Husen Wangsaatmadja Explained

Husen Wangsaatmadja
Office:Mayor of Bandung
Term Start:18 October 1978
Term End:October 1983
Predecessor:Utju Djoenadi
Successor:Ateng Wahyudi
Office1:Regent of Tasikmalaya
Term Start1:February 1966
Term End1:February 1974
Predecessor1:Memed Supartadiredja
Successor1:Kartiwa Suriasaputra
Branch:Indonesian Army
Rank:Colonel
Birth Date:28 August 1926

Husen Wangsaatmadja (28 August 1926 – 14 February 1988) was an Indonesian military officer and politician who served as the Mayor of Bandung between 1978 and 1983 and regent of Tasikmalaya Regency between 1966 and 1974. He had previously served in the Indonesian Army and reached the rank of colonel.

Early life and military career

Husen Wangsaatmadja was born on 28 August 1926. He served in the Indonesian Army during the Indonesian National Revolution as a military instructor.[1] He also commanded a battalion stationed in, Lebak Regency.[2] After independence, Wangsaatmadja became a captain and in 1959 was commander of a battalion within Kodam III/Siliwangi. By 1962, as a major, he was commander of the Karawang Military District. He was then promoted to lieutenant colonel and was commander of the Bandung Military District in 1963–1964.[3]

Government career

Between February 1966 and February 1974, as a lieutenant colonel, he served as the regent of Tasikmalaya Regency.[4] [5] During his time in the office, he complained of the centralized decision making in place, calling it a "centralist-verticalist disease".[6]

On 18 October 1978, as an army colonel, he was sworn in as mayor of Bandung.[7] During his tenure, in 1981, a "cholera-like" diarrhea epidemic broke out in Bandung Regency, killing around a hundred people. In response, Wangsaatmadja ordered city health workers to conduct house-to-house checks to combat the spread of the disease into the densely populated sections of the city proper.[8] The city government engaged in a number of project to improve the city's drainage system to reduce flooding.[9] Wangsaatmadja also created a dedicated Historical Building team in order to catalogue buildings of historic value in the city for purposes of preservation.[10]

He did not contest for a second term in 1983, and Ateng Wahyudi was selected by the Bandung city council to replace him. His tenure ended in October 1983.[11]

Later life

Outside of his career in the military and government, Wangsaatmadja also kept sheep, and in the 1970s he founded an association for sheep and goat keepers in West Java which later evolved into a national organization.[12] He died on 14 February 1988 and was buried at the Cikutra Heroes' Cemetery in Bandung.[13] [14] His son Setiawan Wangsaatmaja later became a civil servant, becoming the provincial secretary of West Java province.[15]

Notes and References

  1. News: Radjah . Jimmy . Maung Bikang, Laskar Mojang yang Bikin Ciut Nyali Penjajah . 16 May 2024 . Konteks.co.id . 25 July 2023 . id.
  2. News: Alhamidi . Rifat . Mengenal Sosok 'Gojali Buntung', Pejuang Pemberani dari Pandeglang . 16 May 2024 . detikTravel . 22 August 2021 . id-ID.
  3. Book: Siliwangi dari masa ke masa . 1979 . Angkasa . 525, 527, 565 . id.
  4. Web site: Kunjungan Ketua Umum KTNA Nasional Ke Tasikmalaya . ktnanasional.com . 16 May 2024 . id . 3 July 2023.
  5. Book: Dharmasena . June 1987 . Pusat Penerangan HANKAM . 55 . id.
  6. Book: Nasution . Abdul Haris . Memenuhi panggilan tugas: Masa pemancangan Orde Pembangunan . 1982 . Gunung Agung . 978-979-412-047-7 . 137 . id.
  7. News: Sakit keras tapi bukan kanker . 16 May 2024 . Tempo . 9 December 1978 . id.
  8. Book: Daily Report: Asia & Pacific . 8 April 1981 . The Service . en.
  9. Book: Sulitnya Mengelola Drainase DKI Jakarta . 7 January 2019 . Tempo Publishing . 978-623-207-649-5 . 31 . id.
  10. Book: Kartodiwirio . Sudarsono Katam . Album Bandoeng tempo doeloe . 2005 . NavPress Indonesia . 978-979-98946-8-7 . 7 . id.
  11. News: Tiga Fraksi Dukung Pencalonan Kol. Ateng Wahyudi Sebagai Walikota Bandung . 16 May 2024 . Berita Yudha . 21 July 1983 . 4 . id.
  12. News: Salman . Zulfa . Bobotoh, Koboi Sunda dan Domba yang Menari . 16 May 2024 . goodnewsfromindonesia.id . 2 November 2023 . id-ID.
  13. Haji Husen Wangsaatmadja. 31 January 2023. Gravestone. Cikutra Heroes' Cemetery, Bandung.
  14. News: Peringati Bandung Lautan Api, Oded Ziarah ke makam pahlawan . 16 May 2024 . Merdeka.com . 23 March 2017 . id.
  15. News: Ayahnya Pernah Jadi Wali Kota Bandung, Ini Pesan Setiawan Wangsaatmaja di HJKB ke-212 . 16 May 2024 . jabarnews.com . 26 September 2022 . id.