ANTARA EXHIBITS IPPHOS-MADE INDEPENDENCE DAY PICTURES

Jakarta, Aug 14 (ANTARA) - The Antara Gallery of Journalistic Photography (GFJA) is exhibiting photographs and print media from the independence day era from August 4 to 14.

The exhibition, titled "Merdeka Merdeka", was officially opened by the secretary general of the ministry of communications and information, Aswin Sasongko, flanked by Antara president director Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf and senior journalist Rosihan Anwar at the GFJA in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

GFJA curator Oscar Motuloh said the exhibition was held to remind the present generation of how the spirit of unity of the heterogenous nation had played in the achievement of the country's independence.

Among the collections of print media displayed at the exhibition is the "Fikiran Ra'jat" magazine in which Ir Soekarno (first president) was chief editor, "Djawa Baroe" magazine published during the Japanese occupation, "Hokaido", " Soeloeh Ra'jat Indonesia" and "Pradjoerit."
The exhibition also displays the layout of 120 of 240 pages of "Merdeka" daily published by late BM Diah and his colleagues such as Rosihan Anwar, Winarno, Mochamad Soepardi, Soetomo and Darmawidjaja with the title "Nomor Peringatan Enam Boelan Repoeblik Indonesia" (the anniversary edition on the six-month anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia).

The historic pictures of the late Bung Karno (first president) reading out the independence declaration and also late Bung Hatta (first vice president) taken by Frans Mendur and Alex Mendur were only published six months after the event namely on the Merdeka daily on February 17, 1946.

Oscar emphasized the importance of the historical record in the "Nomor Peringatan Enam Boelan Repoeblik Indonesia" taken from the collections kept in the National Press Museum in Solo. Although four of its pages had gone, on the whole the special edition remained readable as an authentic and valuable Indonesian historical document.

"The anniversary edition tells about various aspects of the new Republic of Indonesia including pictures about the situation at the independence declaration at Jalan Pegangsaan Timur 56, one of them on Bung Karno reading out the declaration."
The picture of Bung Karno reading out the independence declaration was carried in the Merdeka daily because the Mendur brothers were then working for the newspaper led by BM Diah.

They however later left the daily and set up the Indonesia Press Photo Service (IPPHOS) which was the first Indonesian photo news agency together with the Umbas brothers, Alex Mamusung and Oscar Ganda on October 2, 1946.

Rosihan Anwar, met after the opening ceremony, recalled the event saying he was only 23 years old when he became a political reporter for Merdeka daily.

The book on "Six Months of the Republic of Indonesia" of the August 17, 1946, compiled by BM Diah, Rosihan Anwar and their fellow journalists at Merdeka daily had been re-published.

Oscar said the re-publication was done with the aim of familiarizing the people about the birth of the republic from the press' point of view.

"Moreover, this book is the first one about the Republic of Indonesia published by the Indonesian press after Indonesia's independence," he said.

From Pasar Baru, the exhibition will be moved to the Information Museum of the Ministry of Communications and Information at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in Jakarta from September 24 to October 24.

The exhibition was held by GFJA in cooperation with the ministry of communications and information.