Abdul Rasjid

Abdoel Rasjid was born in 1891 in Padang, West Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, into an elite Angkola Batak family with roots in Sipirok.

[8][9] While living in Batavia he was also a leader in a Batak cultural club (Dutch: Batakschebond), which was inspired by the recently founded, Padang-based Jong Soematranen Bond.

[10] In 1922 he also attended the NIP-dominated nationalist Sumatran Unity Congress (Dutch: Soematraansch Eenheidscongres, also known as the Groot-Sumatra's Congres) in Padang.

Like his brother Mangaradja Soeangkoepon, Abdul Rasjid worked hard to advance the interests of native Indonesians in the Dutch political system, but remained highly skeptical of its ability to deliver real change when it was so undemocratic and was dominated by the European minority.

[17] In 1938 he became president of the Vereeniging van Indische Artsen (Society of Indies Physicians, known in Indonesian as Perkoempoelan Tabib Indonesia, PERTABIN), an organization which had been founded in 1911 but which had declined in importance since then.

[3] He advocated for the colonial government to fund a new colony-wide Therapeutic Institute which would regulate and allow for the use of traditional Indonesian medicine such as Jamu.

[2][17][21] In July 1939 he withdrew from the Fractie nationaal and joined a smaller group called the Indonesisch nationalistische groep which was to be chaired by his brother Mangaradja Soeangkoepon.