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Hasan di Tiro and the price of freedom for Aceh
Hasan di Tiro was still in the intensive care unit at Zainoel Abidin Hospital in Banda Aceh when the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto, officially presented the certificate of di Tiro’s Indonesian citizenship
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H
asan di Tiro was still in the intensive care unit at Zainoel Abidin Hospital in Banda Aceh when the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto, officially presented the certificate of di Tiro’s Indonesian citizenship.
Witnessed by the Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf, the certificate was received by Fauzi Zainal Abidin, di Tiro’s nephew.
Tiro had been waiting for this citizenship for more than a year after his first visit to Indonesia in October 2008.
It was stated on the Helsinki MoU that the Indonesian government would restore the citizenship of all the GAM members.
By his luck, Tiro regained his Indonesian citizenship on this June 2nd, just a day before he passed away in hospital.
It was as if to welcome him back into his own country in a peaceful way; so that he could be buried with his ancestor in Meureu, Aceh, right near the grave of his famous grandfather, the Indonesian national hero, Tgk. Cik di Tiro.
Tiro left his wife Dora and their only son, Karim di Tiro in the US in 1976 when he was 46.
Karim was only six years old when his father, with whom Karim spent a lot of good times with, decided to lead the independence movement in Aceh.
Ever since, Karim has been living with his mother. He studied history and now teaches at Xavier University.
In The Price of Freedom, the Unfinished Diary of Tengku Hasan di Tiro (published in 1984 by the National Liberation Front of Aceh Sumatra or commonly known as the Free Aceh Movement or GAM), Tiro wrote: “I must return to Aceh to do my duty not later than today! Sept. 4, 1976, my birthday: The 46th.”
In the introduction of his diary, Tiro wrote: “He who wants to be free must always be ever ready to go to war and to die for his freedom. The free man is a warrior.”
In The Price of Freedom, Tiro expressed his feeling about having to leave his family: “But the most difficult of all and the most heartbreaking and inhuman was the fact that to do my patriotic duty I had to disrupt my happy family life: I had to leave my wife and young son in the US. My wife had agreed to me going because she realized how strongly I felt about it. Little did she realize how painful it would be. My wife is the one who suffered the most. I sacrificed her too.”
He wrote in his diary how proud he and his wife were of their only son Karim, a good-looking son admired by people and who had such a great capability to respect and help others even when he was just a little boy.
For the last century, there have been only two popular leaders in Aceh: Hasan di Tiro and Tgk. Muhammad Daud Beureuh.
The latter proclaimed the Indonesian Islamic State on Sept. 21, 1953. Hasan di Tiro then served as a diplomat for an international campaign under this new state.
Tiro was 24 years old in 1954 when he sent a letter to the prime minister Ali Sastroamidjojo, who was the former military governor for Aceh, Langkat and Karo Land regions.
In his letter on March 1, 1954, he wrote: “It has been a year since you are in power to lead our nation, Sir. Why then do you not use the power in your hands to bring our nation to prosperity, peace, justice and unity but instead, sadly, you have been dragging us through economic and political turmoil, poverty, disunity and civil-war.”
On Dec. 4, 1976, during Soeharto’s regime, Hasan di Tiro declared war against the Indonesian government. In the 1970s, the regime found a huge gas field in Arun, North Aceh then exploited it heavily. (Hasan Saleh: 1992).
Wali Nanggroe (community leader) is a new concept in Aceh’s new governmental structure. This position is symbolic, similar to a mullah in Iran.
The function of wali is to mediate and unite if any conflict takes place in Aceh related to public concerns. This position was intentionally designed for Tiro.
As the founder of the GAM, it is clear that none of the potential successors of Tiro as Wali Nanggroe will have the same authority as Tiro himself.
However, let’s expect that there will be a suitable person to continue and encourage a peaceful life in Aceh!
By his luck, Tiro regained his Indonesian citizenship on this June 2nd, just a day before he passed away in hospital.
The writer is the director of Komunitas Peradaban Aceh.
