Prabowo Awards National Hero Title to His Grandfather: Margono Djojohadikusumo

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto awarded the title of national hero to his grandfather, Margono Djojohadikusumo, an economic pioneer. Margono was one of 19 figures who received the national hero title at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Tuesday (10/11/2026).

The award was presented directly to his heirs present at the palace.

This national hero title was bestowed based on Presidential Decree No. 93/TK/Year 2026 concerning National Hero Awards.

Margono was recognized for his exceptional contributions to the struggle for independence as the 62nd member of BPUPKI.

He played a key role in founding Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) in 1944 and was a member of Konius III and the Roem-Royen negotiations and the Round Table Conference (KMB) in 1949.

Who proposed Margono as a national hero?

For the record, the proposal to honor Raden Mas Margono Djojohadikusumo was initiated by the local community through the Eling Banyumasan Appeal starting in March 2025. This recommendation was then forwarded by the Governor of Central Java and accepted by the Ministry of Social Affairs on April 6, 2026.

According to the Banyumas Archives and Library Office, Margono was born in Purwokerto, Banyumas, Central Java, on May 16, 1894, into a family of fighters.

He was the great-grandson of Raden Tumenggung Banyakwide (Commander Banyakwide), a loyal follower of Prince Diponegoro during the Java War. Meanwhile, his father served as the Assistant Wedana of Banyumas.

He attended elementary school at Europeesche Lagere School (ELS) in Banyumas from 1900 to 1907.

His educational background shaped him into a figure who not only understood bureaucratic governance but also actively engaged in the national movement.

Margono was the father of Indonesia’s economic luminary, Prof Dr Soemitro Djojohadikoesoemo, who is President Prabowo's father.

Two of his sons died in the Battle of Lengkong: Captain Anumerta Soebianto Djojohadikoesoemo and Cadet Soejono Djojohadikoesoemo. Their names would later be honored in the names of their grandchildren, Prabowo Subianto and Hashim Sujono.

In his career, Margono was entrusted with the role of the first Chairman of the Temporary Grand Advisory Council (DPAS), the day after Soekarno and Hatta were inaugurated as President and Vice President of Indonesia.

dinarpus.banyumaskab.go.id Raden Mas Margono Djojohadikusumo, founder of Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), officially honored with the title of National Hero on Tuesday (10/11/2026).

In this position, Margono proposed strategic ideas that transformed the national financial landscape, particularly highlighting the importance of establishing a central bank or circulation bank as mandated by the 1945 Constitution.

Soekarno and Hatta then officially entrusted Margono on September 16, 1945, to prepare for the establishment of this financial institution. Three days later, the Cabinet Meeting decided to establish a state-owned bank functioning as a circulation bank.

This idea was realized on July 15, 1946, through the issuance of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) No. 2 of 1946 regarding the Establishment of Bank Negara Indonesia.

Margono was appointed as the first President Director of BNI. Under his leadership, BNI grew to become a cornerstone of Indonesia's newly established economic sovereignty, with its legal status later adjusted to a limited liability company (persero) in 1970.