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BIOGRAPHY
“SULTAN HAMID II”

Source: https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syarif_Hamid_II_dari_Pontianak

Sultan Hamid II is Indonesia’s precious national figure who designed of the Coat of
Arms of the Republic of Indonesia, the mythical golden eagle, called “Garuda”. He was a
mixed ancestry of Malay-Arab who was born on 12 July 1913 in Pontianak-West Kalimantan,
as the eldest son from the couple of Sultan Syarif Muhammad Al-Qadrie and Syecha Jamilah
Syarwani. His full name was Syarif Abdul Hamid Alkadrie. Until the age of 12, Hamid was
raised by Scottish foster-mother Salome Catherine Fox and her British companion, Edith
Maud Curteis. He was married to a young Dutch woman named Didie van Delden then had
two children, a son and a daughter, who resided in the Netherlands. Hamid was a well-
educated and intelligent historian who was once trusted to be the adjutant of the Majesty
Queen of the Netherlands Kingdom. Besides, he was the first person originated from
Indonesia who obtained the highest position in the military.
Hamid was a student of several Europeesche Lagere Schools (European Primary
Schools) in Sukabumi, Pontianak, Yogyakarta, and Bandung. He took further study to Hogere
Burger School (Senior High School) in Bandung and Hogere Burger School V in Malang. It
did not end there. He then proceeded another year of study in Technische Hooge School in
Bandung, which is known as The Bandung Institute of Technology in the present. Hamid
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finally completed his studies at The Military Academy of Netherlands in Breda. He was a
graduate as a lieutenant in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army. During his military career, he
served in some big cities like Malang, Bandung, Balikpapan and several other places.
The title Sultan Hamid II was adopted on 29 October 1945 when was entrusted to
carry on his father’s leadership in Pontianak as a Sultan. He was one of the active participants
of the Republic of Indonesia’s establishment, along with his colleagues, Soekarno,
Muhammad Hatta, Ki Hajar Dewantara, Mr. Muhammad Roem, Mohammad Natsir, and
Muhammad Yamin. In 1949, Sultan Hamid II was promoted to be the nation’s minister of the
Republic of the United States of Indonesia. He was then assigned to coordinate the design of
the state’s national emblem. On 10 February 1950, Hamid’s final design of the national
emblem was promoted and confirmed to be used as the national emblem since then until now,
which was named as Garuda Pancasila. Before his decease, he handed in the original design
of the national emblem which had been approved by the first President of Indonesia,
Soekarno, to Haji Mas Agung, a leader of an earnest book collector and publisher in 1974.
On 5 April 1950, Sultan Hamid was rumoured to be associated in a severe mass riot
incident, called ‘Westerling Attack’. However, it had never been proven legally. He was jailed
for 10 years due to the political upheaval. Since then, Sultan Hamid II’s name was eliminated
from the historical records. There were very rarely the historical books that clearly mentioned
about Hamid as a designer of the national emblem. Indonesian historian tended to declare
Muhammad Yamin more instead of Hamid in relation of the mythical golden eagle design. In
fact, the Government Regulation of 1951 number 66 stated that the form of national emblem
was designed by Sultan Hamid II, which was a ‘Garuda’, whilst the one created by
Muhammad Yamin was in the form of the bull and the Sun.
Sultan Hamid II deceased on 30 March 1978 in Jakarta and was buried in the Sultanate
Family Cemetery in Batulayang, Pontianak. He played a significant role in Indonesian history
who designed a national emblem which is still used in the present which represents the
national motto of Indonesia, Unity in Diversity. Sultan Hamid II’s wife who was styled as
Sultana Maharatu Mas Mahkota, died on 19 June 2010. Despite all the bad rumour about him
in the past, he deserved to be the national hero of Indonesia. The historical records should be
authentic and realistic so the present and next generations will not misinterpret the actual
profiles of any significant national figures.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syarif_Hamid_II_of_Pontianak