End of the Road (Umi Sardjono)

Retno Sulistyowati End of the Road Monday, October 4, 2021 Long before she led Gerwani, Uma Sardjono studied different ideologies from political courses. She was known as a feminist who was loyal to her party. arsip tempo: 179233733084.7978828 A SMALL wooden plank was attached to the front wall of the Dutch-colonial style house. “YOUNG PATHOOK ‘43 GENERATION,” the text said. The next sentence was illegible as the paints had already faded. The large house in Pathuk village, Ngampilan, Yogyakarta—around 1.3 kilometers west of Malioboro—did seem neglected. The paints on its walls and window frames had almost entirely peeled off. Weeds grew wild in the yard. Eight decades ago, at around 1946, the house was a place where scholars gathered. These young people were known as Pathuk Youth. The underground socialist movement discussed a variety of topics, such as independence, nationalism, internationalism, and Marxisme. At the time, their enemy was Japanese fascism. Before she became general chair of the Indonesian Women’s Movement (Gerwani), Umi Sardjono was among the left-leaning activists who frequented the house. “Umi Sardjono joined discussions on Marxism here,” said Ita Fatia Nadia, chairperson of the Women’s Archives and History Room, on Thursday, September 30. Pathuk Group House in Yogyakarta, September 30. Tempo/Shinta Maharani Pathuk’s leaders included Sunjoyo, KRT Yosodiningrat, Umar Joy, Dayino, Muhammad Tohib, and Sjam Kamaruzaman, who would one day become a key figure of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Ita is the daughter of Dayino, one of Pathuk Youth’s founders. One day, in 1995, she had the opportunity to meet Umi Sardjono. Umi told Ita about her experience studying different ideologies from one political course to another, including through Pathuk Youth’s ‘Marx House’. “I joined the courses at Marx House at your father’s place,” said Ita, quoting Umi. Umi also joined Sukarno’s political course, which was held in the south wing of the Agung Building, Yogyakarta. At the time, the Indonesia Republic’s capital city had been moved to Yogyakarta. Before going to Yogyakarta, Umi had gone to Madiun, East Java, to join the Madiun Marx House political course held by the Indonesian Socialist Youth (Pesindo). AT first, Umi Sardjono looked to Surastri Karma Trimurti as a role model in the fight for women’s rights. S.K. Trimurti was a journalist who was active in the Indonesian People’s Movement (Gerindo) led by Amir Sjarifuddin, an organization that Umi also joined. Trimurti’s writings for the magazine she founded, Pesat, impressed Umi. They finally met while being detained by Japanese soldiers. Umi and Trimurti became best friends. Umi referred to her by “Yu Tri.” Umi and S.K. Trimurti then founded the Women’s Labor Front (BBW) to synchronize the fight of the women labor group with the socialist movement. In 1945, in Kediri, East Java, a congress was held to form the BBW. The organizer was Setiati Surastro, who would one day also found the All Indonesia Labor Organization Center (SOBSI). The Kediri congress agreed to name S.K. Trimurti as chairperson, Umi Sardjono as deputy chairperson, and Siti Asiah Satyagraha from the Suluh Indonesia newspaper as a secretary-general. The BBW is part of the Indonesian Labor Front (BBI), an organization founded on September 15, 1945, to facilitate the mobilization of labor unions. During their congress, the idea to create a labor party emerged. Author of the book Suara Perempuan Korban Tragedi ‘65, Ita Fatia Nadia at her home in Ngadiwinatan village, Yogyakarta, September 30. Tempo/Shinta Maharani In 1946, the BBI merged with the Indonesian Labor Movement Association (GBSI). Those who disagreed with the merge then formed the Vertical Labor Union Association. But, at the end of 1946, both organizations were merged into SOBSI. The BBW was part of the merge. S.K. Trimurti joined the Indonesian Labor Party. She was then appointed labor minister by Amir Sjarifuddin, in his 1947 cabinet. One year later, Amir Sjarifuddin’s cabinet was succeeded by the Hatta Cabinet (1948-1948). And the Madiun Incident happened. A number of PKI members, Amir included, was apprehended in Solo, Central Java. Umi, who was under Pesindo’s coordination in Madiun, was also arrested and detained by Indonesian soldiers for three months. After this incident, Pesindo laid low. Umi continued her fight through women’s organizations. AROUND the time of the Round Table Conference in 1950, women’s movement was at a crossroad: they could either support the political interests of women bourgeoisie or to support anti-imperialist politics. The Indonesian Women’s Congress had trouble when placing its members in the anti-imperialist Women’s International Democratic Federation. Umi Sardjono—who was disappointed because she felt that women were not included in the Indonesian revolution, and did not take on leadership roles in the fight against imperialism—then asked Tris Metty from the women’s organization, Rukun Putri Indonesia, as well as S.K. Trimurti to establish a mass organization for women. The Movement of Conscious Indonesian Women (Gerwis) was established in a congress in Semarang, Central Java, June 3-6, 1950. Gerwis is merger of six women’s organizations, namely, Rukun Putri Indonesia from Semarang, Persatuan Wanita Sedar (Surabaya, East Java), Istri Sedar (Bandung, West Java), Gerakan Wanita Indonesia (Kediri), Wanita Murba Madura (East Java), and Perjuangan Putri Republik Indonesia (Pasuruan, East Java). Tris Metty was elected general chairperson, while Umi Sardjono and S.K. Trimurti were elected deputy chairperson I and II. During the second congress in 1954, Umi was elected Gerwis general chair. And the name Gerwis was changed to Gerwani. At that time, S.K. Trimurti resigned. According to Umi, as told by Ruth Indiah Rahayu in Umi Sardjono: Feminis Marxis yang Menakhodai Gerwani (Umi Sardjono: a Marxist Feminist Who Led Gerwani), Trimurti stepped down due to past problems with the PKI. In an interview published in Api Kartini in June 1960, Umi stressed that Gerwani was not founded as a complementary organization, but to answer the needs of women. The organization was established for women who fought against Dutch colonialism and feudalism, and no longer wished to “submit to all of the colonialists’ savagery.” “This is why Gerwani was founded,” said Umi. Under Umi’s leadership, Gerwani grew fast as an organization. In the welcome address delivered by the Gerwani Central Board during the third congress in Solo, December 22-27, 1957, it was said that Gerwani’s membership had reached 650,000, or an increase of 800 percent from its membership of 80,000 during the second congress. President Sukarno at the inauguration of Gerwani in 1954. wikimedia.org But Gerwani’s rapid development was not without its challenges. In Gerwani’s third plenary session report, Umi said her organization was frequently intimidated and slandered. “For example, that Gerwani is infidel, and in several regions there are threats, if (women) enter Gerwani, their homes will be burned, they will be kidnapped and murdered,” said Umi in her report. She asked Gerwani cadres to dispel these accusations by working more diligently, persevering, and staying on the alert. The third congress stressed the organization’s position in defending the rights of women and children. Gerwani recorded that numerous women had become victims of one-sided divorce, forced marriage, and other types of violence. In the third quarter of 1956, for example, out of 297,724 marriages, divorce cases reached 136,242 or over 45 percent. Gerwani also focused on children’s health and education. The philosophy that Umi offered to Gerwani members was a balance between duties to the movement and household responsibilities. “The organization’s work is indeed heavy and demands much sacrifice because the work is to defend women’s interests,” said Umi in her report during the Gerwani plenary session, June 16-18, 1956. According to Ita Fatia Nadia, there were a number of women thinkers behind Umi’s success in leading Gerwani. She mentioned several women who were officials in the Gerwani’s Central Board, such as Francisca Casparina Fanggidae, Kartinah Kurdi, Sulami Djojoprawiro, Setiati Surasto, and Salawati Daud. Toward the end of 1965, said Ita, a major friction erupted. Umi wanted Gerwani to become an organization under PKI. But Sulami, Kartinah, and others refused. At the time, Ita added, the PKI was planning to establish Communist Women, whose leadership would be given to Umi. Other leaders were disapproved because they believed the organization would be at odds with Gerwani. Gerwani’s orientation, whether it would merge with the PKI or not, was to be planned in the next congress in December 1965. But the organization’s fate was transformed drastically after the September 30 Movement. The PKI, which was founded in May 1914, was finally banned and disbanded in 1966. Retno Sulistyowati [end of article; site navigation trimmed]