Rumours of President Soekarno\u2019s gold deposits in Switzerland have\ncirculated widely in Indonesian society for many years. The story\nclaimed that Indonesia\u2019s founding president possessed up to 57 tonnes of\ngold bars stored in Swiss banks, and it was even alleged that former US\nPresident John F. Kennedy had once borrowed from this cache.<\/p>\n
However, upon closer examination of historical records and\ntestimonies from those closest to Soekarno, the narrative proves to have\nno solid foundation. Multiple historical sources suggest that Soekarno\u2019s\nlife as president was far removed from any image of abundant wealth.<\/p>\n
According to various historical records, including an interview\nSoekarno granted to American journalist Cindy Adams, the founding\npresident admitted to living simply during his tenure as head of state.\nHe stated that his presidential salary was only approximately US$220 and\nthat he owned neither a house nor personal land. Soekarno even recounted\nhow an ambassador had once bought him pyjamas during a foreign visit, as\nthe ambassador felt sorry for him wearing torn sleeping clothes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there a head of state who is as poor as I am and frequently\nborrows money from his aides?\u201d Soekarno asked Cindy Adams in the 1964\npublication \u201cBung Karno: Penyambung Lidah Rakyat Indonesia\u201d.<\/p>\n
According to the same interview with Adams, Soekarno\u2019s poverty was\nsuch that he was nearly given a building through a collective\ncontribution by the public, but he declined, unwilling to burden\nothers.<\/p>\n
Soekarno\u2019s Family Statement<\/p>\n
Soekarno\u2019s remarks in the interview with Adams were corroborated by\nhis eldest son, Guntur Soekarnoputra. In an opinion column published in\nMedia Indonesia on 26 September 2020, Guntur stated that Soekarno had\npossessed little money both before and during his presidency.<\/p>\n
He also revealed that his father frequently borrowed money from\nfriends dating back to the independence movement, including from Agoes\nMoesin Dasaad.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs president, Bung Karno was the poorest president in the world. He\nhad no land, no house, much less precious metals as people have claimed\nall these years,\u201d Guntur said.<\/p>\n
Guntur also explicitly refuted claims about his father\u2019s gold\nholdings, stating that the story made no logical sense. \u201cThey say now\nthat the gold is in tonnes. Think about it\u2014if there were tonnes of gold\nstored in a Swiss bank, which I myself have visited, the storage space\nfor money in Switzerland wouldn\u2019t even be large enough to accommodate\nthat much gold. So I believe this is all false,\u201d Guntur said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian historian Ong Hok Ham also dismissed the rumour of\nSoekarno\u2019s vast wealth. Through his 1983 work \u201cKuasa dan Negara\u201d (Power\nand the State), Ong refuted the narrative and presented actual\nhistorical facts. One such fact concerned the story that Soekarno\ninherited wealth from the Islamic Mataram Kingdom.<\/p>\n
According to Ong, it is implausible that anyone could inherit wealth\nfrom an ancient kingdom, particularly gold bars. The fundamental problem\nis that ancient kingdoms did not possess the vast treasures imagined.\nMoreover, the Islamic Mataram Kingdom allegedly still owed debts to the\nDutch East India Company (VOC).<\/p>\n
Ong also noted that Soekarno\u2019s wealth story could be easily disproven\nwith a simple argument: if he possessed gold, Soekarno should not have\nlived in poverty until his death.<\/p>\n
This means the legend of the treasure trove of gold bars belonging to\nIndonesia\u2019s first president, which has long been believed, is false. It\nis hoped that this information will correct public misconceptions\nregarding the 57-tonne Soekarno gold legend.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-mystery-of-soekarnos-57-tonnes-of-gold-in-swiss-banks-finally-revealed-1773568464", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }