Historical Indonesian Figures

Mohammad Natsir (July 17, 1908-February 6, 1993) was a prominent Indonesian politician in the early independence of Indonesia.His life was not as colorful or dramatic as a stage play, but the example set by this person, who had a talent for combining words with deeds, was nothing less than remarkable.

He was a boy scout with the Hizbul Wathan movement and a teacher at a Muhammadiyah school. But during the Japanese occupation, Sudirman enlisted in the military, where at the age of 29 he was elected commander of the People’s Defense Army. Remembered as a simple general who was close to his troops, Sudirman set the foundations of the Indonesian Military.

HE was the first important figure who conceived of and wrote about the Republic of Indonesia. Muhammad Yamin called him, “Father of the Republic of Indonesia.” Following the declaration of independence he mobilized the youth for a mass rally at the Ikada Square on September 19, 1945. Tan Malaka could be called Indonesia’s most mysterious independence figure. He lived on the run in 11 countries.

IN his body flowed Dutch, French, German and Javanese blood, yet François Eugène Douwes Dekker’s spirit was nationalism, rooted among the local population. He was the first person to establish a political party in Indonesia, prompting Dutch colonial officials to brand him dangerous, for his capacity to provoke ‘native’ Indonesians into rebelling.

THE name of Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, alongside Suharto’s, rocketed to prominence after the political upheaval of 1965. As commander of the Army Para-Commando Regiment or RPKAD, Colonel Sarwo Edhie spearheaded the operations that would annihilate the PKI, the Indonesian Communist Party.

SUKARNO, the nation’s first president, acknowledged that Haji Oemar Said Tjokroaminoto changed his life around. He was not only Sukarno’s father-in-law, he was also his political guru and of other independence movement leaders, such as Semaoen, Musso, Alimin and Kartosoewirjo. But in the end, the mentor of our founding fathers stood alone....

APART from New Order books that incriminate all Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) members in the September 30 Movement (G30S) of 1965, most historians have found no involvement of Njoto in this revolutionary action. Sidelined for being too close to President Sukarno, senior PKI politician Njoto is the other side of the history of the G30S.

Sutan Sjahrir was one of the seven Fathers of Indonesian Revolution. He urged Sukarno and Hatta to declare Indonesian independence although he himself was not present on the big day. He chose an elegant way to drive the Dutch out of Indonesia, a way which was opposed by the other Fathers of Indonesian Revolution. His anti-fascist, anti-military ideology was criticized.....

Many know him as an Indonesian Communist Party leader during the rebellions of 1926 and 1948, the first of which was against the Netherlands Indies colonial government, while the second, in Madiun, East Java, was against the newly established Indonesian government. His name was Musso, a son of Kediri known for his religious diligence as a child.

FIFTY years after his death, Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo continues to inspire groups who dream of an ‘Islamic State’ in this country—both by peaceful and violent means. Ironically, the Kartosoewirjo family was classified as gentry, feudal and not a strict follower of Islam. His youth was not spent in religious education but in colonial Dutch schools.

WHO was Sjam, a man with five aliases? Who was this native of Tuban, East Java, who was an atheist yet known to be good at reciting verses from the Qur’an? Was he a double agent or just a loyal follower of PKI Chairman D.N. Aidit? The G30S tragedy is a mystery whose secrets have never been fully uncovered. Sjam Kamaruzaman is an important figure in the chaos....

DURING his 32 years in power Suharto had plenty of opportunities to do good and bad—which he did, alternately. However, there was a process which seemed to go on forever under his administration, the length of which could only be outdone by Cuba’s Fidel Castro. This process was centralization, and even personalization, with figurehead Suharto as the nucleus of the entire nation.