National Hero Day: Depati Amir,Symbol of Resistance against Dutch
8 November 2018 13:12 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Government plans to officially name several figures across Indonesia as national heroes in the wake of the National Hero Day set to be commemorated on November 10.
“The title of National Hero will be awarded to six Indonesians,” said Pepen Nazaruddin, Social Affairs Ministry’s Social Empowerment Directorate General on Wednesday, November 7.
One of the names making it into the list is Depati Amir, a known figure of struggle who, in the past, fought and drove out the Dutch from Bangka Island in the Bangka Belitung Province.
According to Historian Akhmad Elvian, Depati is an occupation granted to Amir from the Dutch government as an attempt to reduce his influence among the public.
“The Dutch were intimidated by Amir’s influence and tried to reduce it by granting him the Depati position,” said Akhmad in his book entitled 'Riwayat Hidup dan Perjuangan Depati Amir', or ‘The Biography and Struggle of Depati Amir’.
Amir was also known in Bangka as a figure of resistance against the Dutch by fighting against the monopolized trade of lead that caused suffering among the people of Bangka. He started to rebel against the Dutch in 1830 where a full-blown war broke.
Amir and his sibling Hamzah were exiled in 1851 to the Timor Island, where both continued their fight against the Dutch as advisors for the kings of Timor. Amir died on September 28, 1869 while Hamzah died on 12 Dhul-Hijjah 1320 Hijri. Both men were buried at the Batukadera Kampung Air Mata Muslim Cemetery in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.
SYAFIUL HADI