TRAIL OF STRUGGLE

TRAIL OF STRUGGLE IN 'CITY OF SCHOLARS'

The spirit of the student troops or Tentara Republik Indonesia Pelajar (TRIP) during the war for independence, facing the first Dutch military aggression, becomes evident in the city of Malang, also nicknamed the 'City of Scholars'...

Traces of the struggle and perseverance of the TRIP fighters 63 years ago can be found at a number of monuments and of course at the Brawijaya Museum in Malang, East Java. Memories from the Dutch colonialism era, the Japanese occupation, and up to the first and second Dutch military aggression can be seen in all corners of the city.



Trail of Struggle - In City of Scholars, Malang with a dark side war memory 63 years ago



ALUN ALUN BUNDER
At the heart of Malang city is a monument that now often serves as a destination to unwind. Many young people and parents with their children mingle here, a simply beautiful spot with flower gardens and lotus ponds. The evening nuances with beautiful lights often make it a place for photos for travelers to the city. Located at Jalan Tugu, the Square is known as Alun Alun Bunder (Bunder means 'rounded' in Javanese). The Tugu monument was unveiled in 1946, but the Dutch feared it would build up spirits against them so on December 23, 1948 this monument was destroyed. The town hall in front of the monument was also bombed to ruins. The monument park was the former Governor General of Dutch East Indies, Jan Pieter Zoen Coen's garden. In 1950, the monument was rebuilt and inaugurated on May 20, 1953 by the first President, Soekarno. «»






BRAWIJAYA MUSEUM
Upon the initiative of Brigadier General (Ret.) Soerachman Pengdam VIII/BRW, the museum was founded in 1952 with the historical setting of the Civil Security Troops (Tentara Keamanan Rakyat or TKR) struggle alongside the people of East Java in facing Dutch Military Aggressions I and II, and was officiated by Colonel Ret. Dr. Soewondo on May 4, 1968, covering an area of 6,825 square meters divided into two main areas of exhibition space and offices. The entrance fee is only Rp. 2,500, which goes to the maintenance of the national historical relics. Some collections that can be found at the Brawijaya Museum include as follows:

In the front yard of the museum are displayed battle tanks that were used during the battle of November 10, 1945 in Surabaya. Then there are the Air Attack counterforce weapons confiscated by the Civil Security Body (Badan Keamanan Rakyat or BKR) of Japan in September 1945.

There is also a 3.7-inch Australian-made Vickers Armstrong cannon from the December 10, 1945 incident, when the TKR with other fighters entered and attacked the Dutch stronghold position at the coastal post of Betering Village in the Gresik Regency; a fierce battle that lasted nearly six hours. The TKR captured this cannon from the Dutch army then moved it toward Lamongan. Along the way a battle resulted in the death of a TKR soldier named Corporal Buang, and the cannon was then called "Si Buang" in his honor.

Also in evidence is a Netherlands' AMP-TRACK battle tank used in the struggle of the fighters in the battle on TRIP Salak Street (now called 'Jalan Pahlawan TRIP'). 63 years ago on July 31, 1947, a battle between the TRIP army and the Dutch that was considerably unbalanced in terms of arsenal. The Netherlands used warplanes, tanks and sophisticated armory. Meanwhile, TRIP fighters only used improvised weapons. In the end the TRIP heroes saw defeat, especially in such an unbalanced situation; the Netherlands with their AMP-TRACK tank ran over the TRIP troops to their death. These remnants of the tanks are stored neatly at the Museum of Brawijaya and still can be seen today as a silent witness of the malice of the Netherlands Dutch Military Aggression I.

The museum is divided into five sites, the exhibition layout being:

1. The Brawijaya Museum front yard is named "Agne Yastra Loca", which means 'the park firearms revolution'. The front yard is an open exhibition space that showcases historical items such as heavy weapons and armored vehicles that have historical value.

2. The lobby space. In this room there are three collections that can be viewed by the visitors, among them:
- Brawijaya troops assignment reliefs
- Majapahit Kingdom power reliefs
- Symbols of unity / Kodam throughout Indonesia.

3. Room 1. Collections contained in this room start from the years 1945-1949. In this room the visitor is shown historic objects, the likes of De Soto cars that were used by Colonel Soengkono as official vehicles during his service as Commander of the Brawijaya Division (Division I East Java) from 1948 to 1950. There are also relics of Panglima Soedirman, like the couch or resting place that he frequently used, and including his often-used plates and cups. Also featured throughout are photographs of the former commanders of East Java, firearms, etc. And the most interesting part of this room is the presence of the tables and chairs that were used by Bung Karno, Bung Hatta, and Col. Soengkono in conducting negotiations with the Dutch and referred to as the 'roundtable talks.'

4. Room 2. Collections contained in this room date from 1950 to the present. In this room there are historic objects such as computers used at the time, etc. See a large IBM computer from the time of World War II, among others. Photographs tell of the special operations carried out within to quell various uprisings and rebellions in Indonesia, and there are also photographs of the old city of Malang.

5. The Central Compound. In this open space, visitors are shown two pieces of historical objects which have their own story to tell; "The Wagon of Death" and the "Boat Sigigir".

45 STRUGGLE MONUMENT
Located in front of the Kota Baru station in Malang, this monument is a sculpture made up of cement stones in the form of 19 small statues and one giant statue. The small sculptures depict the struggle of the Indonesian people against the occupation. The reliefs on the surroundings describe the struggle during the War of Independence from 1945 until 1949 in Malang. And at the edge of the monument there are 8 fences symbolizing Javanese culture. And in front of the monument is the image of the text of the Proklamasi or Indonesia's Declaration of Independence. The monument is 10.40 meters; the foundation is 6.90 meters by 3.50 meters, and with a height of two meters. The 45 Struggle Monument was unveiled on May 20, 1975. The monument was created as a reminder of the history of the Indonesian people's struggle in 1945. This monument is also to foster the spirit of patriotism among the youth in Malang and recollecting upon the heroes who had given their life to defend their nation's independence. The reliefs around the statue describe the struggle of the heroes. There is a giant statue, referred to as 'Buto Ijo' lying in the middle of the monument that depicts the Dutch colonialists who had oppressed the Indonesian nation for hundreds of years.




Erik says : "Independence of a country is not more important than human freedom from guilt and fear"