Dessy Sagita & Arientha Primanita – Indonesia on Thursday bid farewell to veteran journalist Rosihan Anwar, who was laid to rest at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in South Jakarta with full military honors.
Pak Ros, as he was fondly called, passed away at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday morning from heart failure. He was 89.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who visited the journalist's home in Menteng, Central Jakarta, in the afternoon with the first lady, Ani Yudhoyono, said the country lost a major figure.
He said Rosihan was known not only as a journalist but as a writer, humanist and a film figure. "He has done so many things for this country," the president said, adding that even though Rosihan had been critical of his administration, the criticisms were delivered with responsibility and good intentions. "He criticized me several times but we remained close friends," Yudhoyono said.
Vice President Boediono said Rosihan was witness to a number of important moments in Indonesian history. "His works documented this country's history, and that is very useful to future generations," he said.
Hariman Siregar, a former activist, praised Rosihan as a great journalist. "Rosihan was a true journalist," he said. "He was never afraid to write the news based on the truth, regardless of the consequences."
He cited Rosihan's coverage of the 1974 Malari incident – an abbreviation of Malapetaka Lima Belas January, or the Tragedy of January 15th – in which Suharto's men quashed a mass student protest, turning it into a bloody riot. Suharto subsequently sealed off the Pedoman newspaper, which was edited by Rosihan.
Born in Kubang Nan Dua, West Sumatra, on May 10, 1922, Rosihan started his career in journalism in 1943 as a reporter for Asia Raya newspaper. In 1945, he became an editor at Merdeka newspaper and the chief editor for Pedoman newspaper.
He was one of the few Indonesian reporters to cover the Round Table Conference in The Hague in 1949, when the Netherlands officially agreed to transfer sovereignty to Indonesia.
In his long career, Rosihan wrote more than 20 books. His latest, "Backtrack to the Netherlands: 60 Years Journey of the 1949 Round Table Conference Journalist," was published on his 88th birthday last year.
Rosihan was also active in several organizations. He was appointed the chairman of the Indonesian Journalist Association (PWI) in the early 1970s. He remained head of its Honorary Council. In 1974, he was awarded the Bintang Mahaputra III, the highest award given to a civilian who has made a significant contribution in the military.
Jakob Utama, a senior journalist and founder of Kompas media, said Kompas Gramedia was set to launch Rosihan's latest work on his wife, "Love Memoir: The Romance of Rosihan Anwar and Zuraidah Sanawi".
"He was independent. As a journalist, his strength was he read a lot and wrote with rich words," Jakob said.
Rosihan left three children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Rosihan's wife, Zuraidah, died in September last year. Since then, his own health had been in decline, according to his son, Umar Luthfi Anwar.