S. K. Trimurti
Encyclopedia
Soerastri Karma Trimurti (May 11, 1912 – May 20, 2008), who was known as S. K. Trimuti, was an Indonesia
n journalist
and teacher
, who took part in the Indonesian independence movement against colonial rule
by the Netherlands
. She later served as Indonesia's first labor minister from 1947 until 1948 under Indonesian Prime Minister Amir Sjarifuddin
.
, Central Java
, which was then part of the Dutch East Indies
. She was the wife of Sayuti Melik
, the typist of the Indonesian Declaration of Independence
, which was proclaimed by Sukarno
on August 17, 1945.
Trimurti began her career as an elementary school
teacher
after leaving Tweede Indlandsche School. She taught in elementary schools in Bandung
, Surakarta
and Banyumas
during the 1930s. However, she was arrested by Dutch authorities in 1936 for distributing anti-colonial leaflets. Trimuti was imprisoned for nine months at the Bulu Prison in Semarang
.
Trimurti switched careers from teaching to journalism
following her release from prison. She soon became well known in journalistic and anti-colonial circles as a critical journalist. Trimurti often used different, shortened pseudonym
s of her real name, such as Trimurti or Karma, in her writings to avoid being arrested again by Dutch colonial authorities. During her reporting career, Trimurti worked for a number of Indonesian newspapers including Pesat, Genderang, Bedung and Pikiran Rakyat
.
. She served in that capacity from 1947 until 1948. She was on the Executive of the Labour Party of Indonesia
, and led its women's wing Working Women's Front
.
She co-founded the Gerwis, an Indonesian women's organization, in 1950, which was later renamed as Gerwani
. She left the organization in 1965. Trimurti returned to college
when she was 41 years old. She studied economics
at the University of Indonesia
. She declined an appointment to become Indonesia's Social Affairs Minister in 1959 in order to complete her degree.
Trimurti was a member and signer of Petition 50
in 1980, which protested Suharto's use of Pancasila against his political opponents. The signers of Petition 50 included prominent Indonesian independence supporters as well as government and military officials
, such as Trimurti and the former Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin
.
Trimurti spent much of the rest of her life at her rented residence in Bekasi
, West Java
.
Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Jakarta, Indonesia. She had been in failing health and confined to her bedroom for the prior year. She had been hospitalized for the previous two weeks for treatment. According to her son, Heru Baskoro, Trimurti had died of a broken vein. She had also been suffering from a low hemoglobin
level and high blood pressure.
A ceremony honoring Trimurti as a "heroine for Indonesia's independence" was held at the state palace in Central Jakarta
. She was buried at Kalibata Cemetery, which in Indonesia is known as a "hero's cemetery," in Kalibata
, a subdistrict
in South Jakarta
.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, who took part in the Indonesian independence movement against colonial rule
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
by the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. She later served as Indonesia's first labor minister from 1947 until 1948 under Indonesian Prime Minister Amir Sjarifuddin
Amir Sjarifuddin
Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap, also spelled Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap was a socialist politician and one of the Indonesian Republic's first leaders, becoming Prime Minister during the country's National Revolution. A Christian convert from a Muslim Batak family, Amir was a major leader of the Left...
.
Personal life
S. K. Trimurti was born on May 11, 1912, in BoyolaliBoyolali
Boyolali is a regency in the eastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is Boyolali.-Geography:The capital also named as Boyolali and lies 27 km to the west from Solo....
, Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
, which was then part of the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. She was the wife of Sayuti Melik
Sayuti Melik
Sayuti Melik was the Indonesian typist of the original Indonesian Declaration of Independence, which was proclaimed by Sukarno on August 17, 1945. Melik was the husband of S. K. Trimurti, an Indonesian independence activist, workers' rights advocate and journalist.- References :...
, the typist of the Indonesian Declaration of Independence
Indonesian Declaration of Independence
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence was read at 10.00 a.m. on Friday, August 17, 1945. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed-resistance of the Indonesian National Revolution, fighting against the forces of the Netherlands until the latter officially acknowledged...
, which was proclaimed by Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
on August 17, 1945.
Indonesian Independence Movement
She became active in the Indonesian independence movement during the 1930s, officially joining the nationalist Partindo (Indonesian Party) in 1933, shortly after completing her schooling at Tweede Indlandsche School.Trimurti began her career as an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
after leaving Tweede Indlandsche School. She taught in elementary schools in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
, Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
and Banyumas
Banyumas
Banyumas or "Banjoemas" is a regency in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is Sumpiuh.The term Banyumasan is also used as an adjective referring to the culture, language and peoples of larger Banyumas area...
during the 1930s. However, she was arrested by Dutch authorities in 1936 for distributing anti-colonial leaflets. Trimuti was imprisoned for nine months at the Bulu Prison in Semarang
Semarang
- Economy :The western part of the city is home to many industrial parks and factories. The port of Semarang is located on the north coast and it is the main shipping port for the province of Central Java. Many small manufacturers are located in Semarang, producing goods such as textiles,...
.
Trimurti switched careers from teaching to journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
following her release from prison. She soon became well known in journalistic and anti-colonial circles as a critical journalist. Trimurti often used different, shortened pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s of her real name, such as Trimurti or Karma, in her writings to avoid being arrested again by Dutch colonial authorities. During her reporting career, Trimurti worked for a number of Indonesian newspapers including Pesat, Genderang, Bedung and Pikiran Rakyat
Pikiran Rakyat
Pikiran Rakyat is a daily newspaper published in Bandung, Indonesia. Its circulation covers West Java Province and Banten Province.-External links:* *...
.
Post-Independence
Trimurti, who was a known advocate for workers' rights, was appointed as Indonesia's first Minister of Labor under Prime Minister Amir SjarifuddinAmir Sjarifuddin
Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap, also spelled Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap was a socialist politician and one of the Indonesian Republic's first leaders, becoming Prime Minister during the country's National Revolution. A Christian convert from a Muslim Batak family, Amir was a major leader of the Left...
. She served in that capacity from 1947 until 1948. She was on the Executive of the Labour Party of Indonesia
Labour Party of Indonesia
-Indonesian Labour Front:The party was founded as a national trade union center, the Indonesian Labour Front , on September 15, 1945...
, and led its women's wing Working Women's Front
Working Women's Front
The Working Women's Front was a women's organization in Indonesia, founded in 1945. BBW emerged through the merger of various women's workers groups. S.K. Trimurti was the leader of BBW. BBW was linked to the Barisan Buruh Indonesia . When the Labour Party of Indonesia was founded, BBW became the...
.
She co-founded the Gerwis, an Indonesian women's organization, in 1950, which was later renamed as Gerwani
Gerwani
Gerwani was an organization of communist women active in Indonesia in the 1950s and 1960s...
. She left the organization in 1965. Trimurti returned to college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
when she was 41 years old. She studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Indonesia
University of Indonesia
The Universitas Indonesia, is a state, comprehensive world class university located in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. Universitas Indonesia is the oldest tertiary-level educational institution in Indonesia...
. She declined an appointment to become Indonesia's Social Affairs Minister in 1959 in order to complete her degree.
Trimurti was a member and signer of Petition 50
Petition of Fifty
The Petition of Fifty was a document protesting then President Suharto's use of state philosophy Pancasila against political opponents. Issued on 5 May 1980 as an "Expression of Concern", it was signed by fifty prominent Indonesians including former Army Chief of Staff Nasution, former Jakarta...
in 1980, which protested Suharto's use of Pancasila against his political opponents. The signers of Petition 50 included prominent Indonesian independence supporters as well as government and military officials
Military of Indonesia
The Indonesian National Armed Forces in 2009 comprises approximately 432,129 personnel including the Army , Navy including the Indonesian Marine Corps and the Air Force ....
, such as Trimurti and the former Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin
Ali Sadikin
Ali Sadikin was an Indonesian politician. He was often called Bang Ali. He served as the governor of Jakarta, the country's capital, from 1966 to 1977. Appointed by a weak Sukarno, he likely had the full approval of Suharto. A former marine, he saw the city as a battlefield...
.
Trimurti spent much of the rest of her life at her rented residence in Bekasi
Bekasi
Bekasi is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta in the Jabodetabek metropolitan region. To the south is Bogor Regency, east is Bekasi Regency....
, West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
.
Death
S. K. Trimurti died at 6:20 P.M. on May 20, 2008, at the age of 96, at the Gatot SoebrotoGatot Soebroto
Gatot Subroto was an Indonesian general who began his military career with the Royal Dutch East Indies Army and rose to be deputy Army chief-of-staff.-Early life:Gatot Subroto was born in Purwokerto, Central Java...
Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Jakarta, Indonesia. She had been in failing health and confined to her bedroom for the prior year. She had been hospitalized for the previous two weeks for treatment. According to her son, Heru Baskoro, Trimurti had died of a broken vein. She had also been suffering from a low hemoglobin
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates, with the exception of the fish family Channichthyidae, as well as the tissues of some invertebrates...
level and high blood pressure.
A ceremony honoring Trimurti as a "heroine for Indonesia's independence" was held at the state palace in Central Jakarta
Central Jakarta
Central Jakarta is one of the five cities which form Jakarta, Indonesia. It had 898,883 inhabitants at the 2010 Census.Central Jakarta is the smallest in area and population of the five cities of Jakarta. It is the administrative and political center of Jakarta and Indonesia...
. She was buried at Kalibata Cemetery, which in Indonesia is known as a "hero's cemetery," in Kalibata
Kalibata
Kalibata is a kelurahan , part of Pancoran which is itself a subdistrict of South Jakarta, Indonesia.-Cemetery:...
, a subdistrict
Subdistrict
Subdistrict is a low level administrative division of a country. In Thailand it may refer to the King Amphoe or to the Tambon. In England and Wales it was part of a Registration district....
in South Jakarta
South Jakarta
South Jakarta is a city within Jakarta Special District, Indonesia. It had a population of 2,057,080 at the 2010 Census, and is the third most populous among the five cities of Jakarta, after East Jakarta and West Jakarta...
.