Pramoedya Ananta Toer Dies
Monday, 01 May, 2006 | 15:47 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesian literary figure, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, drew his last breath at his house on Jalan Multikarya II No. 26, Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, yesterday. “He died at 8.55am WIB (Indonesian Western Time),” Eulis, the wife of Pram's son Yudhistira told Tempo.

Pram(as he was affectionately called) had a condition, which drastically plunged at 3.30am. His family then read the Yasin verse from the Qur’an. Pram was conscious then. This was repeated twice before he died. According to Eulis, he asked for a cigarette, but it was not lit. He also mentioned the word “rubbish”. “Because he liked to burn the rubbish,” said Eulis.

The literary community, alumni, government officials, students, and several Buru Island ex-prisoners came to pay condolence calls. Among them were Goenawan Mohamad, Eka Budianta, Ratna Sarumpaet, Romo Mudji Sutrisno, Fikri Jufri, Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, Salahuddin Wahid, State Minister of Culture & Tourism Jero Wacik, and Mujib, the director of Lentera Dipantara publishing, which has published eighteen of Pramoedya's works.

The older people in the group looked serious while discussing Pram's work in the mourning atmosphere. Several young people joined the discussion. Flowers came in abundance, two of them were from the Indonesian Democractic Party of Struggle’s (PDI-P) Central Leadership Council and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

Pram's close friend while he was incarcerated in Buru Island, Oey Hay Djoen, 77, also was there. This member of (the defunct) Provincial People's Consultative Assembly from the Indonesian Communist Party said, Pram's specialty was memorizing his writing. “His books started from a protest he told his friends about in Buru Island,” said Oey.

At 2.30pm WIB, an ambulance took his body to Karet Bivak Cemetery, Central Jakarta, in a drizzling rain. Darah Juang, a song customarily sung by demonstrators, accompanied the mortal remains to his final resting place.

Representing the family, Koesalah Soebagyo Toer, Pram's younger brother gave a speech. He asked all attendants to pray for Pram so that he could go in peace.

Pramoedya left a wife, Maimunah Thamrin, and eight children, who have given him grandchildren.

Nieke, Eko N, and Wahyudin