Moewardi was born in
Pati,
Central Java, in 1907. After studying at
STOVIA (a school for
native doctors) in Batavia (now
Jakarta), he began studying as a specialist in throat, nose, and ear infections. He also chaired the city's branch of
Jong Java. He practised medicine extensively during the
Japanese occupation (1942–45). After the Japanese defeat in the Pacific, Indonesian politicians began preparing to
proclaim the country's independence from
Dutch colonial control. Moewardi, by this time living in
Surakarta, established the
Barisan Pelopor. This group which organised security at Ikada Square (now
Merdeka Square) in
Jakarta, to help secure the proclamation. Moewardi was one of the speakers at the event. Afterwards, Moewardi tasked his men with organising security for new president
Sukarno and vice-president
Mohammad Hatta, as well as other government figures. Moewardi was offered the position of Minister of Defence but refused it; the position went,
in absentia, to
Supriyadi. During the
Indonesian National Revolution there was extensive military contact between Dutch and Indonesian forces. By early 1946 the capital was under Dutch control, and the nascent government abandoned Jakarta for
Yogyakarta. Moewardi moved Barisan Pelopor to
Surakarta and renamed it
Barisan Banteng; the group was eventually merged into the
Indonesian Army. Moewardi would accompany them in battles, helping the injured. Afterwards, Moewardi established a hospital and medical school in Surakarta. In 1948 he, together with a faction of other groups opposed to the
Renville Agreement, established the (People's Revolution Movement). On 13 September 1948, while en route to his practice, Moewardi was kidnapped by the
Communist Party of Indonesia and later murdered. He had previously attempted to organise a team to confront the communists following the
Madiun Affair, and the city itself had little semblance of government. Moewardi was deemed a
National Hero of Indonesia on 9 August 1964. A hospital in Surakarta and street in Jakarta are both named after him. ==References==