Historical Traces of Garrison Complex at the Foot of Mount Tidar

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

Some cadets of the Magelang Military Academy enjoy a weekend off by taking a walk in the Chinatown area, Magelang City, Centra Java, on Saturday (24/10/2020).

The city of Magelang in Central Java has become one of the main military garrisons in Java since the colonial era. Traces of the military have not only become the marker of the city – known for its strategic location and cool weather – but they have also become part of the daily lives of citizens.

At 6:00 in the morning, the Regional Training Regiment IV (Rindam IV)/Diponegoro complex in Magelang city, which was initially busy with a number of activities, including sports, was briefly silent on Monday (26/10/2020). Through loud speakers, an announcement was made asking residents to stop their activities to honor the raising of flags.

Stefani Yanti (50), who had just parked her vehicle and was getting ready to arrange her merchandise around the Rindam field, immediately stopped her activities. The same thing was done by other residents who ran around the soccer field. Several people then took a standing position to honor the Red and White national flag in the middle of the field.

“Whether washing dishes, eating or drinking, or doing sports, every day, everyone had to stop for a moment at exactly 6 a.m. It\'s only one to two minutes,” said Yanti, a resident of Secang, Magelang regency who sells lontong sayur (rice cake served with vegetables) every day in front of the education command headquarters (Dodik) at the Rindam IV/Diponegoro complex.

She opened a stall in the Rindam complex because the area was relatively busy.

Since last year, Yanti has operated a stall in the military complex, which was founded by the Dutch in 1885, to meet the needs of his family. She opened a stall in the Rindam complex because the area was relatively busy.

There is no administrative requirement needed to open a stall there, except Yanti has to pay Rp 10,000 a day as a cleaning fee. If there are few buyers, the fee payment is deferred. This policy is very helpful, especially in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yanti\'s income, which reached more than Rp 300,000 per day before the Covid-19 pandemic, has plummeted to only between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 since the reopening of the stall in July.

Corporal chief Agustinus Henukh, a member of provosts and coordinator of the stalls within the Dodik Rindam IV/Diponegoro complex, said traders were exempt from paying cleaning fees for the first two months so that they could grow their businesses. The area around the stalls is also arranged in such a way so that visitors are comfortable. Before the pandemic, at the complex, which is about 1.5 kilometers northeast of the Magelang Square, car-free day activities were regularly held, attracting a large number of street traders.

Another contribution from the military to the city of Magelang was provided by the Kodim 0705/Magelang military command.

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

Many civilian-owned shops are standing in the Rindam IV / Dipoengoro complex, Magelang City, Central Java, as seen, on Monday (26/10/2020)

The commander of the Kodim 0705/Magelang military command, Lt. Col. (Czi) Anto Indrianto, said that the Magelang military command did not only conduct a community service program called TNI Manunggal Membangun Desa (TMMD) but also routinely carried community and social service programs, ranging from renovating uninhabitable houses to mass circumcision in cooperation with other institutions.

Historical Traces

Magelang City cannot be separated from the activities of the military. The military complex in Magelang covers an area of 147.3 hectares with 998 buildings. This is the third-largest area after the residential area and trade locations.

In 1826-1827, the Dutch moved their troops from Solo to Magelang to secure the area from Diponegoro\'s control.

The coordinator of the Old Magelang City community, Bagus Priyana, said the military\'s activities in the city had taken place since the Diponegoro War. In 1826-1827, the Dutch moved their troops from Solo to Magelang to secure the area from Diponegoro\'s control. "For the Dutch, it was so important to secure Magelang because this area could be used to supply rice for their troops," he said.

In the book Magelang Middelpunt van den tuin van Java, it is said that in 1818-1819, the Dutch military strengthened its presence in Magelang by building military barracks from bamboos at the Rejowinangun Market in Jalan Ikhlas and in Cacaban. Each barrack had the capacity to accommodate between 17 and 20 people.

Subsequently, in 1880, Magelang was designated the Dutch military center for Central Java. In 1883, a new barrack was constructed, which is now known as the Rind am IV/Diponegoro area.

KOMUNITAS KOTA TOEA MAGELANG

Photo of the master plan for the construction of the Rindam IV / Dipoengoro complex, Magelang City, Central Java.

Professor of history at Gadjah Mada University, Djoko Suryo, said that during that period, at least 5,000 Dutch infantry troops were stationed in Magelang. This city was considered strategic because it was located in the middle of Central Java. The cool climate made it easier for soldiers to adapt.

"So, it\'s like connecting the Semarang area on the northern coast of Java to southern Central Java. No less important, Magelang is close to the Yogyakarta Palace. At that time, the relationship between the Dutch and the palace was quite important, ” said Djoko.

The water tower in Magelang Square built in 1920 is another military trail in the area. The water tower was built to overcome the water crisis caused by a landslide that blocked the channel in the Manggis River. The tower, with a capacity of 1,705 liters of water, is still in operation, providing a water supply for city-owned water company PDAM Kota Magelang.

The image of the garrison city in Magelang is more complete with the existence of the Military Academy (Akmil). The military education each year produces an average of 250 junior army officers. One of them was Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who became the sixth president of the Republic of Indonesia.

Before the pandemic, every weekend and holiday, Akmil cadets who stayed at a boarding complex at the foot of Mount Tidar have become a common sight in the city. In their interactions with the public, they always maintain their appearance with neat uniforms.

The head of public affairs at the Information and Public Relations Division of the Magelang Military Academy, Nurul Muntaha, said that every cadet was always reminded to maintain a friendly, polite attitude. "They are asked to be helpful to anyone, to be disciplined, and to be respectful to everyone," she said.

Due to a lack of attention, the MA was closed and the third batch had to complete their education in the Netherlands.

Akmil originates from the Militaire Academie (MA) Yogyakarta, which was founded on Oct. 31, 1945, at the initiative of the chief of the general staff of the People\'s Security Army, Lt. Gen. TNI Oerip Soemohardjo. In 1950, the MA Yogyakarta graduated two generations of students. Due to a lack of attention, the MA was closed and the third batch had to complete their education in the Netherlands. As there was a need for a school for the Indonesian military officers, on Nov. 11, 1957, President Soekarno inaugurated the reestablishment of the National Military Academy in Magelang.

Djoko said that the military legacy in Magelang needed to be maintained. Now, the garrison complex area and military traces at the foot of Mount Tidar has the potential to be developed as a tourist site. In the Rindam complex, the spirit of nationalism is upheld every morning.