General Soedirman's Teacher

Both were involved in the world of education, scouts, and military; but unlike Soedirman, his former student who went on to become the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), his name is almost unknown.

Translation by:
Prihandini Anisa
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Illustration: Betaria Sarulina

A HOUSE on Jalan Pangadegan, South Jakarta, looks unassuming. The building is old, but it has something considered luxuries to typical houses in Jakarta: a wide yard filled with lush trees and green grass, with a breeze of crisp fresh air.

Residing inside the house are Poppy Julianti and her daughter, Miranti Soetjipto-Hirschmann, a journalist. The house, for sure, was more alive in the past. Poppy and all of her siblings lived there with their parents, Soewardjo Tirtosoepono and Markamah, who resided in one of the house's pavilions.

The memory of Soewardjo, who died in 1992, is still fresh in Poppy and Miranti's mind. For years, they wrote a chronicle of Soewardjo's life story and kept and maintained all of Soewardjo's aide-mémoire: handwritten notes, letters of appreciation, and cards.

Soewardjo Tirtosoepono's name is perhaps unfamiliar to some people, but if the name of his student is mentioned, everyone will instantly recognize him: Soedirman.

Soewardjo was the teacher of young Soedirman when he was in Cilacap. Prior to becoming a teacher, Soewardjo studied at the Royal Military Academy (KMA) in Breda; an invaluable military experience that made him cross paths with Soedirman.

"Soedirman seemed very passionate about military and war strategy," said Miranti.

Like Soewardjo, Soedirman was also a teacher and was involved in scout movement before starting his career in the military. Later on, Soedirman became the first commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). How about Soewardjo?

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A HOUSE on Jalan Pangadegan, South Jakarta, looks unassuming. The building is old, but it has something considered luxuries to typical houses in Jakarta: a wide yard filled with lush trees and green grass, with a breeze of crisp fresh air.

Residing inside the house are Poppy Julianti and her daughter, Miranti Soetjipto-Hirschmann, a journalist. The house, for sure, was more alive in the past. Poppy and all of her siblings lived there with their parents, Soewardjo Tirtosoepono and Markamah, who resided in one of the house's pavilions.

The memory of Soewardjo, who died in 1992, is still fresh in Poppy and Miranti's mind. For years, they wrote a chronicle of Soewardjo's life story and kept and maintained all of Soewardjo's aide-mémoire: handwritten notes, letters of appreciation, and cards.

Soewardjo Tirtosoepono's name is perhaps unfamiliar to some people, but if the name of his student is mentioned, everyone will instantly recognize him: Soedirman.

Soewardjo was the teacher of young Soedirman when he was in Cilacap. Prior to becoming a teacher, Soewardjo studied at the Royal Military Academy (KMA) in Breda; an invaluable military experience that made him cross paths with Soedirman.

"Soedirman seemed very passionate about military and war strategy," said Miranti.

Like Soewardjo, Soedirman was also a teacher and was involved in scout movement before starting his career in the military. Later on, Soedirman became the first commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). How about Soewardjo?

The façade of the house of Soewardjo Tirtosoepono’s family in Jakarta. (Fernando Randy/Historia.ID)

Expulsion from Breda

If only he had lived a life of conformity, Soewardjo would probably have become an officer of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) or a part of the colonial army of the Dutch East Indies just like Oerip Soemohardjo, Didi Kartasasmita, A.H. Nasution and A.E. Kawilarang. His path could have also crossed with Soedirman in a much different way. History, however, knows no what-ifs.

Soewardjo's life began in Banyumas, Central Java. He was born on 5 June 1905 as Raden Soewardjo Tirtosoepono, a son from an affluent family. His father, Mas Tirtosoepono, was a pegadaian (state-owned pawnbroker) employee in Kroya, Central Java. For his 40-year service and record as the oldest pawnshop employee, as reported by De Expres on 7 November 1922, Mas Tirtosoepono was awarded a Silver Star for Loyalty.

Soewardjo enjoyed a privileged opportunity for education. He completed his study at Europe Lager School (ELS), a 7-year elementary school for the Europeans, in Banyumas in 1919. He then finished his third grade of secondary school in Gymnasium Willem III or HBS KW III in 1922. The school was located in Salemba, which now is in the area of the National Library of Indonesia.

When he was a student at Gymnasium Willem III, Soewardjo lived with his sibling who was working at a pegadaian in Salemba. Later, Soewardjo moved to a student dormitory where most of the students were studying medicine at School tot Opleiding van Inlandsche Artsen (STOVIA) Kwitang or studying law at Rechtsschool Gambir.

HBS KW III Salemba. (Collectie Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen)

After finishing his education at Gymnasium Willem III, Soewardjo wanted to pursue a military career, which came as unsurprising considering his family’s military background. First class infantry lieutenant Raden Soemarno was mentioned as Soewardjo's uncle by Bouman in Van Driekleur tot Rood-Wit: De Indonesische Officieren uit het KNIL 1900-1950

Soemarno joined the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) as an officer trainee in the Military School in Jatinegara in 1910, a year prior to Oerip Soemohardjo's enrolment. Soemarno remained in TNI even after the Indonesian independence with his last rank as lieutenant colonel, while Oerip Soemohardjo was known as the first chief of general staff of TNI.

Becoming a KNIL officer was a guarantee for an established life. Didi Kartasasmita, who became a KNIL officer in the 1930s, mentioned in his biography that his initial salary was around 105 guilders, an enormous amount for a young person at the time when the price of gold per gram was only 2 guilders. Didi's salary was increasing steadily until reaching up to 400 guilders. The prospect of high salary undoubtedly interested young elites like Soewardjo.

Soewardjo subsequently departed for the Netherlands and enrolled in the school for cadets in Alkmaar, from 1922 to 1924. According to Harry Poeze et al. in Di Negeri Penjajah, the Alkmaar cadet school was a preparatory school for the subsequent military academy. However, the school was shut down in 1924, making Soewardjo one of its last students.

Poppy Julianti disclosed that in the family archive her father was noted as one of the best graduates, being "the fourth best student and was recommended to continue to KMA."

School tot Opleiding van Inlandsche Artsen (STOVIA) Jakarta. (Tan Tjie Lan/KTLV).

KMA, or the Royal Military Academy in Breda, the Netherlands, was a school for future officers. It was where the children of priyayi (nobles or elites) titled raden studied. Upon graduating, they would easily be shortlisted as esteemed figures in the military.

"He had completed the classes at KMA (Koninklijke Militaire Academie) in infantry in Breda Nederland in 1927," mentioned a letter sent to the Indonesian Social Minister, Jakarta 24 January 1987. However, Soewardjo never took an oath as a KNIL's second lieutenant. Poppy said his father refused to swear before the Queen of the Netherlands.

There was, however, another reason for Soewardjo's failure in becoming an officer. The Dutch newspapers at that time wrote that Soewardjo, who was just appointed as an officer, was kicked out due to his association with a communist organization.

The anti-communist sentiment in the Royal Dutch territory was heightened after the rebellion of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in Java and West Sumatra in November 1926 and January 1927. The colonial government monitored and took strict actions on the national movement sympathizers, including those who were studying in the Netherlands and were part of Indische Vereeniging or Perhimpunan Indonesia (PI).

Soewardjo, as mentioned by Harry Poeze et al., became a PI member not long after he arrived in the Netherlands, or approximately when he was studying at Alkmaar. As the political situation worsened, Soewardjo followed an advice from a committee member to quit PI to save his future military career. Despite that, Soewardjo insisted on maintaining his connection with the PI members, even expressing his sympathy to the struggle for Indonesian independence.

According to those newspapers, Soewardjo's bedroom was searched, and the documents that were found proved that he was a member of PI. As a result, Soewardjo was detained for 24 days under tight security and was summoned before the Minister of Defence the Kingdom of Netherlands JMJH Lambooy. In the meeting, Soewardjo kept his stance about the idea of Indonesian independence, which settled his expulsion from the military.

Young Soewardjo Tirtosoepono during his years at military. (Repro Dok Keluarga).

The Scout Movement

After his failure to become a second lieutenant at KNIL, Soewardjo was getting more involved in PI. He became the organization's representative for many affairs outside the Netherlands when Hatta and the others were jailed in 1927. Soewardjo also briefly studied at Leiden University albeit only as an auditor with no official degree. In 1929, he finally returned to Indonesia.

"He worked as a crew for a ship that sailed to Batavia. He didn't ask for payment but still got paid. He was only a ship crew whose task was to clean the ship. He wasn’t a sailor," said Miranti.

When he arrived in Indonesia, Soewardjo witnessed a quite drastic change to Batavia. His old dormitory where he used to live when he was still a student at Gymnasium III had turned into a headquarters for the national movement. The dormitory building had transformed into the location of Kongres Pemuda II (the Youth Congress II) that initiated Sumpah Pemuda (the Youth Pledge).

Soewardjo was still indecisive about his next step because his mind was busy calculating ways to explain to his parents about his lack of success in becoming a soldier. To Soewardjo's surprise, his father wasn't disappointed, and even praising Soewardjo's choice to plunge into the independence movement despite having to forgo the prospect of a settled life.

In Batavia, Soewardjo studied at Recht Hoge School or Sekolah Tinggi Hukum (Law College) that was just opened in Gambir, which now is in the office area of the Ministry of Defence. He then worked as a high school teacher in Perguruan Rakjat at Gedung Nasional on Jalan Kenari. Soewardjo was also a member of the Indonesian National Party (PNI) and visited Sukarno's house once at Jalan Pungkur Bandung as advised by Mr. Sartono.

Soewardjo's time at PNI wasn't long. Following the arrest of Sukarno, PNI was disbanded in 1931 and was replaced by the Indonesian Party (Partindo) led by Mr. Sartono. Soewardjo took part in Partindo as the head of organization and leadership training department, or as it was called back then, "the governing body of leadership education".

In Partindo's first meeting, as reported by Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië on 10 July 1931, Soewardjo gave his opinion regarding political organization. He was also one of the speakers in the general meeting of the Partindo Bandung branch, as noted by De Koerier on 8 September 1931. The other speakers in the general meeting were Sukarno, Sartono, Soewirjo, and Gatot Mangkupraja.

Soewardjo also regularly gave lectures in the closed meetings for Partindo members, such as in a meeting at Mr. Cornelis' resort in Kemayoran, as reported by Bintang Timoer on 2 November 1931, with speakers including Soewardjo, Amir Sjarifuddin, Antapermana Pantauw, and D. Moeda.

Aside from political parties, Soewardjo was involved in the scout movement, or what is familiarly known now as Pramuka. He was even considered as one of the influential figures in the history of scouts in Indonesia.

The teenagers who were part of the Indonesian Scouts. (OPAC Perpusnas)

The scout movement was founded by Robert Baden Powell in London, England in 1907, and was growing rapidly to Europe and Asia. In Indonesia, the scout movement was cultivated by the Dutch. At first, they only accepted members of European descent, but later, they started admitting the natives, especially of the high ranks.

The native scouts started in 1916 on the initiative of S.P. Mangkunagoro VII in Solo under the name Javaanse Padvinders Organisatie. The other scout organizations soon emerged; one of them was Nationale Padvinders Organisatie (INPO) to which Soewardjo contributed his time and energy.

The spirit of unity encouraged the scout movements to consolidate. In 1929, as recorded by Buku Peringatan Pantja Warsa Pandu Rakjat Indonesia, there was some kind of federative agency named Persatuan Antar Pandu Indonesia (Association of Indonesian Scouts or PAPI), which aimed to strengthen the community and to facilitate the collaboration of its members.

The establishment of PAPI was the first phase to the unity, while the second phase was marked by the birth of Kepanduan Bangsa Indonesia (the Indonesian Scouts or KBI).

KBI was established on 13 September 1930 from the merging of INPO, Pandoe Kebangsaan (from Jong Java), and Pandoe Pemoeda Soematera. According to its article of association, KBI intended to "be involved in educating the youths so they can be a valuable and skilled society member in the future, and a true defender of the Country."

Soewardjo, said Poppy Julianti, established KBI with Moewardi and Bahder Djohan. Soewardjo was the representative of INPO as Moewardi was of Pandoe Kebangsaan and Bahder of Pandoe Pemoeda Soematera. In addition to his role in the forming of KBI, Soewardjo was chosen as the head of KBI Central Board.

Shortly after its establishment, KBI held a jamboree in Ambarwinangun, Yogyakarta. Known as the First KBI National Jamboree, the event was visited by 30 branches from Java, Bali, Madura, and Sumatra. The jamboree was also an opportunity for the KBI leaders to gather in a congress, in which Soewardjo was appointed as the head of KBI Central Board.

The Second National Jamboree, as well as the second meeting of the KBI leaders was held in 1932, but before the jamboree took place, Soewardjo returned to his hometown. His position as the head of the central board was subsequently replaced by Soeratno Sastroamidjojo. 

In Cilacap, Soewardjo married Markamah, daughter of Enung Masdria, a teacher born in Bandung on 23 September 1908. Like Soewardjo, Markamah actively engaged in the national movement. Some of Soewardjo and Mahkamah’s children were born in Cilacap.

The committee of the Indonesian Scouts posing with their uniform. Soewardjo was considered as one of the influential figures in the history of the Indonesian Scouts. (Pramuka.id)

Teaching Soedirman

In Cilacap, Soewardjo was asked by Raden Soemojo Koesoemo to take part in establishing Parama Wiworotomo school in 1931. The school was built with the goal to provide education for the natives.

The school, according to Poppy Julianti, "was categorized by the Dutch East Indies government as wilde school (illegal school)", which refers to schools that didn't receive subsidies from the colonial government.

Alongside Soewardjo, there were other Cilacap's prominent figures such as Raden Moh. Kholil and Nona Kasmah (sister of Kasman Singodimuljo) who became the teachers there. One of their bright students in Wiworotomo was Soedirman.

Since he was born, Soedirman lived at the house of his uncle as well as adoptive father, Tjokrosoenarjo, a wedana assistant (equivalent to camat now) in Rembang. When he was eight months old, after Tjokrosoenarjo retired, Soedirman and his family moved to Cilacap. There, Soedirman studied at Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS) equivalent to elementary school. Upon graduating, he continued to Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO), equivalent to junior high school, and a year later moved to Parama Wiworotomo.

Before accepting Soedirman as a student, the teachers and the committee of Wiworotomo gathered for a meeting, in which they decided to admit Soedirman to the school despite his economic difficulty. Soewardjo also offered help.

<div class="flex-content-podcast"><figure class="img-left"><div><img src="https://assets-global.website-files.com/61af270884f7a0580d35618e/62db0212fd653d3b62cb51c7_Intersection%209.jpg" alt="img"></div><figcaption>General Soedirman was one of Soewardjo’s student in Parama Wiworotomo school in Cilacap. (NIGIS [Netherlands Indies Government Information Service] via nationalarchief)</figcaption></figure><div class="img-right"><div class="podcast-container"><img alt="person" class="entered loaded" data-ll-status="loaded" src="https://assets-global.website-files.com/61af270884f7a0580d35618e/62db0219dcf6316cc8c92aa9_Intersection%2010.jpg"><div class="audio-podcast"><audio controls controlsList="nodownload"><source src="https://d220hvstrn183r.cloudfront.net/premium/guru-pak-dirman/PODCAST_YASMIN-MIRANTI.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">Your browser does not support the audio element.</audio></div></div><div class="caption"><span><b>Miranti Soetjipto-Hirschmann</b><br>Granddaughter of Soewardjo Tirtosoepono. (Fernando Randy/Historia.ID).</span></div></div></div>

"My grandfather decided to spare some of his income so Soedirman could stay in school," recalled Miranti based on her family's story. Because of this, Soedirman eventually grew closer to Soewardjo's family.

Soewardjo's house was often visited by Soedirman who showed great interest in military and war strategy. Soewardjo also gladly taught him fencing and horse riding, two skills that Soewardjo acquired in Breda.

With Soewardjo, Soedirman discussed the politics and military of the First World War. For instance, how an officer has to act in the midst of an unfavorable situation at war or when facing defeats. From Soewardjo, who was active in Partindo, Soedirman also fostered his nationalism.

In Soewardjo's memory, Soedirman was a bright and distinctive student at school who had the habit of learning the teaching materials prior to class. Soedirman was also skilled in scouts. 

"In tackling daily tasks, he was in the "top" group of the class," recalled Soewardjo, as recorded in the family archive collection.

Upon graduating from Wiworotomo, Soedirman studied for a year at Kweekschool (teacher school) owned by Muhammadiyah in Solo, after which he became a teacher at HIS Muhammadiyah, Cilacap.

Subsequently, both Soewardjo and Soedirman were involved in the military.

Poppy Julianti, daughter of Soewardjo, when being interviewed by Historia.ID in Jakarta. (Fernando Randy/Historia.ID).

A Second Chance

The war was imminent. Dealing with the possibility of the attack by the Japanese troops, the colonial government started to strengthen their defense. To solve the personnel shortage problem, aside from forming a militia, the government also recruited native forces to be soldiers, conducted training in air attack prevention, and invited several influential people to join Luchtbeschermingsdienst (LBD) or Air Threat Security Service.

Soewardjo saw a second chance for him to realize his dream as a soldier. His experience in KMA Breda was highly regarded, especially after the Dutch army’s lack of officers due to KMA Breda's shut down following the German occupation of the Netherlands and the termination of sending permanent officers from the Netherlands. The Dutch had indeed established KMA in Bandung, but it would take a considerable amount of time for the academy to produce reliable officers.

Soewardjo joined LBD in Cilacap, and so did Soedirman, his former student.

There wasn't much information known about Soewardjo's activity in LBD. One of his activities, as reported by De Locomotief on 2 June 1938, was LBD Cilacap's air demonstration that attracted huge interest from the public. Soewardjo, who was mentioned by the newspaper as the head of sector IV, was present in that event. Interestingly, the same position was later occupied by Soedirman.

Still in the same year, Soewardjo was on a duty in West Java. De Koerier newspaper on 16 August 1938 reported that Soewardjo was assigned for a certain period as a supervisor for second-class paymaster of Wapen der Genie (Zeni Branch) and was stationed in Cimahi. Wapen der Genie was a military unit that was responsible for the entire zeni (military engineers) work in the Dutch East Indies. Around 1905, zeni temporary headquarters was moved to Cimahi.

Soewardjo's career looked promising. He was even promoted as the inspector of LBD, but his past unfortunately got in the way.

According to Yannick Lengkeek in “Staged Glory: The Impact of Fascism on ‘Cooperative’ Nationalist Circles in Late Colonial Indonesia, 1935-1942”, published in Jurnal Fascism 7 (2018:124), several prominent officers in LBD praised the supports coming from the scout organizations, civilians, and the Indonesian press. However, in reality, the government refused to give access to Indonesians to occupy the top positions, and Soewardjo was no exception.

In 1938, Lengkeek wrote, the director of Binnenlandsch Bestuur (Internal Affairs Administration Agency) called the governor of Central Java to ask about the candidate who was recommended to him. The Central Java governor advised him not to appoint Soewardjo as the chief inspector of LBD. In the governor's words, "his unstable past and characteristics that seem shakeable" made Soewardjo an unsuitable candidate for the job. However, the first and foremost assessment was based on his prior involvement with the left-wing nationalist parties.

The weak defense of the Dutch East Indies was easily crushed by the Japanese army, forcing the Dutch to unconditionally surrender to the Japanese troops in Subang. According to Poppy, when Japan attacked Indonesia, Soewardjo with Suryadi Suryadarma broke into the vault (kluis) of Departement van Oorlog (DVO) or Department of War in Bandung. 

"They took the oil field maps owned by the Dutch and foreign companies in Indonesia," said Poppy Julianti. Suryadarma was also a KMA Breda graduate who later became the first Air Force Chief of Staff.

The Japanese occupation military put a huge favor on the groups that were alienated during the colonial era, and it became the reason for both Soewardjo and Suryadarma’s appointment as police officers.

Abdul Haris Nasution (left) was once helped by Soewardjo to escape from the KNIL unit. (Repro buku garuda)

"After Indonesia was occupied by Japan, he became a police officer with Suryadi Suryadarma to ensure the underground movement ran smoothly," said Poppy Julianti. 

Soewardjo's rank was ittoo keibuho (assistant to first class police inspector) for Priangan syu or Priangan residency. According to M. Oudang in Perkembangan Kepolisian di Indonesia (1952), ittoo keibuho was mentioned as a second-grade middle officer with a salary around R.70-R.270.

His position as a police officer made Soewardjo closer to the nationalist groups. He frequently helped his compatriots who were in need. For instance, he provided a room in Bumiputera Building for Abdul Haris Nasution, former KNIL officer who escaped from his unit and lived in Bandung. Nasution later became the longest-serving Army Chief of Staff in Indonesian history.

During his service, Soewardjo trained police officers from several regions in Indonesia on the use of light and heavy weapons. The trained police later became Special Forces, some of which went on to become Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob).

After the Indonesian independence, Poppy Julianti mentioned that Soewardjo enlisted in Badan Keamanan Rakyat (the People's Security Agency or BKR) in Bandung, but after Tentara Keamanan Rakyat (the People's Security Army or TKR) was established, Soewardjo disappeared. He was captured by the British soldiers and was handed over to their ally, the Netherlands. 

"My grandfather stayed in the Netherlands several times. He was there because he was requested by the Allies to explain to the Dutch about the situation in Indonesia," said Miranti. The Dutch Parliament wanted to find out the wishes of the Indonesian people, although the government itself was trying to put Indonesia under their control.

The story behind Soewardjo's capture is still vague. A source mentioned that when he was a police officer during the Japanese occupation, Soewardjo often helped the Dutch's prisoners. He was also involved in the Hooge-Veluwe Talks in the Netherlands although there was no detailed information regarding that.

A report from the interrogation of Nefis (Dutch Intelligence Service) mentioned Soewardjo's name in relation to the atrocity of the Japanese army in Bandung. In the report, Soewardjo mentioned that in March 1942, around 40 Australian soldiers were detained, beaten until they're unconscious, put into baskets, and were brought by a truck encircling the air field before being shot to death in a well in Yogyakarta.

Soewardjo witnessed the same thing when he was in Bandung. Japan took 30-40 white people, tied their hands to their back, and tied them together with a long rope to the back of a truck. "Those people were dragged by a truck and he couldn't make sure whether all of them were killed or not."

Since Soewardjo was a common name, it is still unclear whether the report indeed refers to Soewardjo Tirtosoepono, or whether it was he who was involved in the Hooge-Veluwe Talks on 14-24 April 1946.

The Hooge-Veluwe Talks took place following the failure of the negotiation between NICA (the Netherlands) and Indonesia in Jakarta half a year before where the British became the mediator by sending Sir Archibald Clark Kerr. In the negotiation, the Dutch expressed their intention to make Indonesia a Dutch commonwealth, but Indonesia refused and demanded the recognition of full sovereignty.

Miranti mentioned that Soewardjo was returned to the Republic in 1948. When he arrived in Indonesia, he was suspected as a spy for the Dutch. Fortunately, a statement letter made by Mr Soenario Sastrowardoyo, his colleague in Perhimpunan Indonesia, scout movement, as well as PNI, confirmed that Soewardjo never sided with the Dutch.

Letter from Head of Air Security Office to Head of Air Security Inspection Department of Home Affairs about the Training in Monitoring and Handling of Air Assault in Balikpapan, 5 June 1940. (ANRI).

Special Achievement

After the war ended, Soewardjo tried to put his life back together. He briefly became an entrepreneur in Bandung and built connections with the blacksmiths in Ciwidey. Shortly after that, he returned to a world that was familiar to him: education. Soewardjo was known as one of the founders of Sekolah Luar Biasa (Special Needs School or SLB). To honor his contribution, in 1977, according to the family archive, he received an award as a pioneer for Special Needs Education Development from President Soeharto. 

Soewardjo's involvement in special needs education started in 1951 when he joined the association that managed Rumah Buta Bandung.

Efforts in improving the life of the blinds were pioneered by a Dutch ophthalmologist, dr. C.H.A Westhoff. In April 1901, Westhoff with some other colleagues established Vereeniging tot Verbetering van het lot der Blinden in Ned. Oost-Indie (Association for Improving the Life of the Blind in the Dutch East Indies). Through fundraising activities, the association opened Bandoengsche Blinden Institute (Bandung Institute for the Blind or Rumah Buta Bandung) in September 1901. The school, which now has become Sekolah Luar Biasa Negeri A (SLBN A) Bandung, was built to provide education and rehabilitation for the blind.

During the Japanese occupation, the association faced some adversities which only ended after the war, when they could finally be active again. Mentioned in Penjuluh Sosial published in 1969, in 1951 the association committee was chaired by A.J. Harmsen, while Soewardjo was noted as the member. The board of committee changed when some members quit or left Bandung, and Soewardjo moved up to the deputy chairman position.

As the committee, Soewardjo tried to grow the institute–which now is managed by the Social Departement. To Kedaulatan Rakjat on 4 July 1951, Soewardjo mentioned that Bandung Institute for the Blind was one of the biggest institutes for the blind in the world with higher education level in comparison with the other institutes for the blind in Asia.

Rumah Buta Bandung (Bandung Institute for Blinds) in the past. A place that was established by Soewardjo in his old age. (Collectie.wereldculturen.nl).

At that time, 501 adults and children were cared for under Bandung Institute for  the Blind. The adults, a small number of whom were Chinese and Dutch, were given education and lessons on handicraft, while the children were sent to lower school that used Indonesian as the medium of instruction. The school, Soewardjo said, had received status and acknowledgement from the Ministry of Education and Culture (PPK).

During the Dutch era, associations received a 10 percent subsidy from the government, but at that time, the subsidy was around 90 percent, while the rest of funds had to be obtained through their own endeavor or donation. Aside from that, every month they received a donation of Rp 20-25,000 from the Social Service which was used for internal needs, while the salary for the teachers and administrators was funded by the Ministry of PPK.

To meet the needs of teachers, the government established Sekolah Guru Pendidikan Luar Biasa (School for Special Needs Education Teacher or SGPLB). Because of his experience, Soewardjo worked as a government employee. Djawatan Pendidikan Umum, Dep. P. P. and K. Triwarsa, 15 March 1957-15 March 1960 (1960) mentioned that Soewardjo served as SGPLB Inspector at the Center for Teacher Education Affairs with a task to handle and oversee the teacher school to fulfill the needs of Special Needs Education Service. In the same book Soewardjo was also noted as the head of Usaha Pendidikan Luar Biasa (UPLB).

In 1961, Soewardjo was appointed by the Department of Education and Culture to change the education system in Indonesia, starting from changing Sekolah Rendah (SR). For that task, Kedaulatan Rakjat on 4 September 1961 wrote that Soewardjo toured many regions to collect material. His main objective was finding a way for children who had “intellectual disability" or whose parents were economically poor to still be able to get special education so they wouldn't be abandoned. For that, SR had to provide a special class named "public class" to teach skills such as animal husbandry, agriculture, fishing, and cottage industry. The teachers were not only tasked to give lessons, but also to give guidance about jobs.

The family archive also mentioned that Soewardjo was involved in the establishment of the Faculty of Psychology University of Indonesia in July 1960. Until his retirement in 1963, Soewardjo was known as a civil employee at the Department of Education and Culture.

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His Old Age

Soewardjo enjoyed his old age with his children and grandchildren in a house on Jalan Pangadegan South Jakarta. Sometimes he spared his time to meet his comrades.

During this period, Miranti had a close bond with her grandfather Soewardjo and witnessed his modesty. Once, she was asked to accompany him to visit the house of a friend, Mr Soenario Sastrowardoyo, where she listened to them having a nostalgia about their great times during the national movement era.

Archive that proves that Soewardjo was never a KNIL member. (Repro Dok Keluarga).

Miranti also remembered how sharp her grandfather was, especially when he was infuriated after reading Miranti's history textbook which he claimed didn't tell the truth according to what he witnessed and felt back then. At that time Miranti didn't fully understand why her grandfather was furious and Soewardjo himself couldn't find a way to explain how complicated Indonesian history was to his granddaughter.

One afternoon, Miranti was visited by her friend who was a TNI cadet. Seeing Miranti's friend, Soewardjo who was already at his old age and rarely talked, was suddenly delighted by saying "cadet" in a surprised tone. After Miranti's friend went home, Soewardjo kept asking about the cadet, as if he was reminiscing about his youth days.

In his old age, Soewardjo rarely spoke about his involvement in the national movement. However, based on the Decree of the Minister of Social Affairs No.5/VI/1987/PK, Soewardjo Tirtosoepono was acknowledged as the Pioneer of Indonesian Independence.

Near the end of his life, Soewardjo had to lose his wife, Markamah, who died on 30 June 1984. Eight years later, Soewardjo Tirtosoepono departed and was buried in the middle of the family grave on a peaceful hill in Majenang, Cilacap.*

Poppy and his daughter Miranti posing in front of their house in South Jakarta that is full of memories with the late Soewardjo. (Fernando Randy/Historia.ID).

Translation by:
Prihandini Anisa
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