The 79th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia is just around the corner. Every year, this moment is celebrated with great enthusiasm. As far back as I can remember, I looked forward to Independence Day as a child. The alley where I lived would be adorned with red and white decorations, and I could participate in various competitions, from sack races and bakiak (clog) races to eating crackers. As I grew older, I began to realize that Independence Day is more than just an annual ceremony. It reflects the Indonesian national has long journey to achieve independence.

To better understand and appreciate Independence Day on a deeper level, I decided to view the moment of independence from three perspectives: before, during, and after the Proclamation of Independence. One of the easiest ways, considering I live in Jakarta, is to trace the path of the proclamation at three historic sites: Joang '45 Building, Museum of the Proclamation Drafting, and Proclamation Park.

Joang '45 Building

Driven by curiosity, I visited the Joang '45 Building, located at Jalan Menteng Raya No. 31. This building is a museum managed by the Jakarta Historical Museum Management Unit. Today, it serves as a museum representing the history of Indonesia’s struggle for independence. However, in the past, the Joang '45 Building witnessed the long battle for Indonesia's independence.

Upon arriving at the Joang '45 Building, I immediately purchased a ticket. The entrance fee for adults is 5,000 rupiahs. I was then given a brochure about the Joang '45 Building and invited to explore the museum. In the center of the veranda, there is a statue of the Proclamation Fathers duo, Ir. Soekarno and Drs. Mohammad Hatta. On the left side of the veranda, there is an explanation of the Joang '45 Building along with its vision as a museum that represents the history of the independence struggle, exploring the history of the city's development, culture, society, and politics, while also being a source of pride for the people of Jakarta and Indonesia.

On the left side of the veranda, there is a sign of the museum’s restoration, a statue of H. R. Rasuna Said and a plaque declaring her a national hero, as well as a poem titled Seliguri created by Exan Zen for H. R. Rasuna Said. This section, dedicated to female heroes, also features handprints of Indonesia's national female heroes along with their photos, including Raden Ajeng Kartini, Tjoet Nja’ Dhien, and Raden Dewi Sartika.

The Role of Joang '45 Building in Gaining and Defending Independence

Entering the building, I was greeted by a relief of the figures of Menteng 31, including Bung Karno and Bung Hatta. I then proceeded to the first room of the museum, the Preliminary Struggle Room. Here, there is a board displaying the profiles of young independence activists and the history of the Joang '45 Building.

From this, I learned that in the 1930s, the Menteng area was owned by Arabs and later purchased by the Dutch East Indies government to be developed as a residential area. The name Menteng was chosen because the area was originally a forest with many menteng trees. The development of trade in Batavia, especially in the Menteng area, eventually prompted L. C. Schomper to open the Schomper Hotel on Jalan Menteng 31. This hotel became the precursor to the Joang '45 Building. The grand hotel consisted of five rooms on the left wing, eight large rooms with bathrooms on the right wing, a dining room, a kitchen, a warehouse, and three rooms for cooks.

During the Japanese occupation, the Schomper Hotel was taken over by the Japanese propaganda unit, Sendenbu. In July 1942, the hotel was converted into the dormitory for the New Generation of Indonesia, the headquarters of radical youth who aimed to seize independence from the colonialists. In this dormitory, the youth received national political education from several nationalist leaders, such as Ir. Soekarno, Drs. Mohammad Hatta, Mr. Mohammad Yamin, Mr. Soenario, Mr. Ahmad Soebardjo, M. Z. Djambek, Mr. Dayoh, Dr. Muwardi, Sanusi Pane, Ki Hadjar Dewantara, and Mr. Amir Sjarifoeddin. There were also Japanese instructors, including Prof. Nakatani, H. Shimizu, and Prof. Bekki.

In the struggle to gain and defend independence, the Menteng 31 building was used by the youth as a center for planning actions. One such plan was to take Bung Karno and Bung Hatta to Rengasdengklok to urge them to immediately declare Indonesia’s independence. After Indonesia gained independence, the Menteng 31 Building, which was then occupied by the Jawa Hokokai, was reclaimed by the youth who had joined the Komite van Aksi Revolusi Proklamasi. The Menteng 31 Building then became the place where the Komite van Aksi planned actions to defend independence, including pressing for the formation of the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP) and transforming the Defenders of the Homeland (PETA) and Heiho into the Indonesian People's Army (TRI).

However, after Peta was disbanded, the Committee of Action formed an armed youth force led by the Indonesian Youth Force (API) at Menteng 31. API then joined the Laskar Rakjat Djakarta Raja organization, which was established behind the Menteng 31 building. After Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir declared Jakarta as a Diplomatic City on November 11, 1945, Laskar Rakjat Djakarta Raja and the youths of Menteng 31 moved their headquarters from Menteng 31 to Jatinegara, then to Bekasi, Karawang, and Depok. The youths who were members of the Committee of Action included Sukarni, Chaerul Saleh, A. M. Hanafi, Wikana, Adam Malik, Pandu Kartawiguna, Armunanto, Maruto Nitimihardjo Kusnaeni, and Djohar Nur. Profiles of some of them are displayed in the Introduction Room of Struggle at Joang '45 Building in both Indonesian and English.

Exploring Another Side of Independence

The second room I entered at Joang '45 Building was the Room of Physical Struggle and Diplomacy. There were many collections here, but what impressed me the most was the original desk and chair of Bung Hatta. Despite being old, in my view, they were still quite sturdy and well-maintained. On the wall directly above Bung Hatta's chair, there was a framed photo quoting his writing: "... a nation can achieve greatness and good fortune if the broad layers of the people below have the will and joy." In the same room, there were also collections of honorary medals of Dr. H. Soeharto, Bung Karno's doctor, a mini diorama of the ceremony after the reading of the proclamation text, and the sewing machine used by Fatmawati to sew the red and white flag.

In the two rooms I had already entered, I thought I was very impressed. But in the third room, I was even more impressed. After ten years away from school and rarely reading history, many things had faded from my memory. The collections in this third room seemed to remind me of those things. To the left of the third room's door, a photo young men was carrying a stretcher. General Soedirman led the Yogyakarta mountain front battle on December 19, 1948, from the stretcher, due to the acute lung disease he suffered from. Two years after that war, General Soedirman passed away.

Through its collections and narratives, the same room also reminded us of other events, such as the East Jakarta Front, the Guerrilla War, the Linggarjati Agreement, the Signing of the Linggarjati Agreement, the Renville Agreement, the Ceasefire Post-Renville Agreement, and the Round Table Conference in The Hague, Netherlands. The most intriguing collection in this room was the uniform of the Indonesian Student Army (TRIP). From the small size of the shirt, it could be imagined how very young students at that time had to participate in guerrilla warfare to defend Indonesia's independence.

The next room, the Japanese Era Room, offered collections from the Japanese occupation period. It also narrated how Japan, with its propaganda, tried to convince the Indonesian people to help Japan by creating the myth of the "elder brother of Indonesia" in the Greater East Asia War, which ended up turning the Indonesian people into voluntary laborers or romusha. The trauma and bitter memories of Dutch colonialism were still felt by the people.

In this room, I also saw various interesting collections, such as an illustration of the tearing of the Dutch flag, which was red, white, and blue, into the red and white flag at the Yamato Hotel in Surabaya, a 10 rupiah bill issued by the Japanese colonial government, and the bagor cloth used by the lower-middle class during the Japanese colonial period.

The next room, the Around the Proclamation Room, narrated the Rengasdengklok event, the drafting of the proclamation text, and the proclamation of Indonesia's independence. Interestingly, the important events in the proclamation, such as the Rengasdengklok Meeting, the drafting of the proclamation text, the youth rally at Menteng 31, Bung Karno's speech at Ikada Field one month after Indonesia's independence, the API formation meeting, and the Indonesian Women's Army (Laswi) helping war victims, were depicted in dioramas. In this way, I could feel the intensity of the atmosphere when these events occurred.

The next room displayed narratives and photos of other efforts to defend independence, such as the Battle of Surabaya, the Bandung Sea of Fire Incident, the formation of the People's Security Army, and the First Dutch Military Aggression. In the following room, the Unification of the Sovereignty of the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (RIS) Room, there was a chronology of the journey to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). Then, in the Struggle Towards NKRI Room, there were collections of the clothes of Laskar Putri fighters and the clothes of Laskar Putri Solo, the Red Cross, and Laskar Putri Indonesia. The last room I visited was the Gallery or Interactive Room. In this room, visitors could enjoy an audiovisual experience by watching historical films. This activity not only provided knowledge for visitors but also made Joang '45 Building more attractive.

Museum of the Proclamation Manuscript Formulation

After gaining a better understanding of the struggle to achieve and defend independence, I sought to learn about the process of drafting the proclamation manuscript that marked Indonesia's independence. The Museum of the Proclamation Manuscript Formulation became the second place I visited. Located at Jalan Imam Bonjol 1, Menteng, the Museum of the Proclamation Manuscript Formulation was originally the house of Rear Admiral Tadashi Maeda, a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Dutch East Indies during the Pacific War. It was in Admiral Maeda's house that Indonesia's proclamation manuscript was formulated.

Upon first entering the Museum of the Proclamation Manuscript Formulation, I was greeted by two staff members. After registering, I explored the rooms available. Exploring the Museum of the Proclamation Manuscript Formulation felt like being told the story of Indonesia's independence chronologically. It started from the living room to the left of the museum's entrance. There was a sofa there that Admiral Maeda used to welcome Bung Karno, Bung Hatta, and Achmad Soebardjo on August 16, 1945. On that occasion, the three explained to Maeda about the preparation meeting for Indonesia's independence. Admiral Maeda's house also became the place where Bung Karno, Bung Hatta, and Achmad Soebardjo declared they would proclaim Indonesia's independence after meeting with the Japanese military government, which stated it could not assist Indonesia's independence.

Admiral Maeda's living room was directly adjacent to the dining room. In this dining room, there was a long dining table with chairs. It was on this table that Bung Karno prepared the draft of the proclamation manuscript. Bung Hatta and Achmad Soebardjo contributed their thoughts verbally. After the title "Proclamation" was chosen, the three figures decided on the first sentence of the proclamation manuscript, namely "We, the people of Indonesia, hereby declare Indonesia's independence." Bung Hatta then added the second sentence about the transfer of power. After the proclamation manuscript was completed, the manuscript was taken to the front porch to be read aloud to the attendees. There were 29 figures present at the drafting of this proclamation manuscript, including Ki Hadjar Dewantara, R. Otto Iskandar Dinata, and Dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat. Photos of the figures present and the Independence Proclamation manuscript are displayed in the room where the proclamation manuscript was ratified.

Bung Karno repeatedly read out the draft of the Declaration of Independence and asked for the attendees' approval. The thunderous voices of the attendees agreed, a sign that the proclamation manuscript had been approved. After that, Bung Karno asked Sayuti Melik to type the proclamation manuscript. The typing of the proclamation manuscript took place in the lower room near the kitchen, accompanied by B. M. Diah. During the typing, Sayuti Melik made three-word adjustments, such as changing "tempoh" to "tempo," "wakil-wakil Bangsa Indonesia" to "Atas Nama Bangsa Indonesia," and writing the day, month, and year. After the manuscript was typed, it was taken to Maeda's large living room and signed by Bung Karno and Bung Hatta. The signing of the proclamation manuscript was done on a piano located under the stairs of Admiral Maeda's house. To this day, the typewriter and piano are still there and are part of the Museum of the Proclamation Manuscript Formulation's collection.

In addition to the pre-drafting room (Maeda's living room), drafting room (dining room), typing room (lower room near the kitchen), and ratification room (large living room), this museum also consists of several rooms on the second floor. These include the Japanese arrival room, proclamation era room, independence defense room, return to unity era room, and Introduction to figures room.

Proclamation Monument

After understanding the process of drafting the proclamation manuscript, the next step is the proclamation of independence itself. Therefore, the last place on my journey was the Proclamation Monument. This monument, located in the Proclamation Park area, was once the home of Bung Karno, where the proclamation manuscript was read. At the initiative of the Indonesian government to preserve history, the Proclamation Monument was built on the former residence of Bung Karno starting in 1961 and was inaugurated on August 17, 1980, exactly 35 years after the Proclamation of Independence.

When visiting the Proclamation Monument, I was quite impressed with its simple yet meaningful design. The monument consists of two pillars symbolizing the two proclaimer figures, Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta. In the middle of the monument, there is a statue of Soekarno and Hatta reading the Proclamation of Independence. With such a philosophical design, I understood that the Proclamation Monument is not just a monument but also a reminder of the fighting spirit and unity of the Indonesian people. The upright pillars symbolize the strength and determination of the nation in maintaining independence. Meanwhile, the statue of Soekarno and Hatta emphasizes their important roles in the nation's struggle to gain and maintain Indonesia's independence.

That was the story of my journey to find the meaning of Independence Day through three historical places in Jakarta: Gedung Joang '45, the Proclamation Drafting Museum, and the Proclamation Monument. Through this journey, I realized three meanings of independence.

Gedung Joang '45 symbolizes the fighting spirit and courage of the youth in fighting for independence. The Proclamation Drafting Museum demonstrates the intellectual and diplomatic processes in drafting the Declaration of Independence. The Proclamation Monument serves as a symbol of the proclamation of independence itself, marking the birth of Indonesia as a sovereign state. Together, these three places teach us that independence is the result of a combination of fighting spirit, deep thought, and concrete action.

Smarticizen, do you want to explore historical sites in Jakarta? You can use the Map feature in the JAKI app to check the location of museums and other historical sites.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the JAKI app. If it's not installed on your smartphone, download it from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store;
2. Type "Peta" (Map) in the search bar on the Homepage. Select Map;
3. Choose the History category in the Tourist Destinations section;
4. Zoom in on the map to see the locations of historical sites in Jakarta;

1. Click on the historical site to get information such as description, location, and contact details.