The Department of Education and Culture of Cilegon held a seminar proposal event entitled “National Hero Candidate” for Cilegon City, which took place at the Hotel Royal Krakatau. The event was created to gather and identify local history that is useful as information for students, researchers, and the people of Cilegon on Thursday, April 27, 2023.
KH Wasyid is being proposed as a candidate for the National Hero title. Apart from KH Wasyid, Ki Arsyad Thawil is also being proposed to receive the National Hero title by the Cilegon City Government.
Kiai Haji Wasyid bin Muhammad Abbas (born with the name Qosyid), better known as Ki Wasyid, was a fighter who led the Cilegon War from July 9 to his fall on July 30, 1888, in Banten. Ki Wasyid was known as a preacher who spread the spirit of jihad and urged people to avoid acts of shirk (polytheism) in a society that believed in superstition at the time.
Ki Wasyid was the leader of the Geger Cilegon 1888 (the Resistance of Kiai & Santri Banten), also known as the Wasyid War. KH Wasyid planned and organized all elements of the Banten people to carry out the resistance. Ki Wasyid held meetings in various places and used tarekat (a Sufi brotherhood) as a place to gather and perform prayers and zikir (Islamic devotional acts). Ki Wasyid and other kiai (Muslim scholars) could meet at this opportunity to coordinate their strategies and tactics.
H. Asep Sofwatullah Bin H. Mansyur Muhidin, a descendant of KH Wasyid, expressed his hope that KH Wasyid would be proposed to become a National Hero. Therefore, as a family, we would like to thank the Cilegon Government for proposing KH Wasyid as a National Hero because, since the establishment of the Cilegon City government, there has never been anyone who proposed it, only as research material. We would also like to thank the Banten Provincial Government, UIN SMH Banten, and the Banten Community.
“I appreciate the Geger Cilegon (the Resistance of Kiai & Santri Banten) as a historical event that has heroic value, carried out by the sons of Banten in 1888 who were aware of their nation’s future,” he said. “A hero is someone who is considered noble because his deeds have an influence and benefit for the interests of many people, where KH Wasyid portrays the people of Banten for Indonesia in his heroism. He has a clear track record of heroism, which is not limited to physical fighting in Banten but has a national impact.”
The Geger Cilegon (the Resistance of Kiai & Santri Banten) had a significant impact on Indonesia’s struggle for independence. Some of its impacts include:
- Increasing the spirit of Indonesian people’s struggle: The Geger Cilegon resistance was one form of people’s resistance against Dutch colonial rule. This has inspired other Indonesians to carry out similar resistance to achieve independence.
- Showing the failure of colonial government policies: The Geger Cilegon resistance successfully showed the failure of the Dutch colonial government’s policies in addressing social conflict in Indonesia.
- Increasing awareness of Indonesian identity and culture: The Geger Cilegon resistance also strengthened the Indonesian people’s spirit to preserve their identity and culture as part of the struggle for independence.
- Giving recognition to the fighters: In an effort to commemorate the struggles and sacrifices of the fighters, the Geger Cilegon resistance (Kiyai & Santri Banten Resistance) has emerged with an effort to give recognition and appreciation to them, such as conferring the title of the national hero.
- Increasing awareness of the importance of unity: The Geger Cilegon resistance teaches that the unity of the Indonesian nation is key to achieving independence and national greatness.
Ahdi Z. Amri, an art and cultural activist from Cilegon, has stated that the proposal to recognize heroes from Cilegon is the result of collective ideas and thinking about the importance of cultural understanding as the identity and essence of the Indonesian nation. The rich and diverse culture of the Indonesian nation must be continuously preserved by all entities of this nation as a heritage that must be guarded for its existence.
We must realize and be proud of the cultural diversity that we possess as a manifestation of the values of diversity that are instilled in the philosophy of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia that we love.
Ahdi Z. Amri and his colleagues in the Forum for Concern for the Geger Cilegon War 1888 in Cilegon two years ago proposed six petitions to the Cilegon City Government as a form of their concern. One of the petitions they proposed was to award certificates of appreciation to the fighters of the Geger Cilegon war and to propose that they be declared national heroes. They also proposed that a local regulation be enacted to commemorate the Geger Cilegon war every year starting in 2021 and continuing indefinitely. Ahdi also appreciates and prays for the actions taken by the Cilegon City Government.
This activity is also an effort of the nation’s children who always love togetherness in various different backgrounds, in order to embrace the unity and harmony of the nation that is created from the various differences in our nation’s history.
