Rasuna Said
Hajjah Rangkayo Rasuna Said was a well-known Minangkabau woman leader who was active in Indonesian nationalist politics. She was born in Maninjau, Agam Regency, close to the town of Bukittinggi in West Sumatra.
Rasuna Said became active in the Sarekat Rakyat organisation and later became a member of the Union of Indonesian Muslims. She was imprisoned for a period for her activities by the Dutch in 1932 in Semarang in Central Java. After the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945 she became a member of the Sumatra Representative Council. In 1959 she was appointed a member of the Indonesian National Advisory Council, a position she held until her death in Jakarta in 1965.
Like the well-known Indonesian female leader Raden Ayu Kartini, Rasuna Said fought for equality between men and women. She was declared a National Hero of Indonesia by president Soeharto in 1974. Her name is currently used as one of the main arteries of Jakarta, Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said, which runs south from the central district of Menteng towards the busy commercial areas of Kuningan and Mampang.
Rasuna Said is buried in the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in South Jakarta.
