Last updated on March 31, 2022
The Indonesia national anthem is “Indonesia Raya,” which means Great Indonesia. The song was composed in 1928.
The colonial policy of the day was “divide and rule.” It was a policy that deliberately aggravated language, ethnic, cultural and religious differences amongst the people.
The birth of Indonesia Raya marked the beginning of Indonesian nationalist movements. The song was first introduced by its composer. Wage Rudolf Supratman, at the second All Indonesian Youth Congress on October 28, 1928 in Batavia, now Jakarta. It was. the moment when Indonesian youth of different ethnic, language, religious and cultural backgrounds resolutely pledged allegiance to:
1. One native land, Indonesia;
2. One nation, the Indonesian nation;
3. One unifying language, the Indonesian language.
The song first appeared as a Nationalist Party song (the party working for independence of Indonesia from the Netherlands) in 1928 and was published in a Chinese Indonesian newspaper “Sin Po” under the title “Indonesia” that same year. The colonial Dutch authorities tolerated the use of the anthem, provided the chorus had the line “Mulia, Mulia” (Hourable, honourable) instead of “Merdeka, Merdeka!” (Independent and free!). During the Japanese occupation in WWII, the anthem was only permitted during the final few months and, after the Japanese occupation ended upon its surrender at the end of the war, it became the national anthem. In 1944, the words were slightly revised (including the restoration of the “Merdeka, Merdeka!” line), and in 1958 it was declared that only the first verse would be official.
Soon the national song, which called for the unity of Indonesia, became popular. It was echoed at Indonesian political rallies, where people stood in solemn observance. The song seriously aroused national consciousness among the people throughout the archipelago.
Source: http://www.wirantaprawira.de; http://www.nationalanthems.info/id.htm