library of tne Kaigun( Marine) where I worked as a translater( dutch-malay) during about a year. Shimizu was severely handled by some Indonesian leaders who had joined him in the Greater East Asia movment and so lost their political bearing when Japan lost the war. I learned from Shimizu that a real leader was not an elitist, but one who could feel like the common men.
From Nishijima, with whom I had many talks at the library I understood that a leader must have common sense, the ideals must be reality tested. When I met Nishijima in Tokio in 1992, when I was there because of a Psycho-Neuro-Endocrinologe Congress, he told me that in his inaugural speach when he became Professor at the Universtity in Tokio he had mentioned me, in our talks at he Kaigun library, he had learnt about the respect a human being must have for oneself before being something for others.
In september 1945 I was appointed as a member of the KNIP, the provisional parlement of the Republic of Indonesia. According to the poet, Charil Anwar, I was the youngest member, and I was born on the same day as he was. Somehow his poems had always attracted me most because of the power in them, now I realize that he was himself and only himself in those poems, that I cherish up till now. I was also a boardmember of the poerts organization the Gelanggang (Schakel).
At the KNIP meeting at Solo, Sutan Sjahrir wonn the political battle from Moh.Yamin. It was more or less a struglle between the elitist socialist and the liberals. Sutan Sjahrir had good relations with the dutch PvdA (labour party). Mohamed Yamin was a liberal , populistic Marhain(people). None of them was communist. There were Indonesian communists, but some of them were more Soviet sympathizers and others were Mao Tze Thung sympathizers. Those two sides were still not sure about one another. Once during the KNIP meeting in Solo we, the female members were walking together arlong one of the boulevards and chattering when suddenly Trimurti, a communist, said: "When talkng with Zus Ratulangie one has to be careful because when you say a word, she will know at once everything".
At that time I thought it was a joke, but the following developements did show I was noticed by certain circles. A highschool friend who according to me was a fellowtraveller ( communist sympathizer) invited me to have a lunch with her at a restourant. I do not want to mention her name because I have to much respect for her father. But she started to talk about politics and in fact communism. The equality of people of course was something that we both agreed upon but when I mentioned the realization of communisme in Russia, the way people were coerced to think the same things a.s.o., I excaimed "I joined the Indonesian revolution because I love the freedom of every human being to be himself and live how he lives his own life".
Shortly afterwards the KRIS secret service warned me. They did show me a paper in which there was a report about how the communist were picking new young members. They chose influential young people and tried to influence them with communistic ideas. When such a youngster would not be influeced they would try to have him be socially discredited. The Center Indonesian Womens Organization met in Madiun. The Wanita KRIS , KRIS female red cross, went there too. At the meeting the Wanita KRIS was attacked by the socialist organization because we were wearing pants (not skirts or sarongs), and were singing on the railway carriages. I was attacked because I was their leader!
To our great surprise we were defended by the moslim womens organization who said that there was no wrong in our wearing pants, the KRIS was a valued partner isuroton the revolution and Zus Ratulangie was pure. I could not believe my ears! However a telegram of the Australian Womens organization sympathizing with the Indonesian womens organization that was trusted to me and my secretary Kartini Radjasa to answer the Australian Women disappeared fromv her desk. Suddenly my suroto best friends Jo Abdurahman and Zulaika Jassin were rounded up and interrogated by the intelligence service because I was suspected to work for General Spoor (the dutch army commander).
There was also said that my father had himself be exciled to Seroei to be at a safe place! The KRIS intelligence adviced me to go to Jakarta because there was going to happen something in middle Java.
They hid me in a freightrailway carriage between rice bales. At Krawang Suroto Kunto the local TNI (Republican Army) commander came to me and assured me that he would stress that the Republic had to require before going in negotiations with the Netherlands, they must return my exiled father to the Republic. Some time afterwards I learnt that Suroto somehow was lost at the front. The KRIS could not find any information about his wereabouts on the dutch side. Some how I feel guilty. My father had always been very carefull in political expressions and the communists had never considered him an ennemy! Now I had defied them. Suroto had been a medical student of my year and was also a very good friend of mine.....
At Jakarta I went to medical school again and prepared for my doctoral examination. I wondered why the students seemed to avoid me wnen I met them at the lectures. But I was to much involved with the preparation and was as usually nice to every one. Luky Abdurahman, a cousin of Jo was the president of the Jakarta student organization,the PMD.
We were busy with the freshmen and the allied activities. Suddenly there came the tiding that Luky expired of a bleeding stomac ulcer. According to his friends he has been a communist and had the assignment to socially ostracize me. But he failed because I was too charming and nice.It was very plausible because it was 1948, the year of the failed communist putch from Madiun were the former christian leader Amir Sjarifudin was a leader among others. The communists lost and had no power anymore for the time being. Some time afterwards I became the president of the PMD. The dutch had taken over the power in certain regions, but the Republicans were there too in the same regions. There for my prewar student organization the BSC, Bataviaas Studenten Corps was there at the Dutch medical school.
We shared the same building and hospitals! It was a crazy situation. At a certain time I was warned by my colleagues to go at once to the neuro-psychiatrical department because there was an important meeting between the two staffs and the students who were present felt there was trouble brewing. When I arrived I met Prof. Slamet Iman Santoso who said to me that we had to admit we could not go further, the dutch had more knowledge and more over we did not have registered nurses. I said that when we ourselves were convinced we could not go further we could not. But when we believed we could at least try to go further we had to go further. I also said that the Indonesian Red Cross had a registered nurse Annie Senduk, with her nurses. Prof. Slamet decided to go further, and we, the students were happy. Of course we some times went to the colleges of the dutch professors who were really good, such as the cardiologist Prof. Zuidema.
When I was president of the PMD, I decided we would chalenge the BSC students to sport contests. Tennis, swimming, soccer a.s.o. The PMD had far more members at that time and some were really good such as Isje Rassad in tennis. The contests were a succes. At least we met. Although at the soccer the public, the general population of Jakarta was more supporting the PMD players.
In the mean time it was clear that in the districts of Jakarta the dutch were taking over the lead because they had the power. We decided to organize shadow district leaders to convince the people that the dutch power would not last. The USA had started to be political active and at an American ship the Renville, talks between dutch and indonesian leaders took place in the presence of an american.
My father exciled at Serui fell ill 1948. He had malaria tropica. The papua nurse Silas Papare asked a visiting dutch doctor to examine him. The Dutch docter refused to examine the "rebel" Ratulangie. Silas Papare became later on a Papua leader pro the Republic of Indonesia. I asked the lawyer Tadjuddun Noor, who had accompanied my father when he became the Republican Governor of Sulawesi in 1943, to write a petition to the Dutch Parlement, to put forward the right of free phycisians choise for a human being based on the act of human right. My fathers choice was the Interanal medicine specialist Prof. Dr. Asikin at Jokjakarta.
Our petition reached the dutch parlement. The president of the parlement was Mr. Jonkman, a student friend of my mother and father. Suddnely I got a letter from the Governor General van Mook that I could get the answer on the petition if I came to the Palace. On my bike I went to the Palace and at one of the annexes I received the letter that my father would be freed. This is my story. As far as I am concerned I had two calls in my life it were to assist in the Indonesian Revolution and to help humans freeing also from them selves. The second part of my life I give to the second call. I hope Uki that now you are satisfied. Can you tell me why Lani' s pc never accepts my e-mails? I also lost track of Monique Ratulangie, Kitty' s daughter, could you help me?
Well love to you all. When there are any questions, please mail them to me.
Love
Emilia (Zus)

3 comments:

supol said...

greetings fighting "
madam .. "
susanto introduce my name from north sulawesi,
I really admire the history of the father of the nation, including the father of Sam Ratulangi
I was active as a writer,
I aspire to write about the life of a sam dotphotography in the form of a book of biography, to be read by children and grandchildren and the Indonesian society
if the part of the family support me, then I would be very delighted, because data about the life of a sam dotphotography so rare in Indonesia, indeed ironic, but here's the challenge I need to travel.
I hope sam dotphotography family can help to provide data and information on life's journey dotphotography sam,
thank you for your attention.
I am waiting for information on
My email: susantopolamolo@ymail.com

Matulanda RATULANGI said...

Halo Bpk Susanto, Apolgize me for have 3 years pass before I respond to your comment....I'll forward it however late to my sisterl. Thanks Matulanda.

Matulanda RATULANGI said...

Below I torward a comment of a good friend :Mr Manglam Brahmbhatt
I have read these letters cursorily...They contain very interesting events relating to movements of freedom fighting....Very thrilling pictures are drawn in these letters...They recall the memories of so many events of past period.Freedom is not gained so cheaply....There was a great sacrifice and suffering...and rebelling against power....Patriots and front ranking leaders had said " Forget not that greatest curse for people is to remain a slave - Forget not the greatest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong.....'" They also believed that highest virtue is to battle against iniquity no matter what the cost be....I pay tribute to Patriots and Leaders with full respect to them....with great salute..

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