Eliakim Teniwut

Eliakim Teniwut (1927 – 15 April 1990), commonly known as Lieutenant Komarudin, was one of the Indonesian Armed Forces soldiers in the General Offensive of 1 March 1949 who was under the platoon commander in SWK 101, Brigade X, led by Major Sardjono.^[1] He is known for his negligence in remembering the date of the attack and opening fire on 28 February 1949, when it should have been planned for 1 March 1949. As a result, he messed up the attack schedule, but on the other hand also caught the Dutch off guard because they thought that this was the big attack that was expected to happen. He is also said to be known as someone who is immune to bullets.^[2] He is known for appearing in the film Janur Kuning (1980).^[3]

He was born in 1927 with the name Eliakim Teniwut in the village of Ohoidertutu,^[4] which is currently administratively part of the West Kei Kecil District, Southeast Maluku Regency, Maluku Province.^[5]

At the end of February 1949, Lieutenant Komarudin and his troops were in Jejeran village. Throughout the night, Komarudin discussed maps in preparation for the attack on the city of Yogyakarta in broad daylight, which their superiors had planned. They decided to attack immediately and not stay overnight in the city. Lieutenant Komarudin's troops clearly controlled the terrain. Raden Irawan Stiadji Pramoedibyo in Pelajar Pejoang: Keterlibatanku di dalam Perang Kemerdekaan, said that many of Lieutenant Komarudin's troops were residents or relatives of Jeron Beteng residents and young people from the southern area of Yogyakarta.

As soon as the morning siren sounded, troops led by Lieutenant Komarudin moved to attack and enter the city of Yogyakarta.^[6] The sound of gunfire not only surprised the Dutch soldiers, but also the Indonesian National Army troops. Lieutenant Komarudin and his troops were shocked, they had been fighting for about two hours. After realizing they attacked on the wrong day, they then retreated. Soedjono and Lieutenant Komarudin then separated and retreated south of the city. Before finally they met again in Pandes in the afternoon. The next day, on the actual day, Komarudin and his troops moved again. The beginning was marked as a General Offensive of 1 March 1949.^[7]

"We were startled by the sound of explosions and quite intense gunfire. And why not be surprised because I have decided that we will carry out the attack on March 1st, in the morning, at the time of the siren at the end of the curfew."

Known as a brave fighter, he is said to have a blood relation, the great-grandson of Kyai Abdur Rahman who is known as Mbah Tanjung, one of the leading scholars who lived in Ploso Kuning, Minomartani, Sleman during the reign of Sultan Hamengkubuwono I (1755–1792). He is also believed to be a direct descendant of Bantengwareng, one of the warlords of Prince Diponegoro's troops.^[3]

He was accused of involvement in the Darul Islam rebellion, but this was later proven false, and his reputation was rehabilitated. He then resigned from the military, together with his wife who came from Java, they returned to Southeast Maluku and lived in his birth village, Ohoidertutu, where he spent the remainder of his life. During his later years, the second president of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, invited him to return to Jakarta so that he could be conferred the title of national hero upon his death. But he declined and chose to stay in his home village.^[3]

In 2016, a proposal emerged to make Eliakim Teniwut (Lieutenant Komarudin) a national hero by the Southeast Maluku Regency KNPI DPD.^[5]