Biography of late Marshal Roesmin launched
Biography of late Marshal Roesmin launched
A. Junaidi, Jakarta
The biography of a former Air Force commander, the late Marshall
Roesmin Nurjadin, was launched here on Saturday, telling his
version of what happened around the time of the 1965 alleged coup
that has since been blamed on the now-defunct Indonesian
Communist Party (PKI).
The 437-page biography says Roesmin was appointed as the new
Air Force chief at 36 years of age to replace Rear Marshal Sri
Moeljono Herlambang amid suspicions that officers from the Air
Force had played a role in the coup attempt.
Rusmin's appointment was due to what the book said was his
position as a "neutral" young officer who could be accepted by
the military forces, particularly the Army.
The biography said Roesmin had close relationships with some
high-ranking Army officers, including Gen. A.H. Nasution and Maj.
Gen. Soeharto.
Soeharto, who replaced President Sukarno in 1966, installed
Roesmin as the Indonesian ambassador to the United Kingdom in
1970 and to the United States in 1974, owing to his
"achievements" in reorganizing the Air Force.
The Soeharto government blamed the alleged coup attempt on the
outlawed PKI. It was one of the bloodiest tragedies in
Indonesia's long history of tragedies. Hundreds of thousands of
suspected PKI supporters were slaughtered or tortured to death
without any form of due process in court.
Known as Indonesia's first jet fighter pilot, Roesmin later
served as minister of transportation for two-five-year terms from
1978 to 1988 in the Soeharto Cabinet.
Having been a jet fighter pilot, Roesmin was involved in
several operations against separatist movements, including the
Indonesian Republic Revolutionary Administration (PRRI) in many
areas across Sumatra in 1958.
The book was ghost-written by a team led by senior journalist
Imran Hasibuan on the basis of interviews with Roesmin's wife,
Soejati, and close friends, as well as material from other books.
Roesmin was born on May 31, 1930, and is survived by his wife,
two sons and one daughter. He died on Sept. 8, 1994 while playing
golf in Bandung, West Java.