S. K. Trimurti

Soerastri Karma Trimurti (May 11, 1912 - May 20, 2008), who was known as S. K. Trimuti, was an Indonesian journalist and teacher, who took part in the Indonesian independence movement against colonial rule by the Netherlands. cite news |first=|last=|title=Former governor Ali Sadikin, freedom fighter SK Trimurti die |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/05/21/former-governor-ali-sadikin-freedom-fighter-sk-trimurti-die.html |work= Jakarta Post |publisher= |date=2008-05-21 |accessdate=2008-06-07] She later served as Indonesia's first labor minister from 1947 until 1948 under Indonesian Prime Minister Amir Sjarifuddin.

Personal life

S. K. Trimurti was born on May 11, 1912, in Boyolali, Central Java, which was then part of the Dutch East Indies. cite news |first=Dian|last=Yuliastuti|title=Freedom Fighter SK Trimurti Dies
url=http://www.tempointeraktif.com/hg/nasional/2008/05/21/brk,20080521-123376,uk.html |work= Tempo Interactive |publisher= |date=2008-05-21 |accessdate=2008-06-07] She was the wife of Sayuti Melik, the typist of the Indonesian Declaration of Independence, which was proclaimed by Sukarno on August 17, 1945.

Indonesian Independence Movement

She became active in the Indonesian independence movement during the 1930s, officially joining the nationalist Partindo (Indonesian Party) in 1933, shortly after completing her schooling at Tweede Indlandsche School.

Trimurti began her career as an elementary school teacher after leaving Tweede Indlandsche School. She taught in elementary schools in Bandung, Surakarta and Banyumas during the 1930s. However, she was arrested by Dutch authorities in 1936 for distributing anti-colonial leaflets. Trimuti was imprisoned for nine months at the Bulu Prison in Semarang.

Trimurti switched careers from teaching to journalism following her release from prison. She soon became well known in journalistic and anti-colonial circles as a critical journalist. Trimurti often used different, shortened pseudonyms of her real name, such as Trimurti or Karma, in her writings to avoid being arrested again by Dutch colonial authorities. During her reporting career, Trimurti worked for a number of Indonesian newspapers including Pesat, Genderang, Bedung and Pikiran Rakyat.

Post-Independence

Trimurti, who was a known advocate for workers' rights, was appointed as Indonesia's first Minister of Labor under Prime Minister Amir Sjarifuddin. She served in that capacity from 1947 until 1948.

She co-founded the Gerwis, an Indonesian women's organization, in 1950, which was later renamed as Gerwani. She left the organization in 1965. Trimurti returned to college when she was 41 years old. She studied economics at the University of Indonesia. She declined an appointment to become Indonesia's Social Affairs Minister in 1959 in order to complete her degree.

Trimurti was a member and signer of Petition 50 in 1980, which protested Suharto's use of Pancasila against his political opponents. The signers of Petition 50 included prominent Indonesian independence supporters as well as government and military officials, such as Trimurti and the former Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin.

Trimurti spent much of the rest of her life at her rented residence in Bekasi, West Java.

Death

S. K. Trimurti died at 6:20 P.M. on May 20, 2008, at the age of 96, at the Gatot Subroto (RSPAD), an Indonesian army hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. She had been in failing health and confined to her bedroom for the prior year. She had been hospitalized for the previous two weeks for treatment. According to her son, Heru Baskoro, Trimurti had died of a broken vein. She had also been suffering from a low hemoglobin level and high blood pressure.

A ceremony honoring Trimurti as a "heroine for Indonesia's independence" was held at the state palace in Central Jakarta. She was buried at Kalibata Cemetery, which in Indonesia is known as a "hero's cemetery," in Kalibata, a subdistrict in South Jakarta.

References