Heroes of Indonesia's revolution
JAKARTA (JP): Beginning today, The Jakarta Post will be carrying a series of articles which the editors hope will help readers put the momentous events surrounding Indonesia's independence, proclaimed on Aug.17, 1945, in better perspective.
The vignettes of some of the main actors in the drama are presented below by way of an introduction to the sequence, which will extend into the next few days.
Sukarno: Friday, August 17, 1945. In most places in Indonesia dawn seemed to promise a day like any other. Only two days before, the Japanese empire had collapsed, its erstwhile might withered in the scorching heat of the two atomic bombs that put an end to World War II but few people in Indonesia were aware of this sudden and dramatic turn of the war. Everywhere life was going on as usual -- with a few exceptions.
To the observant, however, signs that the tide had turned against Japan had been obvious for quite some time although the Japanese military propaganda machine was still trying hard to make it look as if everything was going just fine.
In Jakarta, where a nationalist underground consisting of several youth groups had been diligently monitoring Allied radio stations, Japan's surrender on Aug.15 was no secret. Impatient with the cautious stance of the more senior leaders, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta, a group of youthful activists in the morning of Aug.16 acted to "escort" the two top nationalist leaders Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta to a hideout at Rengasdengklok, outside Jakarta, and force them both into proclaiming the country's independence without delay.
That morning of Aug.16 the Preparatory Committee for Indonesia's Independence met in Jakarta to discuss the text of the proclamation of independence which its chairman, Sukarno, was to deliver. When it was discovered that the chairman could not be found, news of the kidnap quickly and questions were asked.
One of the youth leaders present at the meeting disclosed Sukarno's whereabouts. As Sukarno related the events to the American biographer Cindy Adams, since it had become apparent to the foolish young rebels that their plan was rashly conceived and totally fruitless and nothing would happen without Sukarno's presence, it was agreed to bring him back.
So, in a special meeting arranged -- of all places -- in the house of the Japanese naval admiral Maeda, a draft proclamation was drawn up. It was read out at exactly 10 a.m. on Aug.17, 1945 with only a handful of witnesses present. The text, however, was (illicitly) broadcast throughout Indonesia and the world.
The actual words, as Sukarno says in his autobiography, were scribbled on an torn piece of paper. "Somebody located a pad with blue lines on it such as are in children's lesson books. I ripped out a sheet and with my own hand wrote lengthwise across the blue lines," he wrote.
"Nor did we search for a special quill steeped in tradition. Who thought about such things? We didn't preserve the historic plume which scrawled the immortal words. I know presidents of the United States distribute pens with which they sign important bills, but me, with a great moment of history staring me in the face -- I don't even remember where the pen came from." Thus the historic document was read out in front of Sukarno's home on Jl. Pegangsaan Timur 56.
Early the following morning, says Sukarno further in his autobiography, there was a meeting of leaders representing the most important religious, social, tribal, economic and civic groups in Indonesia.
"It was at this meeting that they elected me President by acclamation. I don't even recall such details as who actually proposed me. I remember only somebody uttering something uninspirational like, 'Well, we're a state as of yesterday, and a state needs a president. How about Sukarno?'"
"Having been elected to the highest office in the land, the new President walked home," Sukarno further says. "On the street I passed a sidewalk vendor selling barbequed bits of skewered meat which is our favorite national dish. His Excellency the President of the Republic of Indonesia hailed the barefoot, bareback restaurateur and issued his first executive order: 'Please, make for me 50 sticks of chicken satai.' I squatted right there in the gutter and in the muck and we ate them and that was the whole celebration feast in my honor." Hatta drew up the proclamation text
Hatta: Mohammad Hatta topped his long struggle for Indonesia's independence by, among other things, helping draw up the text of the proclamation of Indonesia's independence and co-signing that most historical document together with Sukarno.
As Japan's end in the Asia-Pacific War approached, Hatta and Sukarno, who were vice chairman and chairman of the Japanese- formed Preparatory Committee for Indonesia's Independence, respectively, were summoned to meet Marshal Terauchi, the Japanese highest military authority for the Southeast Asia region, in Dalat, about 300 kilometers north of Saigon. They left Jakarta on Aug. 9, 1945.
In the meeting, Terauchi told them that Tokyo had decided to grant Indonesia its independence, Hatta recalled in his memoir Sekitar Proklamasi (Around the Proclamation). Sukarno asked the Japanese commander if the Committee could announce the proclamation around Aug. 25. "That's up to you," Terauchi was quoted by Hatta as saying.
On the way to and from Saigon, they heard news that the Soviet Union had declared war on Japan and had launched massive attacks on Manchuria. They estimated that Japan's days were numbered.
On Hatta's return in Jakarta on Aug.14, Sutan Sjahrir was waiting for him at his home. Hatta briefed him on the results of the meeting with Terauchi but he was surprised to hear from Sjahrir that Japan had asked for a peaceful settlement with the Allies. Hatta did not believe that Japan's surrender would come that swiftly.
The two then went to see Sukarno, who also said he did not believe that Japan would give up so quickly. He promised Hatta to find out the truth the following day. On the following morning, August 15, Sukarno, Hatta and a friend visited a Japanese military office and found only an officer there, which was highly unusual. Then they went to the office of a Japanese officer, Navy Admiral Maeda, and found him greatly distraught. They concluded that what Sjahrir had said was true. Hatta proposed that the Committee meet the following day, August 16, which was agreed upon by Sukarno.
Early in the evening, Hatta found a group of youths led by Sukarni waiting for him outside his house. They forced him to come along with them in a sedan. Sukarno and his wife Fatmawati and their infant son Guntur were also abducted by the youths and taken to a house belonging to a PETA militia group in Rengasdengklok. They told Hatta and Sukarno 15,000 youths would enter the city by midday, disarm the Japanese and proclaim the country's independence by themselves. The youths' "revolution", however, never took place.
On their return in Jakarta they immediately called all the Committee members together to draft the text of the proclamation of independence. However, the Japanese authorities prohibited the effort since the Japanese military in Java had been instructed to maintain the status quo as of 1 p.m. that day, they said. Nevertheless, the Committee went ahead, drafting the text of the proclamation at Admiral Maeda's house.
Sukarno proposed that Hatta compose the text because, "I think his language is the best". After the text was agreed upon, Hatta proposed that all those who were present at the meeting put their signatures on it, as it had happened with the U.S. text proclamation of independence. Someone, however, proposed that only Sukarno and Hatta sign it, which was agreed by the meeting. The session ended at 3 a.m.
Sutan Sjahrir: Sjahrir, the socialist leader of the nationalist movement who had gone underground during the Japanese occupation, was initially deeply involved in the process that led up to the proclamation of independence.
On August 14, 1945, Sjahrir, who had been informed by his followers that the Japanese were about to surrender following the bombing of Nagasaki, the second city hit by a nuclear bomb dropped on Japan on August 9, suggested to Hatta that independence be proclaimed immediately.
Sukarno and Hatta were unaware of those latest developments. Hatta proposed to consult with Sukarno, which was agreed upon by Sjahrir because both he and Hatta believed any proclamation of the country's independence would be meaningless without Sukarno.
While Hatta met with Sukarno, Sjahrir rounded up his followers of the nationalist youth movement. "I gave the instructions to my friends in town to prepare for demonstrations or probably fighting in case the Japanese tried to use power. The proclamation of independence will be the signal to start the demonstration. We have made the text of the proclamation and sent it throughout Java to be printed and distributed on the same day," Sjahrir recalled in his memoir Renungan dan Perjuangan (Reflection and Struggle).
In the afternoon Hatta came to visit Sjahrir to inform him that Sukarno was not convinced that Japan was about to surrender. So Sjahrir, together with Hatta, went to Sukarno's house again to convince him. Sukarno, recalled Sjahrir in his memoir, at last agreed to proclaim independence the following day after 5 p.m.
On August 15, Sjahrir and his followers restlessly waited for the proclamation.
"Disappointment mixed with anger and despair arose among our followers" he added. In his memoir Sjahrir says it was too late to inform his followers about the delay. Those in Cirebon read the copy of Sjahrir's text of the proclamation and acted as scheduled. They were arrested by the Japanese.
In anger and frustration, some of the militant youths then took the initiative to kidnap Sukarno and Hatta in the evening of the day and take them to Rengasdengklok to force them to proclaim Indonesia's independence immediately.
Hatta and Sukarno believed Sjahrir was behind it. But Mrazek argues that the group of kidnappers was not under his influence although some of the kidnappers were his followers. When he was informed of the kidnap plan, he spoke against it. But the youths went ahead and informed Sjahrir of the kidnapping late that night when the kidnapping was already in progress. At this point, he "decided to go with the stream of events", said Mrazek.
After many efforts the Japanese officers and some Indonesian leaders managed to persuade the youths to release Sukarno and Hatta in the afternoon of August 16. Both were then taken to the house of a top Japanese naval officer by the name of Admiral Maeda.
Sukarno assembled several other members of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesia's Independence, which was formed by the Japanese, to draft a proclamation text in a meeting that lasted from the evening till dawn. When the session was underway, said Sjahrir, a delegation from the Committee was sent to ask him to join the meeting but Sjahrir rejected the offer.
"Of course I could not accept it; we wanted a proclamation that was revolutionary, while now the proclamation was being drafted in a Japanese admiral's house. Our own text of the proclamation was discussed that night but all the parts that portrayed the Indonesian's struggle against the persecution and exploitation by the Japanese were eliminated from the text as composed by the Committee for Preparation for Independence ...," Sjahrir recalls in his memoir.
The following day, at 10 a.m., August 17, 1945, Sukarno read the text of the proclamation as it was drawn up at Maeda's place. A small gathering of people were present in front of Sukarno's house. Sjahrir was absent. The text reads as follows:
"We the People of Indonesia hereby declare the Independence of Indonesia. Matters concerning the transfer of power and other matters will be executed in an orderly manner and in the shortest possible time."
Sjahrir's draft of the proclamation remains unknown since no copies have survived.
Sudiro: A personal secretary to Sukarno at the time Indonesia's independence was proclaimed, Sudiro was instrumental in seeing to it that business went as smoothly as was possible under the circumstances and in making life a little easier for the chief executive of the newly born Republic.
One day, Sudiro writes in his memoir, he and two young activists of the independence movement, Latif Hendraningrat and Dr. Muwardi, devised a scheme which they believed should be carried out immediately, while the Japanese had lost their morale and the Allied forces had not arrived. The plan involved launching a surprise attack and occupying the palace on what is now Jl. Merdeka Utara.
Although Indonesia had become independent, nothing appeared to have changed in Jakarta except for the fact that those who had the courage were flying the national flag day and night.
"Our thinking was that if we could manage to install Sukarno and Hatta in the building that for so many decades has been the residence of the Dutch governors general and which has for three- and-a-half years served as the home of the Japanese military commander, the people would truly realize that we have become a free nation," Sudiro says. "We did not mention it to Bung Karno (Sukarno) because we thought he would not agree allow it. "So the three went to Hatta to tell him about the plan but they were scolded with the words: "Have you all gone crazy?"
"We went home dejectedly but we promised ourselves next time not to be too quick to ask for permission to do something we believe is right," Sudiro says. A few days later Sudiro put his new philosophy into practice.
Cars were a luxury in Jakarta during the war and the finest car in the city was owned by the head of the Department of Transportation. It was a shining black seven-seat Buick and in excellent condition. It was parked every day in a garage at the back of the man's office.
After having befriended the driver, Sudiro offered the driver of the car Rp 300 in cash -- quite a considerable sum at that time -- and advised him to go back to his hometown Kebumen in Central Java since the situation in Jakarta was getting uncertain. Sudiro was given the key of the car and with the help of an acquaintance who was a driver he drove the Buick to Sukarno's house on Jl. Pegangsaan Timur 56.
He handed the car over the Sukarno with the words, "Here, Bung. Here is a car that's fit for a President of the Republic of Indonesia."
As Sudiro says, "Sukarno laughed. These are just a few examples of how we were willing to do anything at all at that time, as long as it was for the Republic."