M. Jusuf Ronodipuro 1919-2008
Historic Indonesian Broadcaster, Diplomat and Public Servant Dead at 88.
Bali News: M. Jusuf Ronodipuro 1919-2008
(2/3/2008) The death of Indonesia's former President Soeharto on Sunday,
January 27, 2008, so dominated Indonesia's media that the passing of one of
Indonesia's finest Sons on that same date received less than its due share
of news coverage. In a digression from Balidiscovery.com's standard fare of
Bali news, we take this opportunity to remember a wonderful personal friend
and true Indonesian patriot.
Mohammad Jusuf Ronodipuro was born in Salatiga, Central Java on September
30, 1919, and first came to notoriety while working as a young broadcaster
at Hoso Kyuko Jakarta - the broadcasting service operated by the Japanese
occupying forces during WWII.
Once on the Air, Always on the Air
In a story often shared with admiring listeners, "Pak" Jusuf could spin a
compelling telling of the exciting events in one corner of the Capital on
the day Indonesia declared itself a sovereign state. On August 17, 1945, at
approximately 5:30 p.m., Ronodipuro was working at Jakarta's main radio
studio when a friend, Syahruddin of the Domei Press Office, jumped the back
fence at the tightly guarded radio station to evade the Japanese guards.
Once inside the facility, he handed Ronodipuro a written instruction from
fellow journalist and future Vice President Adam Malik that said: "Please
broadcast the attached." The attachment was the text of Indonesia's
declaration of independence read by Soekarno in the inner city suburb of
Menteng earlier in the day at 10:00 a.m..
After a brief and urgent conference with several journalists, Ronodipuro
took the exceptionally bold step of broadcasting the proclamation to all
parts of Indonesia and the outside world at 7:00 p.m.
The plan was not without difficulties. Following the surrender of the
Imperial forces of Japan the overseas broadcast studio had been closed and
left unguarded by the Japanese soldiers starting from August 15th.
Pretending to use the idle studio for a domestic news broadcast, Ronodipuro
and his colleague Bachtiar Lubis (brother to the famous Indonesian author
Mochtar Lubis) managed to share the news of Indonesia's independence.
Meanwhile, in another studio, an announcer collaborating in the scheme
distracted his Japanese supervisors by pretending to deliver a domestic news
broadcast.
For 15 historic and tension-filled minutes Ronodipuro repeatedly broadcast
Soekarno's succinct proclamation, both in Indonesian and English, to the
world and rest of the Indonesian archipelago.
At the end of the broadcast a very angry Captain of the Japanese Kempetai
burst into the studio and delivered a brutal beating to Jusuf and Bachtiar.
The manically angry Japanese Army Captain had already unsheathed his samurai
sword in presumed preparation to dispatch the two young men when a Japanese
Colonel arrived on the scene and managed to calm the homicidal soldier.
The Colonel, who knew Ronodipuro from frequent past discussions of classical
music and a shared love for the music of Puccini, intervened to prevent the
men's summary beheading. In retelling the tale, "Pak" Jusuf would still
credit Giacomo Puccini for saving his life on that fateful day.
Still smarting at the impunity of the young Indonesian broadcasters, the
Japanese took the precautionary step of closing the studio only to see the
men establish new studios for the "Voice of Indonesia" at a local university
which, in its earliest days, broadcast for only two hours each day: one hour
in English and one hour in Indonesian.
Because of these early, pioneering broadcasts Ronodipuro is credited as
being a founder of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) and generally acknowledged
as the originator of the well-known slogan "Sekali di Udara, Tetap di Udara"
("Once on the Air, Always on the Air").
A dedicated believer in the power of radio the poignant message of hope born
with the new Indonesian Republic, Ronodipuro was fundamental in arranging
the speeches broadcast by Indonesia's first President, Soekarno, on August
25th and an address by Vice-President M. Hatta on August 29, 1945.
The National Anthem
Five years after Indonesia's independence and now serving as the Station
Chief of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) in 1950, Ronodipuro persuaded
Soekarno to record for posterity his reading of the proclamation of
independence - a recording which remains the only remaining historic record
of Indonesia s Founding Father's spoken rendition of the founding text.
Later, Ronodipuro also played a central role in the selection of Indonesia
Raya as the Country's national anthem. Reliable press reports suggest that
Ronodipuro persuaded a Dutch composer, Jos Cleber, to score and record the
song for performance by an orchestra.
When Ronodipuro brought Cleber to the National Palace to play a recording of
Indonesia Raya for President Soekarno, a creative collaboration ensued
between Cleber and Soekarno that involved three separate re-writes of the
song before yielding the approved orchestral version of the song still
played today.
A Career Diplomat
Jusuf Ronodipuro, who retired as a Civil Servant in 1976, filled a variety
of diplomatic posts in service to the young Republic serving in London, New
York (UN) and as Ambassador to Argentina.
Such was his love for RRI, that the "man who first read the independence
proclamation" on radio always made it a point of attending the annual
celbration of RRI's founding.
Suffering from ill health and series of strokes, M. Jusuf Ronodipuro died at
the Indonesian Army Hospital on Sunday, January 27th at 11:30 p.m.. He was
buried with full national honors at the Kalibata Hero's Cemetery the
following day.
Ronodipuro is survived by his wife Siti Fatma Rassat, daughter Fatmi, two
sons - Irawan and Darmawan, and 7 grandchildren.
C Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed
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