It takes courage to expose what really happened in 1965, including about Gerwani and its leader Umi Sardjono. To this day, people still hate each other based on a concocted history.

Former chairperson of the Indonesian Women’s Movement left the history of 1965 behind upon her release from prison. Umi Sardjono did not say much about the bloody event of September 30, 1965.

Gerwani, a feminist group that often spoke against polygamy, did not comment when President Sukarno remarried. It reasoned that the country needed a unifying figure.

Long before she led Gerwani, Uma Sardjono studied different ideologies from political courses. She was known as a feminist who was loyal to her party.

Suharti Sumodiwirjo, more familiarly known as Umi Sardjono, was born to a Javanese civil servant family. Kartini’s collection of letters was an influence to Umi and led her to join pre-independence organizations.

As a legislator, Umi Sardjono was keen to push regulations in favor of gender equality and women’s protection. She was reluctant to support East Timor’s independence.

Tempo again presents a special report as an effort to verify the historical claims manufactured by Suharto’s regime surrounding the September 30, 1965 tragedy. This time, we wish to present the life, activism, and ideas of Gerwani Chair, Umi Sardjono.