Marsinah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 April 1969 Nglundo, East Java |
| Died | 8 May 1993 (aged 24) |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Known for | Trade unionist |
| Awards | Yap Thiam Hien Award (1993) |
Marsinah (10 April 1969 – 8 May 1993) was an independent trade unionist employed in a watch factory in East Java, Indonesia, whose rape, torture and murder drew international attention to the Suharto dictatorship's brutal repression of workers and the denial of human rights. Since the emergence of democracy and independent labour movements in Indonesia, her death is memorialised annually in Indonesia and she remains the subject of literature, theatre and songs.
Marsinah was serving as a negotiator for 500 fellow workers striking for trade union autonomy and the implementation of the minimum wage. Following the forced resignation of 13 worker leaders, Marsinah confronted members of the local military command. She was kidnapped and her body was found four days later. Indonesia's Human Rights Commission determined that Marsinah was abducted by members of the local military command. Those responsible for her assault and death have never been brought to justice.
In the context of an upsurge of autonomous workers Marsinah's death became an important event which sparked Within the Indonesian labour movement she is considered a hero.
Early life
editThe second child of Sumini and Mastin, Marsinah grew up under the care of her grandmother, Puirah, and her aunt Sini, in Nglundo, East Java. She went to school at Karangasem Public School 189, subsequently Nganjuk No.5 Middle School. Her girlhood years were marked with commerce, selling snacks in order to augment her grandmother and aunt's incomes. Marsinah's final school years were spent at the Muhammadiyah Boarding School, her educational advancement being denied due to lack of money.[1]
Factory worker
editUnable to find employment in Nglundo, Marsinah turned her attention to the big cities, sending in job applications to Surabaya, Mojokerto and Gresik. Hired by Bata Shoes to work at their Surabaya factory in 1989, she moved a year later to the Catur Putra Surya (formerly Empat Putra Surya) watch factory in Sidoarjo. Making a lateral transfer to their Porong factory after its opening, Marsinah eventually found herself serving as spokesperson for her fellow workers.
Trade unionist
editWhen, in 1993, the Governor of East Java announced a raise in the provincial minimum wage, Catur Putra Surya (a company with ties to the Indonesian military–industrial complex) refused to comply. On 3-4 Mary workers went on strike demanding implementation of the minimum wage and the local unit of the state-controlled union, SPSI, be disbanded.[2] Marsinah went to the Indonesian Ministry of Labor to retrieve a copy of the gubernatorial directive to deliver to the CPS management.
Murder
edit
On 5 May the Sidoarjo District Military Command summoned 13 workers to its headquarters and forced them to sign letters of resignation, with 8 more to follow in the next couple of days. Outraged by this turn of events, Marsinah decided to go there herself and demand an explanation that very same day. She was never seen alive again.[3]
Campaigns for justice
editIn 2002 Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri approved an investigation by the Human Rights Commission.[4]
Legacy
editShe was posthumously awarded the Yap Thiam Hien Award, and her murder was officially noted by the International Labour Organization as Case# 1773.[5]
References
editFootnotes
edit- ^ Rizal, Jawahir Gustav (8 May 2020). "Cerita Marsinah Pahlawan Buruh yang Terbunuh pada 8 Mei 1993 Halaman all" [The story of Marsinah, a workers' hero killed on 8 May 1993]. KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Human Rights Watch 1994, pp. 48–50.
- ^ Khoir 2010.
- ^ Casey 2002.
- ^ "FOA case text". www.ilo.org. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
Sources
edit- Amnesty International (31 August 1994). Indonesian and East Timor: Power and Impunity, Human Rights Under the New Order (PDF). London. ISBN 978-0862102364.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Avonius, Leena (2008). "From Marsinah to Munir: Grounding Human Rights in Indonesia". In Kingsbury, Damien; Avonius, Leena (eds.). Human Rights in Asia: A Reassessment of the Asian Values Debate. Springer. pp. 99–120. ISBN 978-0-230-61549-6.
- BeritaSatu (1 May 2015). "Marsinah, Simbol Perjuangan Kelompok Buruh Indonesia". BeritaSatu (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- Casey, Andrew (19 April 2002). "Megawati Reopens Marsinah Case". Workers Online. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- Evers, Hans-Dieter (1995). "The growth of an industrial labour force and the decline of poverty in Inondesia". Southeast Asian Affairs: 164–174. ISSN 0377-5437.
- Hadiz, Vedi R. (1998). "Reformasi Total? Labor after Suharto". Indonesia (66): 109–125. doi:10.2307/3351449. ISSN 0019-7289.
- Honna, Jun (2013). Military Politics and Democratization in Indonesia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-13925-4.
- Human Rights Watch (1994). The Limits of Openness: Human Rights in Indonesia and East Timor (PDF). New York. ISBN 1-56432-140-1. OCLC 31425483. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - International Labour Organization (15 May 2013). "Marsinah radio". www.ilo.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- Khoir, Fatkhul (8 March 2010). "Marsinah: An Inspiration For the Working Class Struggle". In Defence of Marxism. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- Saptari, Ratna (2003). "The politics of domination and protest in Indonesia: Marsinah and its aftermath". In Das, Arvind N.; van der Linden, Marcel (eds.). Work and Social Change in Asia: Essays in honour of Jan Breman. New Delhi: Manohar. pp. 131–158. ISBN 9788173044854.
- Sarumpaet, Ratna; McGlynn, John H. (2000). "Marsinah Accuses". Manoa. 12 (1): 155–166. ISSN 1045-7909.
- Setiawan, Ken (2016). "From Hope to Disillusion: The Paradox of Komnas HAM, the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission". Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 172 (1): 1–32. ISSN 0006-2294.
- Weix, G. G. (2005). "Resisting History: Indonesian labour activism in the 1990s and the 'Marsinah' case". In Yeoh, Brenda S. A.; Teo, Peggy; Huang, Shirlena (eds.). Gender Politics in the Asia-Pacific Region. Routledge. pp. 120–136. ISBN 978-1-134-62451-5.
- Winet, Evan Darwin (2009). "Between Umat and Rakyat: Islam and Nationalism in Indonesian Modern Theatre". Theatre Journal. 61 (1): 43–64. ISSN 0192-2882.
Category:Indonesian trade unionists Category:1969 births Category:1993 deaths