Bukittinggi is
one of the big cities in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Located in Minangkabau highlands,
it is about 90kms from Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra
Province. Nearby,
there are an inactive volcano
of Mount Singgalang and the still active one, Mount Merapi. Situated 930 meters
above sea level, the city has a cool climate with temperatures between 16-24
degrees Celsius and a very windy area.
Being the heart of the Highland in Sumatra Indonesia, Bukittinggi is a two-hour-drive through beautiful countryside of the Anai valley and up to the Agam Plateau. The tourism attraction is the unique town's clock tower referred to as “Jam Gadang”. It overlooks the market square and the magnificent surroundings of the city.
Being the heart of the Highland in Sumatra Indonesia, Bukittinggi is a two-hour-drive through beautiful countryside of the Anai valley and up to the Agam Plateau. The tourism attraction is the unique town's clock tower referred to as “Jam Gadang”. It overlooks the market square and the magnificent surroundings of the city.
Bukittinggi has also
witnessed the history of the Republic of Indonesia. On
September 1st, 2015, Indonesia’s police women commemorated its 67th
anniversary centered in Bukittinggi, the city where the first police woman
joined the force. The commemoration of Bukittinggi as the birthplace of police
women was marked with the official inauguration of Police Women Monument which
had undergone renovation. Moreover, police women proudly presented a parade as
a way to express their gratitude to Bukittinggi that had
written the history of police force with golden ink, as well as given the
chance for police women to achieve many things since the first day inaugurated.
The monument was renovated to promote the Minangkabau’s
“Bagonjong” architecture, to show the local wisdom in design (the arches on the
roof are designed to allow wind to pass through easily and avoid damage to the
roof), semiotics, and social cognition. The structure of the building depicts the
noble values of Indonesian National Police (INP) in general, and Indonesian
police women in particular.
The picture on the monument’s wall depicts the struggle
made by the pioneer police women in working hand-in-hand with their male
counterparts in guarding and upholding the independence of the Republic of
Indonesia and in performing the same duty as their male counterparts.
As a flashback,
67 years ago during the Dutch colonialization, first group of Indonesian police
women was inaugurated due
to their major involvement in handling many cases
related to women and children.
Six female
teenagers were trained at the Police State School in Bukittinggi, of which now
is used as a district police office.
Dutch Aggression
in 1948 had forced those six teenagers, who were then becoming the pioneers of police women, to take an active
role in the struggle for keeping Indonesian independence, along with the male police officers.
Police Woman Day
was also commemorated in regional police offices and INP police schools.
Currently,
despite its small percentage (3,6 %) compared to the total number of INP officers, Indonesian police women had
managed to take major roles in various fields and levels of assignment, without
being underestimated and disrespected by the male police
officers. Bravo Indonesian Police Women! Success and give the
best service to the community.
(By Tiwi Rinaldi – September 2015)