Arise, young men and women of Indonesia,

roll up your sleeves for the nation.

In the days to come, it is your duty

it is your responsibility towards the Nation,

it is your responsibility towards Nusa.

One of the songs most frequently sung during celebrations of the Republic of Indonesia’s Independence Day or to mark Youth Pledge Day is the song Bangun Pemudi Pemuda. The song was composed by a teacher at a public school in Semarang, Alfred Simanjuntak. Because of this song, Alfred’s life was in danger. He was placed on the wanted list by the Kenpetai, the Japanese secret police. “I remember being chased by the Japanese police at the time, because I was seen as encouraging young people too much to fight for independence,” said Alfred.

The Japanese government at the time feared that the song would incite a rebellion amongst young people. “I went into hiding for a while, but I’ve forgotten where. I can’t remember how long I was on the run either,” he recalled. “Japan was terrible; people wrote a song and yet were hunted down, almost killed.”

Alfred considered the period of Japanese occupation to be extremely brutal. Many people went missing because they were killed by the Japanese police. “If someone was deemed guilty, they would be taken away by the Japanese police. Most would never return. They were either killed, shot, or thrown into a ravine,” said Alfred. “Back then, all teachers had to be able to speak Japanese; there was no exception,” he said.

Born in Parlombuan, went to school in Java

Alfred Simanjuntak was born on 8 September 1920 in Parlombuan, a humble village in Tapanuli, North Sumatra. Alfred was the eldest of eight children born to Lamsana Simanjuntak and Kornella Silitonga. Although his father was a primary school teacher, their family lived very modestly, much like most people in their village at that time.

“Until I was five years old, our family didn’t have plates, bowls, glasses, spoons or forks. Instead, a large, fairly thick wooden plate was used for the whole family, around which four to five people,” said Alfred. “The rice was placed in the centre of the wooden plate and each person helped themselves from the mound of rice as their appetite dictated,”he continued.

As there were no glasses or bowls, the family used halved coconut shells to drink from. At that time, kerosene for lamps was not yet available, let alone electric lighting. Pieces of pine wood, which burn for a long time, were used as a source of light. If someone wanted to visit a neighbour at night, they had to use a torch made of bamboo or wood. The houses were not as close together as they are today. The distance between houses could be as far as 100 or 200 metres. “Walking 15–20 kilometres or even further was commonplace, as the people in our village were not yet familiar with bicycles, let alone cars,” he recalled.

Alfred first saw a car in 1926. The children in his village were terrified at the sight of a car arriving in their village, so they scattered and ran to hide in the bushes. They only dared to come out once the car had passed far enough away. To people living in the 21st century, a story like this would be regarded as a tale from ancient times, a distant past, but back then (at the start of the 20th century) it was certainly nothing out of the ordinary.

Nowadays, people living in Jakarta are used to travelling by car, train, taxi or perhaps even aeroplane, but some people living in remote or rural parts of the archipelago may never have seen one.

Alfred has loved singing since he was a child. Ever since he was at primary school (Hollands Inlandsche School (HIS)) in Narumonda, Porsea, North Tapanuli, Alfred had often sung at Christmas events. His singing and musical abilities developed whilst he was studying at Hollands Inlandsche Kweek School, a kind of teacher training college in Margoyudan, Solo, Central Java (1935–1942). After graduating from teacher training college, Alfred worked as a teacher at the Schakelschool (Primary School) in Kutoarjo, and later in Madiun and Semarang.

In Semarang, in 1943, he was appointed as a singing teacher at the Sempurna Indonesia People’s School, which had been founded by a number of nationalist figures such as Bahder Djohan and Wongsonegoro. It was there that he became friends with Liberty Manik (a fellow composer of struggle songs). They shared a rented flat at 12 Jalan Ledog Sari. Alfred witnessed the process by which L. Manik composed the song Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa.

"‘I remarked when he mumbled it for the first time that the song sounded like a church hymn,’ said Alfred.

In their friendship, they often competed through their work. When C. Simanjuntak composed Pada Pahlawan, Alfred composed Saudaraku Berpulang Dulu. What is unique is that their songs share the same characteristic: “At the end of the song, the melody always rises. It’s spirited. There’s nothing maudlin about it.” After Indonesia gained independence, between 1946 and 1949, Alfred Simanjuntak worked as a journalist for the newspaper “Sumber” in Jakarta.

In 1950, Alfred continued his studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Indonesia. Meanwhile, L. Manik went to study in Germany. There, Manik obtained a doctorate in philosophy with magna cum laude at the University of Frein. From 1950 to 1952, Alfred continued his studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Indonesia. Between 1954 and 1956, Alfred Simanjuntak undertook further studies at three universities simultaneously: the Rijksuniversiteit in Utrecht, the Leidse Universiteit in Leiden, and the Stedelijke Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

“My experience of teaching in Semarang was truly memorable. That was during the period when the Japanese were in power in Indonesia. Some of the school leavers from Semarang went on to become Ambassadors, Ministers, Attorney-General, even Vice-President, and many other high-ranking officials in this Republic,” he recalled.

Another experience that brought Alfred great joy was when he was entrusted with a teaching post at the Jakarta School of Theology (now STFT Jakarta) between 1951 and 1953. Several of the graduates he taught went on to become synod chairmen and church leaders in Indonesia. For over six years, Alfred served as a teacher.

Alfred concluded that Indonesia would become a developed and respected nation amongst the community of nations, if the government and the whole of society prioritise education. “All progress, whether in the economic, industrial or cultural spheres, begins with high-quality education and teaching,” he emphasised.“Conversely, decline or underdevelopment is caused by education being neglected or misguided,” he continued.

Alfred was once concerned to see Indonesia’s population growing so rapidly from 50 million in the 1940s to 200 million in the early 2000s. It had quadrupled, but this was not accompanied by any planning to improve the quality of human resources. Quoting Kompas’s senior journalist, Ninok Leksono, Alfred wrote as follows,”Whilst scientists and nations around the world have been captivated by Stephen Hawking’s elegant and sophisticated ideas, the Indonesian people are still mired  in usreg and political turmoil which not only leaves them going nowhere, but also far behind in all discussions of progress amongst other nations, in this year, this century and this millennium.”

As well as having been a teacher and journalist, Alfred is known to many for his work in book publishing and songwriting. Alfred often summarises his entire career and ministry as “building people who build”.

Co-founder of BPK Gunung Mulia

In 1950, together with several book and literature enthusiasts, Alfred helped establish the Gunung Mulia Christian Publishing House, a Christian institution helped to shape the nation’s independence by providing high-quality reading material and serving the nation’s needs. One of its first publications was the book “Pancasila”, the first book published in Indonesia to discuss Pancasila as the foundation of the state. The publication received attention and a positive reception President Soekarno, Vice-President Mohamad Hatta, and other Indonesian state officials.

Towards the end of the 1950s, the Gunung Mulia Public Audit Board (BPK) organised a seminar on the eradication of illiteracy, inviting an expert from UNESCO, Dr Frank Laubach, who had extensive experience in the Philippines. G.M.A. Nainggolan was sent to Wamena, Papua, for three months to study the lifestyle and mindset of the local population, the majority of whom were still illiterate, living simply and subsisting by hunting in the forests and along the rivers. Subsequently, the BPK published books to aid in the eradication of illiteracy, using terms and everyday words that were easy to understand, supplemented with pictures and illustrations to facilitate learning.

When Irian Jaya (later renamed Papua) became part of the Republic of Indonesia, the then Chairman of the Synod of the Evangelical Christian Church in Papua, Dr Rumainum, expressed his appreciation for the work of the Gunung Mulia Christian Book Society, which had been regularly serving the Papuan community by sending bookslong before the Province of Irian Jaya joined Indonesia.

In the 1970s, the government encouraged publishers to produce ‘Inpres’ books—reading materials for primary school children—which were distributed through schools. Among all the participating publishers, BPK Gunung Mulia is recorded as having published the greatest number of titles and copies.

For Alfred, everything is done as a contribution to nurturing people who build others up. Although it is known as a Christian publisher, BPK Gunung Mulia is aware of its duty as a humane communications organisation and wishes to serve everyone who has love for their fellow human beings.

As a Songwriter

The second field in which Alfred had long been active was, of course, music, particularly singing. The years during which he composed patriotic songs were whilst he was teaching as a schoolteacher in Semarang, during the Japanese occupation. In addition to ‘Bangun Pemudi Pemuda’, another famous song is Indonesia Bersatulah. The song ‘Indonesia Bersatulah’ once united our nation during the period of division caused by the PRRI/Permesta and RMS (Republic of South Maluku) rebellions between 1957 and 1960. This song was broadcast by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) at least three times a day—in the morning, in the evening and sometimes at midnight—until eventually all the warring parties laid down their arms.

In 1967, Alfred co-founded the Church Music Foundation (Yamuger). Yamuger was formed by a group of musicians, songwriters, theologians and enthusiasts of church music who recognised the importance of producing a contextual and ecumenical hymnbook for the congregation. Not only did he help found the group, but Alfred also contributed his own work: hymns that are still frequently sung today during Sunday services in churches across Indonesia, such as: Indonesia Negaraku (KJ 336), Jika Padaku Ditanyakan (KJ 432), ‘Kita Satu di Dalam Tuhan’ (Hymn of Unity 599), ‘Talita Kum, Bangunlah’ (Hymn of Unity 210).

Following the reforms of 1998, the government permitted the formation of new political parties. One of the new parties to emerge was the National Awakening Party (PKB). Alfred was asked by the PKB leadership to compose the PKB anthem and march. To fulfil this request, Alfred visited Gus Dur’s (K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid) residence in Ciganjur and spoke with him about the PKB’s role in the nation’s progress and unity. Gus Dur emphasised that the PKB was a party open to everyone, without discrimination, regardless of religion or ethnicity. It was from this conversation that Alfred wrote the lyrics and composed the melody for the PKB March and Anthem.

Speaking of the country he loves, Alfred stated that the people and leaders of Indonesia today seem to be at a loss. “Where are we heading with this great society and nation?” he asked. “How should we manage our abundant natural resources and human (HR) – how should they be managed?”

Alfred compared Singapore and Thailand, two neighbouring countries that are actively working to advance and reform their national education systems. These two countries, Human Development Index (HDI), rank far above us. Singapore is ranked 22nd, whilst Thailand is 67th. Compare this with Indonesia, which is ranked 109th. Whilst Thailand champions the motto: Education for All – All for Education, Unity in Policy-Diversity in Implementation”, the national education situation in Indonesia, according to Alfred, remains unclear.

“‘Education in Indonesia is still rife with verbalism; the primary teaching tool is words; children’s curiosity is stifled; pupils simply memorise and swallow whatever the teacher says,’ criticised Alfred. “Yet the only way to accelerate Indonesia’s progress is to improve the quality of education.”

Although Indonesia was fraught with all manner of difficulties and concerns, Alfred never ceased to love his country. Above all, Alfred Simanjuntak was convinced that God, the Father in heaven, truly-truly loves Indonesia and will always look after Indonesia. We can hear his conviction and prayers in his timeless song, Indonesia Negaraku (KJ 336)

Indonesia, my country, God has bestowed it upon me;
I entrust it in my prayers to the One and Only.

The nation, the people of Indonesia, God is their protector;
in sorrow and in joy, it is God they look to.

Prosperity and fertility have God alone as their source;
justice and security are established by God.

Long live Indonesia, its people and its land;
now and for all time, may God always be with it.

Alfred Simanjuntak passed away on 25 June 2014 at Siloam Hospital in Karawaci, Tangerang, due to an inflammation of the lungs and pneumonia, from which he had been suffering from for quite some time. But the memory of his work and his struggles will live on forever. Just like his songs, which continue to be sung to this day and will be for years to come.