Indonesian National Hero Receives Recognition from Netherland

by GM Nur Lintang Muhammad Jakarta (Antara) - One of the most prominent Indonesian national heroes, Mohammad Hatta, received recognition for his peaceful and democratic commitment in fighting for independence by a university located in Netherland, a nation that once colonized Indonesia. Erasmus University Rotterdam, where the freedom fighter went to study for 11 years until 1932, named its international student dormitory building after Hatta to honor his ideology, Erasmus's professor Willlem M. Lamberts van Bueren stated here on Saturday. "The move was aimed to reflect the changing perception about Hatta by the current Dutch generation. We are deeply impressed by his ideals and democratic commitment in fighting Indonesia's independence, and only now we understand what he was doing," reiterated van Beuren while visiting Hatta's house to announce the university's decision. The Dutch East Indies administration in Indonesia's colonial era saw Hatta as a recidivist who wanted to overthrow the legitimate government. To curb Hatta's influence on the independence movement, the East Indies authorities then exiled him to several locations, including Digul and Banda. Even as a student at the Erasmus University, later known as Rotterdam School of Commerce, Hatta was detained by the Dutch authorities without trial for six months because of his activities. (*)