Preliminary View on Journalistic and Intellectual Life of Mohammad Said (MS): A Discourse on Anti-Colonial Struggle

Mehmet Özay^[1] – Budi Agustono[2]

Abstract

This work probes the life history and journalistic career of Haji Mohammad Said (1905-1995) in a condensed manner, with much consideration on intensive insight into his personality and writings. In this regard, this study can be classified as an example of microsociology because it departs from the general approach of conventional historiography by absorbing facts concerning grand political events and episodes. He was a self-made intellectual who explored in his writings formidable historical events concerning the migrant workers (koeli kontrak) in North Sumatra, and the Dutch War in Aceh. In addition, it was also pertinent to construct a framework to explain his ideas on the development of nationalism, and the factors that led to independence in the following decades. During the early 20^th century, nationalism, identity, and nation-state were a patchwork, and had cleavages in many people’s minds in the Archipelago. Nevertheless, new discourses were developed to gain political consciousness and power through the writings of young journalists and intellectuals like HMS. One can argue that the whole writing process of HMS resulted from a “colonial predicament”, a phenomenon that facilitated the development of history writing in Indonesia. The thoughts and actions of HMS should be considered as representing the values of his time. In this regard, one can assert that—in a Hegelian way—his self-consciousness helped the readers to comprehend the ‘spirit of the time.’ This study carried some glimpses of the era of tense discussions of independence, and anti-colonial struggles through HMS’s intellectual discourse. This approach, namely viewing past political developments through the prism of a social agent, is essential.

Keywords: H. Mohd. Said, Waspada, North Sumatra, Nationalism, Indonesia.

https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/JAT/article/view/46833

[1] Assoc. Prof. Dr.  International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, International Islamic University Malaysia (ISTAC-IIUM). mehmetozay@iium.edu.my; Orcid No: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2719-1543.

[2] Prof. Dr. Department of History, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Sumatera Utara, Medan. budi.agustono@usu.ac.id