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Poet Chairil Anwar promoted to become national hero
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Indonesia's prominent man of letters and founder of Tempo, Goenawan Mohamad, gives a speech. (-/Donny Fernando)
W
riters from West Sumatra have proposed renowned poet Chairil Anwar to be awarded a national hero title for his contributions to Indonesian literature.
The head of the forum of Chairil Anwar's national hero nomination, Gus TF Sakai, said Sunday that Chairil deserved to be acknowledged as a national hero not only because of his work but also his close relationship with several national figures, such as Sutan Syahrir, Sukarni and Khairul Saleh.
Yulfian Afrizal, a member of the forum, said that if WR Supratman, the composer of the national anthem Indonesia Raya, could be recognized as a hero, Chairil's works then should earn him the status.
"Chairil's poems are monumental," Yulfian added, as quoted by antaranews.com.
Iyut Fitra, the deputy head of the forum said that the forum would conduct several activities related to the nomination of Chairil Anwar.
Iyut added that the forum had also received support from Limapuluh Kota regency administration in which the recommendation would be delivered to the West Sumatra governor before it would be conveyed to the Social Affairs Ministry.
Born in Medan in 1922, Chairil was known for his work that often explored death, existentialism and also individualism, concepts that critics called results of Western influence, but had become inspiration for the country's revolution. (rdi/wit)
