Sayuti Melik, The Person Behind the Manuscript of the Proclamation
Source: historia.id
Background
When talking about Sayuti Melik, there must be a connection with the independence proclamation of Indonesia, right?. Mohamad Ibnu Sayuti, known as Sayuti Melik is the typist of the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia.
Sayuti Melik is the son of Abdul Muin alias Partoprawito and Sumilah. He was born in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 22nd, 1908. He is married to Soerastri Karma Trimurti, a women activist and journalist. Sayuti Melik’s nationalism came from her father’s upbringing, who at that time opposed the Dutch policy regarding tobacco cultivation in her rice fields. He also learned about nationalism while studying at the Teacher’s School in Solo. However, when he was continuing his education at the Teacher’s School in Solo, he was arrested by the Dutch on suspicion of being involved in political activities. He didn’t give up on the situation. Even after being arrested, he continued to study independently.
Before Independence Day
Source: ceknricek.com
Before Indonesia’s independence, Sayuti Melik and his wife were active through their various writings. They even went back and forth to prison when the Dutch were still colonizing Indonesia because of their writings in their own newspaper named Pesat. The Dutch were afraid that if their writings were read by the Indonesian people, it would trigger various resistances and rebellions.
Source: tirto.id
Sayuti Melik was a member of the Menteng 31 group, which kidnapped Soekarno and Hatta on August 16th, 1945. The purpose of this kidnapping was to prevent Soekarno and Hatta from been influenced by the Japanese. He and other youths who were members of the Menteng 31 group also urged Soekarno and Hatta to immediately proclaimed Indonesia’s independence. In the preparation of the text of the proclamation, Sayuti gave the idea that the text of the Proclamation should be signed only by Bung Karno and Bung Hatta, as they represent the Indonesian people. His proposal was accepted by Soekarno.
Source: id.wikipedia.org
The next day, Soekarno immediately ordered Sayuti to type the text of the proclamation of independence. He changed the sentence Wakil-wakil bangsa Indonesia to Atas nama bangsa Indonesia. Then, the text of the proclamation was declared by Soekarno on August 17th, 1945.
After Independence Day
Source: ceknricek.com
After independence day, he became a member of the Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat (KNIP). But, in 1946, on the orders of Mr. Amir Syarifudin (Minister of Defense at the time), Sayuti was arrested by the Indonesian government because he was considered to be involved in the “Peristiwa 3 Juli 1946”. After being examined, he wasn’t found guilty. After being released, he fought again when the Dutch wanted to return to power in Indonesia through Military Aggression. In 1948, Sayuti Melik was arrested by the Dutch and detained in Ambarawa, and released in 1950.
Actually, Sayuti was known as a supporter of Soekarno. However, when Soekarno was in charge, Sayuti was no longer “used” because he opposed Soekarno’s ideas about “Nasionalisme, Agama, dan Komunisme (Nasakom)”. Instead, he suggested that the idea be replaced with “Nasionalisme, Agama, dan Sosialisme (Nasasos)”. After the New Order, Sayuti’s name rose again in the political arena. He became a member of the DPR/MPR, representing Golkar as a result of the 1971 and 1977 elections.
On February 27, 1989, at the age of 80, Sayuti Melik passed away after a year of illness. He was buried at TMP Kalibata.
References:
https://ceknricek.com/a/menilik-jalan-hidup-sayuti-melik-sang-juru-ketik-naskah-proklamasi/12483
https://www.ruangguru.com/blog/sayuti-melik
Image Sources:
https://historia.id/politik/articles/sayuti-melik-merasa-bebas-di-dalam-penjara-vx2jn
https://ceknricek.com/a/menilik-jalan-hidup-sayuti-melik-sang-juru-ketik-naskah-proklamasi/12483
https://tirto.id/peristiwa-rengasdengklok-sejarah-latar-belakang-kronologi-f9kW
