The story of Si Pitung has become a legend for the Indonesian people, especially the Betawi people. His life, adventures, and death are widely depicted in films and story books. However, behind the fame of the name Si Pitung, it turns out that there are pros and cons that accompany it, some think that Pitung is a hero but some consider him a robber. Which one is correct?
Who does not know the name Si Pitung, he is a native local hero and has become a legend in the minds of the Betawi people, his big name was very famous in his time and was greatly feared by opponents and respected by friends. He’s kind of like the original Indonesian Robinhood.
Si Pitung always defended the small people from the oppression and colonialism of the Company. Of course for the VOC Pitung became the biggest threat to the continuity of their business in Batavia at that time. Si Pitung was born in the Pengumben area in a village in Rawabelong which is currently in the vicinity of the Palmerah train station. He is the youngest of 3 children of the husband and wife couple Piung and Pinah.
Pitung studied at a boarding school which at that time was led by Haji Naipin, a goat trader. Pitung’s character is according to the Betawi term people who hear kate’. He is also intelligent and quickly catches the religious lessons given by his cleric, so that he is able to read the recitations of the Koran.
In addition to studying religion at Haji Naipin, Pitung like other Betawi residents in general, he also studied martial arts. Haji naipin is a tarekat teacher and also a martial arts champion, his youth was spent studying martial arts with his teacher mastery in rawabelong.
The greatness of Pitung’s silat skills was tested when he sold the goat in Tanah Abang. The money from the sale was tried by a group of youths, a fight broke out with the pickpockets, in just a few moments all the pickpockets in the village were lying on the ground. Seeing the greatness of the victims, the thieves even asked Pitung to be their leader.
Being the leader of the Pitung pickpockets, he began to act, but this time the victims were not ordinary citizens because he had promised to defend weak citizens. While studying silat, Pitung felt that the lives of the Betawi and Dutch people were very contrasting.
The landlords who lived in luxury at that time made Pitung excited when he saw the suffering of the small people around him, this condition made him like to rob rich people and landowners who shackled farmers with various blasts or taxes. The proceeds of the robbery were distributed to the poor.
There are two very different opinions regarding Si Pitung, the first opinion asserts that Si Pitung is purely a robber, while the second opinion states that Si Pitung robbed where the proceeds were distributed to the residents of Batavia who lived in poverty.
The first version according to Damardini (1993:148)
“Pitung was indeed a robber. Haji Samsudin might have been beaten at that time, if according to current terms Pitung is a troublemaker, a terrorist, and a target for operations by the government. Pitung is indeed evil. His job is to rob and extort rich people. Actually, no, there were no robbers who shared their loot for free, right? According to reports, Pitung donated his money to mosques. At that time, mosques were only in Pekojan, outside Batang, and Kampung Sawah. There is no evidence that Si Pitung donated his wealth. there”.
The second version according to Rahman Ali (1993)
“Pitung as a character in the Betawi story of the past is known as a robber, but the proceeds of the robbery are used to help people who are suffering, he is Robin Hood of Indonesia. However, the authorities do not tolerate, the guilty must still be given the appropriate punishment. “.
Wikipedia: the Pitung
The story of Pitung was later developed into a character as the Betawi version of Robin Hood by Lukman Karmani. In this novel, it is said that Si Pitung is a social hero with his close friend Ji’ih.
Various pros and cons shroud behind the story of the Legend of Si Pitung, but basically the character of Si Pitung is a reflection of the social rebellion carried out by the Betawi people against the ruler at that time, namely the Netherlands.
Whether this is true or not, the story of Si Pitung has been heard from generation to generation by the Betawi people as a sign of social liberation from the shackles of colonialism. Pitung is believed to have an invulnerability in which 7 sharp weapons and bullets are unable to penetrate his body.
Many sources from the original Betawi population deny that Pitung has knowledge of swamp rontek like the news that has been circulating, because the science of swamp rontek is a Hindu religion teaching, while Bitung himself is a man who is diligent in carrying out his obligations as a Muslim such as prayer, fasting, and zakat.
There are several versions about the death of Si Pitung. The first is that Si Pitung died because his amulet was stolen by someone else, while another version, according to the Dutch East Indies newspaper published in 1893, stated that Si Pitung died because his magic was lost due to his hair being cut.
However, all versions of Pitung’s death agree that Pitung was shot dead in the chest, because his courage against Dutch colonialism made Si Pitung’s name a byword for the people of that era to this day.
That’s a bit of a story about Si Pitung, a legendary Islamic fighter from the land of Betawi
