What's happening in PresUniv
Dr. Jeanne Francoise, the International Relations Study Program lecturer, President University (PresUniv), was a speaker in a live talk entitled Memaknai Peringatan Perang 5 Hari 5 Malam di Palembang, Wednesday (5/1). This live talk is a series of activities from the South Sumatra Virtual Fest 2022 held by Sriwijaya Post TV. This live talk also presented other speakers, namely Andhika Alfathana Putra Pandu Pratama, S.E.Sy., M. Han, from the Secretariat General of the Defense Heritage Society, and Vebry Al Lintani, a prominent observer and historical explorer in South Sumatra. In this live talk, the speakers discussed the five days of the war in Palembang City that had happened on 1-5 January 1947.
In the 5-day war in Palembang, said Jeanne, civil society and the army fought against the Netherland Indies Civil Administration (NICA) by all means to defend Indonesia. “The defense heritages in Palembang are proof that civilians, in collaboration with the army, also took part in defending Indonesia. This is unique historiography of Indonesia's national defense called Sishankamrata or Sistem Pertahanan dan Keamanan Rakyat Semesta," she explained.
Jeanne said that one day, if the terminology of defense heritage has been recognized by national law, then the defense heritage objects in Palembang City, which are evidence of the 5 Day War in Palembang, must be revitalized and given a symbol of the nation's struggle in the post-independence period. She also conveyed the need for monthly webinars or public lectures on the nation's struggle in Palembang by involving artists and cultural observers so that the younger generation could learn about the history of Indonesia's struggle. "We need political will from the Palembang Local Government to present historical narratives so that they are more accessible to tourists and can conduct research collaborations with academics and lecturers, especially in the aspect of defense heritage as the main domain of tourism," she said. (Gilang Suryanata, PR team. Photo: Jeanne)
