Kemusuk

Kemusuk is a village in the Argo Mulya area in the Sedayu subdistrict, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The village, around 10 km to the west of Yogyakarta towards the town of Wates, is known as the birthplace of former president Suharto. Suharto was born to a 'poor but not unimportant farmer's family' in the village. His father, Kertosudiro, was a local irrigation official in charge of overseeing the allocation of water to different farmers in Kemusuk. His mother, Sukirah, was a village woman from a nearby hamlet.[1]

The Suharto family have returned to the village on various occasions in recent years. Suharto himself, accompanied by members of his family, made a trip to Kemusuk in 2002 to pay respects at his father's grave. At the time Suharto's younger step-brother, Notosuwito, had a house in the village near the graveyard in the Kepoh area.[2] More recently, in March 2013 several of Suharto's children and his half-brother Probosutedjo visited Kemusuk Lor (North Kemusuk) to attend the unveiling of a statue of their father installed near a series of exhibits (photos and some dioramas) about Suharto's life at a hall in the village.[3] The statue of Soeharto, which is 3.5 meters tall, presents him in full military uniform as the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, or TNI) carrying a baton under his left arm. The sculptor of the statue was the well-known Indonesian sculptor Edhi Sunarso. Edhi Sunarso has created various other well-known statues and monuments in Indonesia including the landmark Selamat Datang Monument (Welcome Monument) located at the Hotel Indonesia circle (Bunderan HI) in Jakarta.[4]

In June 2013 additional facilities as part of a memorial to Suharto were opened in a ceremony in Kemusuk by Suharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (Tutut) and his brother Probosutedjo. The memorial included refurbished houses which various members of Suharto's family had lived in as well as a museum.[5] The ceremony was attended by several senior ministers of the Indonesian government including the Coordinating People's Welfare Minister Agung Laksono and Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro.[6]

At the time of Suharto's death in January 2008, residents of Kemusuk joined in the mourning for the former president. Flags were lowered in the village and Suharto's nephew, Aryo Notosuwito spoke in memory of Suharto. As is the practice in Indonesia, members of the local community gathered together at the house of Suharto's relatives to remember the former resident of their village.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Soeharto: The demise of a master', The Jakarta Post, 28 January 2008.
  2. ↑ Sri Wahyuni, 'Ailing Soeharto visits graves of parents, meets son', The Jakarta Post, 30 October 2002.
  3. ↑ Slamet Susanto, 'Soeharto's birthplace in Yogyakarta gets monument', The Jakarta Post, 2 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Aloysius B. Kurniawan, Melupa dan memupuk rindu di Kemusuk (Forgetting and fostering memories in Kemusuk), Kompas, 2 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Andy Fuller, 'Presenting the president in Yogyakarta', The Jakarta Post, 8 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Slament Susanto and Bambang Muryanto, 'Yogyakarta: Visitors flock to Soeharto memorial after opening', The Jakarta Post, 10 June 2013.
  7. ↑ 'Kemusuk villagers remember the son who protected them', The Jakarta Post, 28 January 2008.

Coordinates: 7°49′00″S 110°16′59″E / 7.81667°S 110.28306°E / -7.81667; 110.28306

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