Iconography of Prince Diponegoro again figures prominently in election

A portrait of Javanese general Prince Diponegoro, painted by renowned artist Basoeki Abdullah. - The Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA: Javanese Muslim general and national hero Prince Diponegoro has been dead for almost two centuries now, but the legendary stories about his heroism, especially during the Java War, have continued to resonate with many Indonesians.

For obvious reasons. The five-year war that he waged against the Dutch between 1825 and 1830 almost bankrupted the occupying government and the consequences from the war were deemed responsible for the brutal Cultivation System that was imposed by the colonial government.