Rasuna Said became active in the "Sarekat Rakyat" (Peoples Union) organisation and later became a member of the Union of Indonesian Muslims ("Persatuan Muslim Indonesia"). She was imprisoned for a period for her activities by the Dutch in 1932 in Semarang in Central Java. After the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945 she became a member of the Sumatra Representative Council ("Dewan Perwakilan Sumatra"). In 1959 she was appointed a member of the Indonesian National Advisory Council ("Dewan Pertimbangan Agung"), a position she held until her death in Jakarta in 1965.