Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto voiced his support for slain labor activist Marsinah to be named a national hero, responding to a proposal from Indonesian labor leaders during his speech commemorating International Workers’ Day at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta on Thursday.

“Brothers and sisters, labor leaders have asked me, ‘Sir, why is there no national hero from the labor movement?’ I asked if they had a name in mind, and they said, ‘How about Marsinah, Sir?’” Prabowo said to thousands of cheering workers.

He pledged his full backing for the proposal, provided that labor union leaders unite in supporting the move.

“As long as labor leaders across the board agree, I will support Marsinah to be honored as a national hero,” he declared, met with applause from the crowd.

Marsinah, a factory worker from East Java, was abducted and murdered in 1993 after protesting for wage increases and investigating the detention of her fellow workers during the Suharto-era military regime. Her brutal killing, which remains unsolved, made her a symbol of labor resistance and human rights in Indonesia.

Prabowo’s remarks come more than three decades after Marsinah’s death, a case that continues to cast a long shadow over Indonesia’s labor movement. Each year, her story is remembered on May Day as a grim reminder of the country’s unfinished struggle for justice and labor rights.

Marsinah, born in 1969, grew up in hardship and worked in several factories before joining PT Catur Putra Surya in Sidoarjo. In May 1993, she participated in a strike demanding the implementation of a minimum wage policy. After several of her co-workers were detained by the military, she tried to trace their whereabouts. Days later, her body was found in a forest in Nganjuk, bearing signs of torture.

Her case shocked the nation and the international community. While initial investigations led to controversial trials and alleged forced confessions, no one has been held accountable, and suspicions of military involvement have never been fully addressed.

Civil society groups and artists have kept her legacy alive through songs, poems, and films. Her life inspired the film Marsinah Cry Justice and has been immortalized in music by artists ranging from Mus Mulyadi to punk band Marginal.

Today, many regard Marsinah not only as a symbol of labor resistance but also as a pioneering voice for women’s rights and human dignity during Indonesia’s authoritarian past. Calls to formally recognize her as a national hero have been growing louder in recent years.

A monument in her honor stands in her hometown of Nganjuk, East Java. On every May Day, her name is sung as a rallying cry for labor solidarity and social justice.

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