Wednesday 11 September 2013

Sam Ratulangi

Sam Ratulangi

Sam Ratulangi
The son of Jozias Ratulangi and Augustina Gerungan, both from wealthy, well-respected Minahasa families, Sam Ratulangi was born in Tondano, North Sulawesi, at the time a part of the Dutch East Indies. He was a gifted student, who after completing his studies in Tondano and Batavia went to Amsterdam in the Netherlands for further studies. He graduated from a teacher's college as a science teacher in 1915, studied for two more years at the University of Amsterdam, and in 1919 earned his Ph.D. at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Sam RatulangiAppointed to the Volksraad in 1927, he continued to agitate for equal rights and was one of the founding members of the United Scholars of Indonesia (Vereniging van Indonesische Academici) in 1932. He continued to serve in the Volksraad until 1937, when he was arrested and jailed for several months due to his increasing political involvement. He then became the editor of Nationale Commentaren, a Dutch-language news and issues magazine.
Sam RatulangiIn early August 1945, he was appointed as one of the members of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence, and after Sukarno's unilateral declaration of independence on August 17, he was thereafter appointed as the governor of Celebes on August 22. Arrested by the Dutch on April 5, 1946, he was exiled for three years to Serui on Yapen Island, Western New Guinea. Freed briefly on March 23, 1948 and brought to Yogyakarta, he was captured again on December 25, 1948 when the Dutch occupied Yogyakarta. Due to his failing health, he was released again in Jakarta in February 1949, where he died on June 30.
In August 1961, Ratulangi was posthumously awarded the title of Pahlawan Kemerdekaan Nasional by Sukarno. Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport, the main thoroughfare Jalan Sam Ratulangi and the Sam Ratulangi University are all named after him.

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