Museum launched to nurture patriotism

Nurni Sulaiman ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Balikpapan   |  Tue, 10/07/2008 10:03 AM  |  The Archipelago

In an effort to maintain the spirit of struggle for the country's independence, the Kalimantan region Tanjungpura Military Command recently launched a military museum in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, called Museum Tanjungpura.

The museum is the first of its kind in Kalimantan representing the history of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) freedom struggle before independence and rebellion purges after independence.

"We established Museum Mulawarman to commemorate the services of our heroes fallen at battle, to revive the spirit of struggle for independence and to raise the younger generation's devotion to the motherland, especially among students," Maj. Gen. Tono Suratman, commander of the Tanjungpura Military Command, said after officiating the opening ceremony of the museum on Sept. 15.

The main hall contains the names of people killed in action and photos of the development of the military command in Kalimantan since 1958 and the establishment of the Tanjungpura Military Command in 1985.

In 1958 before the establishment of the Tanjungpura Military Command, military commands in Kalimantan were divided into four zones -- Mulawarman in Balikpapan handling East Kalimantan, Lambung Mangkurat in Banjarmasin overseeing South Kalimantan, Tambun Bungai in Palangkaraya in charge of Central Kalimantan and Tanjungpura in Pontianak overseeing West Kalimantan.

The museum also houses weapons, such as the Browning M1917AI, made in the United States in 1953 and the SSIVI caliber 5.56 rifle used by First Private Abdul Gani from Infantry Battalion 600/R during a firefight with Aceh Freedom Movement rebels in Aceh in 2003.

The exhibited rifle is badly damaged, but its owner Abdul Gani is reported safe and alive. The museum also displays medical equipment, such as a traditional scale used to measure the dosage of patients' medicine at the military hospital in 1946, an anesthetic device used in 1960 and a number of hypodermic syringes.

Also among its collection is a Type P-401 radio transmitter made in the Soviet Union in 1959.

"This device was used as an operation communications system to support telecommunications in the purge of the Paroko revolt in West Kalimantan in 1962. Each of the collections displayed in the museum were obtained from related corps, such as the transmitter from the communications corps, syringes from the medical corps and weapons from the infantry corps," Museum Tanjungpura curator Capt. Sartono said.

The museum, comprising of eight exhibition halls, is equipped with a film screening room and a shooting range for visitors wishing to try their hand at sharp shooting.

Visitors are greeted by a tank as they enter the museum compound.

The walls of the museum are bedecked with corps emblems and photos of military commanders from 1958 until the present.

"This is our way of maintaining the spirit of respect for the nation among the younger generation. If we think of the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters, the presence of the museum is worthy. We wish to urge parents to support their children's wishes to become TNI members, such as members of the women's corps," Sartono said.

"We hope the younger generation will not only think of money in the future, but also think of national resilience and sovereignty, so the struggle made by our predecessors will not be in vain."

The museum, run by the Tanjungpura Military Command, is under the operations of its Mental Enhancement Corps. It is located on Jl. Letjend Soeprapto, Kebun Sayur, Balikpapan, and is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.

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