Dr. A.A. Made Djelantik
Denpasar, 14th September 2007
Dear Members and Friends of the “Walter Spies Society Germany”.
At exactly midnight, between the 4th and 5th of September, Dr. A.A. Made Djelantik, our Honorary President, passed away peacefully at Sanglah Hospital which he founded many years ago. Yesterday, the present director of the hospital, Prof. Dr. dr. A.A. Gede Sudewa Djelantik, informed me that very soon, ‘Rumah Sakit Sanglah’ in Denpasar will be renamed in his honor.
When he departed, a few family members and close friends were at his side.
Only days before, I brought a long-stemmed white orchid to his bedside together with a large reproduction of Walter Spies’ Scherzo for Brass instruments, a painting that he always loved. Below the picture, I wrote: “Dear Dr. Djelantik, you encouraged us to start the Walter Spies Society in Germany and then gave us your precious counsel. Thanks for all your support. We admire you and love you.”
He was visibly touched and tried to whisper something about the Scherzo. But when he realized that I could not understand, he saved the sad situation by smiling and, with the little energy he had, he stretched out his right thumb.
Dr. A.A. Made Djelantik was the founder of the Yayasan Walter Spies Bali” (the Walter Spies Foundation Bali). At the outset, every year he carefully chose the projects or topics of discussion. In time, when the funding became sparse, the meetings could only take place every two years. The Walter Spies Festival of 1995 will remain a landmark event in the recent history of Bali. The festival centered on music, dance and theatre and was greatly responsible for inspiring teachers to bring back to life dances long forgotten, with new choreographies.
Following an appointment by the late President Sukarno, Dr. Djelantik taught medicine for many years at the Universitas Udayana in Denpasar. Later, he also taught “Aesthetics”, a subject that was always close to his heart, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Denpasar, which he co-founded.
In his early youth, when he decided to become a doctor, he was the first Balinese to study medicine overseas. After graduating from the University of Amsterdam, in 1948 he was posted to some of the most remote parts of Indonesia at the time when this immense archipelago was still separated into two parts. He spent a period on the notorious island of Buru in the Moluccas. The person who banned him to this foresaken place was none other than his childhood friend, Anak Agung Gede Agung, who at the time was the Prime Minister of the East-Indonesian Republic. Dr. Djelantik was suspected to be in contact with his friend Ngurah Rai, the great Balinese martyr who later died in Indonesia’s struggle for independence.
And indeed there was still a relation between Dr. Djelantik and his former school mate Ngurah Rai. In 1947, short after the Balinese wedding of Astri Henriete Swart and Dr. Djelantik in the palace ‘Puri Agung Karangasem’, he received a letter written by Ngurah Rai: “My dear friend, I fully approve of what you are doing. Please carry on with your mission. I will not follow your steps, because I have vowed that I will continue our armed struggle until my last drop of blood! Let us fight together, each in his own way. We remain brothers. Destroy this piece of paper. Ng.Rai”
After the Dutch had abandoned Indonesia Dr. Djelantik was able to settle back in Bali and work as a doctor. He was soon promoted to the position of “Chief Physician” responsible for the medical care of the entire island of Bali. When President Sukarno whose mother was Balinese came to stay in his residence in Tampaksiring, Dr. Djelantik served as his private doctor. Sukarno then asked him to start the faculty of medicine at the University of Udayana. It was at this time that Dr. Djelantik founded Sanglah Hospital, becoming its director.
Because of his success with malaria eradication in Bali, as soon as he retired, the World Health Organization employed him to help battle malaria in Nepal, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Highly educated and cosmopolitan, incredibly curious and well versed in several languages, Dr. Djelantik was one of the most unusual personalities of Bali. He was deeply rooted to his culture, and incorruptible in his principles. He faced many situations with great courage, and was incapable of betraying his beliefs and values.
Aside from his great vocation as a doctor and his commitment to the medical profession, he had a special love for classical music, and played the violin. He was also actively drawn to fine art, literature and philosophy. He read the works of German philosophers in the original language. At the funeral of his Dutch friend, Dr. Hans Rhodius, biographer of Walter Spies, he gave the farewell speech In Dutch. Some of the guests present could not help expressing their astonishment at the high quality of his language, which they had not heard in a very long time.
Thanks to his unforgettable humor, irony, self-effacement, and the ability to put arrogant authorities in their place without letting them feel his superiority, he was able to survive the many challenges of his life. Because of his education in the ‘Puri Agung’ of Karangasem as the son of last governing “raja” of East Bali, he exuded humble modesty, compassion, and humanity, despite his regal status.
In 1990, he published his book on Balinese Paintings (Oxford University Press). In 1995, he contributed his essay, The Magic Realism of Walter Spies, for the catalogue of the exhibition ‘Walter Spies di Indonesia’. Frequently, he also gave public lectures on Walter Spies In his autobiography, The Birthmark: The Memoirs of a Balinese Prince (Periplus, Singapore, 1997), Dr. Djelantik paid homage to his beloved Dutch w
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October 14th, 2007 13:58
Hormat saya kepada Dr Djelantik sane sampun mur ring acintya (telah menyatu dgn yang maha kuasa). Semoga beliau merestui komentar2x ini untuk pelurusan sejarah.
“Yesterday, the present director of the hospital, Prof. Dr. dr. A.A. Gede Sudewa Djelantik, informed me that very soon, ‘Rumah Sakit Sanglah’ in Denpasar will be renamed in his honor.”
Comment: If this is true, it’s so sad that someone holding a professorship made this statement without careful analysis. Does he understand the meaning of nepotism?
“And indeed there was still a relation between Dr. Djelantik and his former school mate Ngurah Rai. In 1947, short after the Balinese wedding of Astri Henriete Swart and Dr. Djelantik in the palace ‘Puri Agung Karangasem’, he received a letter written by Ngurah Rai: “My dear friend, I fully approve of what you are doing. Please carry on with your mission. I will not follow your steps, because I have vowed that I will continue our armed struggle until my last drop of blood! Let us fight together, each in his own way. We remain brothers. Destroy this piece of paper. Ng.Rai” “
Comment: It’s so funny. National hero I Gusti Ngurah Rai fought until his dead in Puputan Margarana 20/11/1946. How could dr Djelantik receive his letter in 1947? Who held this letter before being received by Dr Djelantik? Perhaps that piece of paper was already destroyed that we cannot reveal the truth.
Any survivors or historians, please tell us the truth.
The following was partly taken from comments on http://dendemang.wordpress.com/2007/09/11/mengenang-dr-aam-djelantik-sebagai-pejuang/#comments
Page 187
“We considered it not safe for you to be placed in Bali,” Gde Agung said
“Why?” I was astonished
“Please, don’t ask too many questions. The political situation in Bali is very tense. The Pemudas are very active supporting the Republic, they are planning something”
Kalau dibaca secara kritis, ini karena dr. Djelantik sudah menjadi incaran para pemuda.
“Perihal malariologist apakah dunia kedokteran mengenal istilah tersebut? Apakah ada dokter ahli demam berdarah?”
Ada kejadian yg menarik juga saat di Bali Hotel, Denpasar.
Page 176
The first public meeting, held in Denpasar, was for me quite embarrassing. Not having spoken the official Indonesian language for a long time, I was unable to make speech in public in my own language. I spoke in Dutch, translated, phase by phase, by the Assistant-Resident, Mr Major Polak.
Make your own judgement on his remark in his autobiography.
“When President Sukarno whose mother was Balinese came to stay in his residence in Tampaksiring, Dr. Djelantik served as his private doctor.”
Comment: This is also debatable. Dr Djelantik was not President Soekarno’s private doctor.
PB
October 16th, 2007 10:21
Pertama-tama terimakasih kepada sdr Sanat yang meneruskan blog kepada saya dan terimakasih kepada Bapak PB yang telah menuliskan uneg-unegnya yang sangat berharga bagi kami sekeluarga. Bersama ini saya sebagai anak sulung Dr Djelantik menyampaikan sebagai berikut:
1.Pernyataan Prof Sudewa hanyalah “luapan kegembiraan”, mendengar berita dari sesepuh dan pejabat RS Sanglah dan FK Unud. Beliau samasekali tak ikut dalam proses pengusulan dan pengambilan keputusan nantinya, jadi tidak ada unsur nepotisme untuk menggunakan nama ayah, putra daerah yang pertama memimpin dan membangun RS Sanglah selama 8 tahun mulai tahun 1960 sampai 1968.
2. Mengenai surat Ngurah Rai memang ada kesalahan quote tahun: alm ayah datang ke Bali selama tiga minggu pada tahun 1946 ( sebelum saya lahir), dan sekalian upacara pernikahan. Alm ibu Astri menyetujui datang, dengan syarat bahwa mereka boleh menyuarakan pendapat dengan bebas. Bisa baca dalam buku The Birthmark halaman 177: “Later I found out that he died with ninety-five of his guerrillas in an ambush in November, one month after we left Bali.
3. Mengenai istilah “malarialogist”, kebetulan saya menemukan surat dari Dr G Kovchasov, WHO Senior Malaria Advisor tertanggal 1 Desember 1979 yang menyebutkan: “Now, I am glad to inform you, that the Ministry of Public Health (Afghanistan) has agreed to make necessary arrangements to EMRO, asking you as STC-Administrative Officer (Malariologist) for a period of ….dst. Jadi istilah ini dari WHO. Juga tak ada hubungan antara istilah Malaria dan Demam Berdarah (dengue hemorrhagic fever) lho, vektornya lain, gejala dan terapinya pun lain!!
4. Memang alm ayah mungkin bukan Dokter Istana secara resmi.. namun hanya dokter keluarga Bung Karno, karena saya ingat sendiri ketika kecil keluarga Bung Karno termasuk anak-anak beliau datang ke rumah untuk berobat..sehingga saya dapat bertemu mbak Megawati dan adik-adik di halaman rumah.. dan bagaimana ayah sering dipanggil ke Istana Tampaksiring membawa tas dokternya
5. Mengenai sikap Pemuda, tentu dapat dimengerti keadaan politik saat itu, dan bagaimana dalam politik selalu ada dinamika kawan-lawan sampai sekarang. Alm Ibu telah memilih menjadi warga negara Indonesia dan dapat disimak dalam buku The Birthmark betapa dia membela bangsa dan negara Indonesia.
Semoga ini dapat meluruskan cerita masa lalu ayah dan semoga sekali waktu dapat bertemu muka langsung untuk diskusi lebih lanjut, salam suksema, Dr dr Bulantrisna Djelantik, SpTHT.
October 17th, 2007 06:25
mbak Dr dr Bulantrisna yth.
hormat saya kepada ayah anda atas jasa2nya semasa hidupnya.
saya tidak habis pikir, bagaimana seorang guru basar dan sebagai salah satu pejabat RS Sanglah tidak bisa mengendalikan kegembiraannya mengatakan sesuatu yg belum pasti. Sebaiknya yg mengklarifikasi statemen tsb adalah Prof Sudewa sendiri dan bukan mbak.
Sedangkan hal-hal yg berhubungan dengan masalalu ayah mbak diperlukan suatu pengkajian lebih dalam lagi dan diperlukan saksi2 yg bisa menceritakan masa hidup ayah mbak. Bukan berdasarkan buku yg ditulis oleh ayah mbak sendiri.
Saya bukan pejuang, tetapi pejuang sejati akan mengorbankan jiwanya untuk mengusir penjajah dari bumi indonesia, Bukannya menghindar untuk cari selamat. Itu namanya kalah ataupun menang tetap menang.
October 17th, 2007 16:17
@putra perantau,
Anda menyatakan rasa hormat dan sekaligus sinis kepada Dr Djelantik. Sikap yang ambivalent.
FYI: Dr Djelantik tidak pernah mengklaim dirinya sebagai seorang pejuang. Saya sendiripun telah meralat tulisan di Blog saya tentang hal ini.
Di Blog sayapun anda berkomentar kritis dan berani dengan menggunakan nama Putra Pejuang. Disini anda menggunakan nama Putra Perantau.
Selamat anda juga orang yang cuma mau cari selamat, tidak berani mempertanggung-jawabkan komentar.
FYI: tampil anonymous dan sering gonta ganti nama itu tidak etis didunia Blog. Sebaik apapun sebuah komentar kalau datang dari orang yang tidak jelas identitasnya maka komentar itu bisa dianggap sampah.
Kalau isu yang ditanggapi hanya isu ringan masih bisa diterima tapi kalau isu serius dimana orang orang yang berkomentar menggunakan nama aslinya seperti Ibu Bulantrisna maka hormatilah mereka dengan menggunakan identitas valid.
October 18th, 2007 08:25
Fakta Kepulangan Dr AAM Djelantik
Sebelumnya saya ingin menjelaskan bagaimana politik Belanda dalam mencengkeram Indonesia selama lebih dari 350 tahun. Secara singkat bisa saya katakan bahwa Belanda tidak tertarik dengan kebudayaan Indonesia.
Best interest Belanda adalah ekonomi dan pe…
October 19th, 2007 20:42
Sebagai seorang academica sebaiknya anda menanggapi setiap kritikan maupun pertanyaan secara dingin dan tidak perlu emosional
October 21st, 2007 22:17
Visi Kebangsaan Dr AAM Djelantik
Dr Djelantik yang lebih dikenal sebagai budayawan dan dokter tidak menyurutkan minat dan perhatian masyarakat tentang visi kebangsaannya. Peran apa yang beliau mainkan dimasa perjuangan? Apa pandangan politiknya? Benarkah beliau pernah menerima surat d…
November 13th, 2007 11:02
Sayang sekali dalam komentar beberapa blog ada orang memfitnah almarhum Dr Djelantik yang kami sangat hormati. Sebagai sejarahwan saya salalu curiga kalau orang mau pakai sejarah tanpa pengertian kepada konteks, apalagi tidak pakai argumentasi yang sesuai dengan penggunaan fakta dalam pendekatan historiografis.
Benar bahwa Dr Djelantik tidak pernah menamakan diri sebagai ‘pejuang’, apalagi sebagai orang pasifis dan humanitarian, tidak mungkin Beliau ikut berperang, seperti pejuang yang saya kenal, misalnya Pak Wijakusuma. Sebelum zaman Jepang, boleh dikatakan ada golongan yang kecil tetapi berpengaruh, yaitu kaum Nasionalis, dan ada juga diantara raja-raja yang pro-Belanda. Akan tetapi kebanyakan orang belum mengerti politik, atau neteral, sesuai dengan kebijakan Belanda yang menghalangi atau memadamkan gerakan dan expresi nasionalism. Jadi tidak luar biasa bahwa Dr Djelantik sendiri tidak ikuti politik, apalagi waktu Beliau belajar di Belanda.
Mengenai hal kawin dengan orang Belanda, itu tidak berarti pro-pemerintah Belanda, sebenarnya merupakan pemberontakan pribadi kepada peraturan Belanda, yang melawan perkawinan antara perempuan Belanda dan laki-laki Indonesia. Sutan Syahrir juga kawin dengan orang Belanda. Apakah dia pro-Belanda?
Kritik-kritik yang lain yang disampaikan hanya berdasarkan salah ketik dan pencarian arti kata yang terlalu sempit (misalnya, menurut ahli medis di Australia, dari dulu Dr Djelantik diakui secara internasional oleh karena pekerjaan Beliau dalam bidang malaria). Yang perlu ditanyakan, mengapa orang yang memberi kritik menyembunyikan nama dengan samaran? Apa yang mau dirahasiakan?
November 14th, 2007 01:03
Dear Prof Adrian,
Salam kenal Pak, saya tahu Pak Adrian dari beberapa buku karya bapak yang dimiliki ayah saya. Baru kali ini dapat bersua di Blog ini. thx to Bli Sanat.
Mengenai para komentator memang sungguh disayangkan, mereka lebih mementingkan makna leksikal ketimbang makna kontekstual dalam sebuah tulisan.
Saya coba mengerti ini mungkin karena adanya sebuah kepentingan politis penamaan RS Sanglah tapi saya tetap tidak habis pikir upaya yang mereka lakukan sedemikian militannya hingga sangat merepotkan saya di Blog saya. Padahal saya tidak pernah mendiskreditkan siapapun.
Mereka seperti tidak perduli dari mana referensi tulisan, asal sudah menyangkut Dr Djelantik maka serta merta disanggah.
Sudah begitupun menyanggah dengan menggunakan nama samaran. Sebenarnya saya tahu siapa mereka tapi saya tidak mau ungkap, lebih baik mereka sendiri yang ngaku.
January 5th, 2008 09:17
[...] the cremation of Dr. A. A. Made Djelantik there was a spontaneous solution between A. A. Gede Rai (’Yayasan Walter Spies Bali’ [...]