Jakarta — During the vibrant commemoration of International Labor Day at Jakarta’s National Monument (Monas) on Thursday (May 1), Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto voiced his support for the proposal to designate labor activist Marsinah as a national hero.
Prabowo made the statement in front of hundreds of thousands of workers in attendance, including leaders of labor confederations from across the country.
The proposal emerged from labor representatives who personally conveyed to Prabowo that, to date, no figure from the labor movement has ever been formally recognized as a national hero.
“Some labor leaders came to me and said, ‘Sir, why aren’t there any national heroes from the labor movement?’ So I asked them, ‘Do you have anyone in mind? Have a discussion among yourselves and propose someone from the labor movement.’ And they said, ‘Sir, what about Marsinah?’” Prabowo recounted.
“If the labor leadership, representing workers across the country, supports this—then I will fully support Marsinah’s nomination as a national hero,” he affirmed.
Marsinah was a young labor activist who was tragically murdered in 1993 after advocating for workers’ rights in Sidoarjo, East Java. Her death, shrouded in mystery and injustice, remains a powerful symbol of the struggle and sacrifice of Indonesia’s labor movement.
