Trubus, Where Are You?

The fate of Trubus Sudarsono, one of former president Sukarno's favorite artists, remains unknown. Born in Wates, Yogyakarta, on April 24, 1924, Trubus was known in the 1960s as a talented painter and a figure in the Lekra cultural organization. Trubus also got involved in politics as a member of the Yogyakarta Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), representing the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Trubus, whose first job was preparing food for carriage-pulling horses, traveled abroad often in his later life. He lived in Praha, Czechoslovakia, for one month. While in Eastern Europe, he visited museums, ceramics factories, places where stone and bronze statues were made and art training centers. He also studied how the state subsidized art activities.

After the political upheaval of 1965, the year General Suharto seized power from Sukarno, it was said Trubus had been caught by the military while in hiding on the slopes of Mount Merapi. He had been carrying a Behring radio to monitor the situation. It's not known what happened to him after that. Was he executed, shot and killed? Perhaps he was imprisoned first? But where? Or did he he go free, and choose not to return to public life? His family continues to search for him. His children believe he is still alive. This is Tempo's report.