AR. Baswedan: Engraver of History

 

AR. Baswedan: Engraver of History

A year older than Sjahrir, born in September 1908 while Sjahrir in early March 1909, but his name was not as popular as Sjahrir, at least outside of Surabaya until the end of the 1950s. He was also not included in the list of National Heroes, therefore he was not as bad as the fate of Tan Malaka and Alimin, two Independence Heroes whose names were hidden in the education of the history of independence for three decades .

ETHNIC

Let's say that all ancient kingdoms in Indonesia were pinned on a religion (such as the Buddhist Kingdom, Hindu Kingdom, or Islamic Kingdom) but in essence, in existence, the kingdom did not directly identify itself with a religion, although it is true that the history of Hindu-Buddhist religion can be examined closely. along with the emergence of kingdoms such as Kutai, Sriwijaya, Singosari, to Majapahit; Similarly, the history of the development of Islam is always followed by the presence of the kingdoms of Samudra Pasai, Demak, to Mataram and Tidore.

Departing from the relationship of these two interrelated things, Prof. Denys Lombard (1989) concludes that there are at least four major cultures that influence the archipelago: namely those originating from India, China, Arabia, and Europe.

There are at least two types of Arab society in Indonesia: born in Arabia ( ulaity ) and born in Indonesia ( muawwalad ), and if cut into social stratification, Arab society is composed of: Sayid (descendants of Prophet Muhammad SAW from Fatimah wife of Imam Ali), Qabili ( descendants of warlords), and Sheikh (descendants of scholars).

His name is Abdul Rahman (AR.), whose genealogy is based on his surname Baswedan and not a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, born in Indonesia, to be precise in Ampel Village, Surabaya. His grandfather was Umar bin Abu Bakar bin Mohammad bin Abdullah Baswedan, the first generation of Baswedans who set foot in Surabaya from Hadramaut as traders and around 1832 became leaders of the early Arab community there (GH. Von Faber: 1989).

Therefore, AR. Baswedan is a muawwalad and a category of Sheikh.

CARVING HISTORY

After the proclamation was proclaimed on August 17, 1945, the next obligation was to maintain independence. There can be no independence without recognition. Since the statement of support for Indonesia's independence was issued at the Arab League Conference in Egypt on November 18, 1946, demanding recognition of independence from Arab countries is something that must be fulfilled in order to maintain independence.

A delegation was sent, led by H. Agus Salim, and AR. Baswedan is included in it. His capacity as Deputy Minister of Information of Indonesia, was chosen because of the recommendation of Abdul Mun'im who was amazed by his diplomatic fluency in Arabic, in addition to Nasir Sutan Pamuntjak and HM. Rasjidi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Religion and a graduate of Al-Azhar. Armed with only a "Road Certificate", because Indonesia had not yet issued a passport, this delegation traveled to Egypt on April 10, 1947.

The first document recognizing Indonesia's sovereignty given by a foreign country was from Egypt, signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nokrashi Pasha. Getting this recognition was not easy, it was just as difficult to bring the manuscript into the hands of Soekarno who was in Yogyakarta, because the capital city of Indonesia moved there at that time.

Before meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs, this delegation needed to convince him first by lobbying all mass media in Cairo such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Ihram, and so on. The song Indonesia Raya was translated into Arabic and sung by all Indonesian students who were there. The Dutch Ambassador in Egypt had indeed persuaded Nokrashi Pasha to reject the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty, but the influence of this delegation in lobbying the mass media and Indonesian students in Egypt paid off; The Dutch Ambassador left Nokhrasi's room with a frown on his face, unable to convince him.

Acknowledgment signed. It was their turn to send it to Indonesia, while H. Agus Salim and other ministers continued their journey to Arab countries, demanding their promise of recognition. AR. Baswedan had to go home alone, save the manuscript until it reached Soekarno's hands.

" Baswedan, for me it is not important whether you arrive in the country or not, the important thing is that this manuscript must arrive in Indonesia safely," said H. Agus Salim's message to AR. Baswedan, he knows that the return journey is not an easy matter.

Baswedan guerrillas from Egypt to Bahrain, hiding through Karachi, Calcutta, Rangon, and all the way to Singapore. Arriving there, Indonesia was experiencing a critical fate, facing the Ultimatum Van Mook, the Governor General of the time. AR. Baswedan was detained for a month in Singapore with almost non-existent supplies, but it was not the right time to return to Indonesia, until he was finally assisted by two Singaporeans of Arab blood and AR. Baswedan bought a return ticket.

Concerns are still looming over AR. Baswedan arrived at Kemayoran Airport Immigration. Baswedan remembered H. Agus Salim's message: the most important thing was that the confession was safe, no matter what fate he received. He hid in his socks, in very tattered shoes, which when in Egypt the sandals had hindered his protocol in the presence of King Farouk.