Jakarta Artikel

It has been ‘fire’ since the beginning – how it all started for Persija

JakOnline – During Dutch colonization, indigenous Indonesian people suffered heavy discrimination from the colonial government. Many public facility signs at the time forbade indigenous people and dogs from entering the area. In other words, the Dutch government equated locals with dogs in the social order.

“It was common for signs on the Dutch-owned public facilities to read ‘verboden voor honden en inlanders’, which means ‘forbidden for indigenous people and dogs’ including on football pitches,” said JJ Rizal, a historian specializing in Jakarta’s history.

One day, an area called Gang Krekot Bunder, which is now near the Pasar Baru area in Jakarta, was caught on fire. The locals decided to organize a charity match, intending to rent the Dutch-owned facilities.

“Instead of welcoming them, the authorities mocked the charity organizers, saying, ‘Why bother coming? It’s clearly stated on the sign that it’s forbidden for indigenous people and dogs,” Rizal proceed.

Captivated by anger, the locals then approached a local political figure named Mohammad Husni Thamrin, who had a mixture of Dutch and local blood. Thamrin then took money out of his own pocket to fund a proper football pitch for the locals to play on. His status as a congress member allowed him to have more access to the government.

Thamrin was one of the key figures in the inauguration of Voetball Bond Boemipoetra or VBB, which means the football association of the indigenous, in November 1928. In short, VBB changed its name to Voetballbond Indonesia Jacatra (VIJ), which later changed to Persija.

Thamrin had a good friend named Otto Iskandar Dinata, who was also a key figure in the founding of Bandoeng Inlandsche Voetbal Bond (BIVB). As an act of resistance against the Dutch colonial government, Thamrin, Otto, and fellow national resistance figures played football together frequently in Laan Trivelli, which is now located around Kali Cideng, Central Jakarta. Both VIJ and BIVB were founders of the now-existing PSSI. (JO)

image credit: Festival 125 Tahun M.H Thamrin via Historia

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