Gerungan Saul Samuel Jacob Ratulangi (also written as Ratu Langie; 5 November 1890 – 30 June 1949), known as Sam Ratulangi, was a Minahasan teacher, journalist, politician, and national hero from North Sulawesi, Indonesia. He was part of the committee that ratified the Constitution of Indonesia and served as the first Governor of Sulawesi.
Early life
The son of Jozias Ratulangi and Augustina Gerungan, both from wealthy, well-respected Minahasa families, Sam Ratulangi was born on 5 November 1890 in Tondano in North Sulawesi, which at the time was a part of the Dutch East Indies.Masykuri (1985), p. 5. Jozias was a teacher at the Hoofden School (middle school for children of local village heads) in Tondano. He received teacher training in Haarlem, Netherlands around 1880.Straver (2018), p. 296. Augustina was the daughter of Jacob Gerungan, the Majoor (district chief) of Tondano-Touliang.Schouten (1998), p. 118.
Ratulangi was a gifted student, who studied at the local Dutch language elementary school (ELS or Europeesche Lagere School) and then at the Hoofden School.Sondakh (2002), p. 118. In 1904, he left his home to attend STOVIA (a medical school in Java) after receiving a scholarship from the school. Once in Batavia (now Jakarta), he had a change of heart and decided to attend the technical high school Koningin Wilhelmina.Masykuri (1985), p. 16. Ratulangi graduated in 1908 and started work on railroad construction in the south Priangan area of West Java. There he experienced unequal treatment in wages and employee lodging compared to those who were of Indo (Eurasian) descent.Masykuri (1985), p. 17.
Time in Europe Studies in the Netherlands and Switzerland In 1911, Ratulangi returned home, because his mother was seriously ill. His mother died on 19 November 1911. His father had died when he was in Java. After their mother's death, Ratulangi and his two sisters divided their parents' inheritance. Ratulangi planned to use the money he received to fund his education in Europe.Masykuri (1985), p. 18. He arrived in Amsterdam in 1912 and continued his studies that he started in Java, which had been cut short due to his mother's illness. In 1913, he received a certificate to teach middle school level mathematics (Middelbare Acte Wiskunde en Paedagogiek).Ministry of Social Affairs (1994), p. 74.
Ratulangi continued his studies at a university in Amsterdam for two more years. However, he was not able to complete his studies, because he was prohibited from taking the examination. The university required a high school level certificate, which Ratulangi did not have, because he never completed studies at either a Hogere Burgerschool (HBS) or Algemene Middelbare School (AMS).Masykuri (1985), p. 19. At the advice of Mr. Abendanon, a Dutchman who was sympathetic to those from Indonesia or what was called Indië at the time, Ratulangi applied and was accepted to the University of Zurich in Switzerland.Parengkuan (1982), p. 31. In 1919, he obtained a doctorate in mathematics and science from the university.Soedarmanta (2007), p. 31.
Nationalist activism During his time in Amsterdam, Ratulangi frequently met with Sosrokartono (R.A. Kartini's brother) and the three founders of the Indische Party, Ernest Douwes Dekker, Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo, and Soewardi Soerjaningrat. Ratulangi was also active in the association for Indonesian students (Indische Vereeniging or Perhimpunan Indonesia). He was elected as chairman of the association in 1914. He invited speakers who were sympathetic to the Indonesian cause, such as Conrad Theodor van Deventer and Jacques Henrij Abendanon.Masykuri (1985), pp. 20, 21. In Switzerland, he was active in the Association of Asian Students (Associations d'étudiants asiatiques) where he met Jawaharlal Nehru from India.Pondaag (1966), p. 25.
Ratulangi was also active in writing articles. In one article entitled "Sarekat Islam" that was published in Onze Kolonien (1913), Ratulangi wrote about the growth of Sarekat Islam (a cooperative of local merchants in Indonesia) and also praised the Boedi Oetomo movement in Indonesia. Toward the end of the article, Ratulangi wrote the following:
Independence struggle Return to Indonesia
On his return to Indonesia in 1919, Ratulangi moved to Yogyakarta to teach math and science at the technical high school Prinses Juliana School.Masykuri (1985), p. 27. After three years of teaching, he moved to Bandung and started the insurance company Assurantie Maatschappij Indonesia with Roland Tumbelaka, a medical doctor by profession and fellow Minahasan. The company name contained the first known instance of the word "Indonesia" being used in official documents.Künkler (2017), p. 181. It has been noted that Sukarno first met Ratulangi when he was visiting Bandung for a conference. He noticed the name of Ratulangi's company that included "Indonesia". He was curious about the owner of the business and met Ratulangi in his office.Masykuri (1985), p. 30.
Return to Minahasa In 1923, Ratulangi was nominated by the Minahasa Union party (Perserikatan Minahasa) to become secretary of the regional representative body of Minahasa in Manado (Minahasa Raad). He held this position from 1924 to 1927. During his time as secretary, Ratulangi lobbied for more rights for Minahasans. He was widely credited with getting the colonial government to abolish forced labor (Herendiensten) in Minahasa. He was also instrumental in the opening the areas of Modoinding and Kanarom in south Minahasa for transmigration and the establishment of a foundation to support the education of students with financial needs.Masykuri (1985), p. 32.
On 16 August 1927, Ratulangi and R. Tumbelaka started the Minahasa Unity party (Persatuan Minahasa). Its predecessor, the Minahasa Union party (Perserikatan Minahasa), included both civilian and military members. Some of the members from the military had revolted against the Dutch and hence they were prohibited from participating in political organizations. Ratulangi and Tumbelaka decided to form a new party, the Minahasa Unity party, which would only have civilian members.Leirissa (1997), p. 48. The existence of this party representing a specific region of Sulawesi gave its members local identity, but it also served the purpose of promoting national unity. The party "called for the 'solidarity of all population groups of Indonesia'".Elson (2008), p. 66. In 1939, Persatuan Minahasa was one of the political parties that formed the Indonesian Political Federation (GAPI or Gabungan Politik Indonesia). The others were Gerindo (Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia), Parindra (Partai Indonesia Raya), Pasundan, PPKI (Persatuan Partai Katolik Indonesia), and PSII (Persatuan Sarekat Islam Indonesia).Legge (1988), p. 133.
Member of the Volksraad Appointed to the People's Council Volksraad in 1927 to represent the constituents in Minahasa, Ratulangi continued to agitate for equal rights and advocating Indonesian nationalism by aligning himself with the Nationalist Caucus (Fraksi Kebangsaan) that was started by Mohammad Husni Thamrin. He was a co-sponsor of the Soetardjo Petition, which expressed the desire for political autonomy through gradual reforms within a ten year period.Abeyasekere (1973), p. 84. The petition passed the Volksraad, but was not accepted by the colonial government. This response to the petition led to the formation of GAPI (described earlier).Abeyasekere (1973), p. 88. Ratulangi was not hesitant to criticize the authorities and would eventually be considered a risk to them. He continued to serve in the Volksraad until 1937, when he was arrested due to his increasing political views. He was jailed for several months in Sukamiskin in Bandung.Masykuri (1985), pp. 37–45.
In 1932, Ratulangi was one of the founding members of the United Scholars of Indonesia (Vereniging van Indonesische Academici).Pondaag (1966), p. 25. He was also part of a group of church leaders and nationalists (including B.W. Lapian and A.A. Maramis) who wanted a church denomination that was free and separate from the official church institution of the Dutch East-Indies (called Protestantsche Kerk in Nederlandsch-Indie or Indische Kerk). In March 1933, the independent Convention of Protestant Churches in Minahasa (KGPM or Kerapatan Gereja Protestan Minahasa) was established.Taroreh (2012), p. 10
In June 1937, Ratulangi's book "Indonesia in de Pacific" was published.Turner (2017), p. 35 The book was considered to be visionary in its content, in which Ratulangi warned against the militarisation of Japan and foresaw the possibility that Japan might invade the Indonesian archipelago because of its natural resources which Japan lacks. He described the leading role that Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia around the Pacific Rim could play — the Pacific Ocean could equal the Atlantic in importance.
After being released from prison in 1938, Ratulangi became the editor of Nationale Commentaren, a Dutch-language news and issues magazine.Pondaag (1966), p. 135. He used the magazine to write opinions against the colonial government's unfair actions and also to make his fellows Indonesians aware of the current state. Subscribers of the magazine included the offices of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry of Colonies, and the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.Masykuri (1985), pp. 45, 48.
Japanese occupation After the Dutch surrendered the Dutch East Indies to the Japanese, on 20 March 1942 the Japanese authorities prohibited any kind of political activity.Touwen (2013), p. 194. Because all political organizations were disbanded, Ratulangi participated in the relief effort of the families of Dutch Colonial army (KNIL or Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger) soldiers. In 1943, Ratulangi was assigned as adviser to the occupying military government.Masykuri (1985), pp. 76. In 1944, he was transferred to advise the military government in Makassar in South Sulawesi, which was part of the eastern territory that was controlled by the Japanese Navy.Kanahele (1967), p. 112. In June 1945, Ratulangi established an organization called Source of People's Blood (SUDARA or Sumber Darah Rakyat). The naming is very close to the Indonesian word "saudara", which in means brother/sister. Ratulangi used the organization to energize nationalist sentiments in Sulawesi in anticipation of possible independence in the near future.Masykuri (1985), pp. 79.
After Independence Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence In early August 1945, Ratulangi was appointed as one of the members of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI or Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia) from Sulawesi.Kanahele (1967), p. 219. On 17 August 1945, Sukarno announced the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence. Ratulangi had already arrived in Batavia with the other PPKI appointees from the eastern territory for meetings and hence he was present during the proclamation ceremony.Pawiloy (1987), p. 10. The subsequent PPKI meetings starting on the day after the proclamation produced the Constitution of Indonesia and the appointment of Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta as President and Vice President, respectively, by acclamation. The meetings also organized the country into administrative regions where Ratulangi was appointed Governor of Sulawesi.Elson (2008), p. xix.
Governor of Sulawesi