Indonesian Minister Kidnapped by Armed Group, Suspected Foreign Intelligence

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Indonesian history records a minister whose fate remains shrouded in mystery after being kidnapped by an armed group, suspected of being foreign intelligence. That figure is Otto Iskandardinata, known as Otista. The public today recognises him as a national hero, with his face on the Rp20,000 banknote and his name immortalised as a main road in various cities. However, few know that the end of this early independence-era figure was tragic. Otto was a key figure in the national movement. In the book Si Jalak Harupat, Biography of Otto Iskandardinata (2003), it is noted that in the 1920s decade, he was active in the Boedi Oetomo organisation. On the eve of independence, Otto was also involved in the political process as a member of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence (BPUPKI) and the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI). After the Proclamation of Independence on 17 August 1945, President Soekarno appointed Otto as Minister of State. At that time, Indonesia’s security situation was still chaotic, and the government did not yet have a well-organised armed force. Otto was tasked with helping to form the national military force. The challenges were immense because many armed groups came from diverse backgrounds, from former PETA and Heiho members formed by Japan to remnants of Dutch KNIL soldiers. These background differences sparked sectoral egos. Many groups rejected merging into a single command and preferred to act independently. Some even opposed the central government through harsh means to fight for independence. This situation became the beginning of Otto’s misfortune. On 19 December 1945, Otto Iskandardinata was kidnapped by an armed group called Laskar Hitam in Tangerang. He was then taken to the coastal area of Mauk Beach. Since then, Otto has vanished without a trace. According to Iip D. Yahya in the book Oto Iskandar di Nata: The Untold Stories (2017), the kidnapping was triggered by rumours spread by agents of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA). Otto was accused of being a Dutch spy. The issue was allegedly deliberately circulated to eliminate figures considered to hinder Indonesian unity. Among the Laskar Hitam, there was also news that Otto controlled one million Dutch guilders. The accusation was used to strengthen the narrative that Otto sided with the Dutch. In fact, according to Iip, the money came from Japanese war spoils, which were indeed in the form of Dutch guilders. Since the kidnapping, Otto’s whereabouts have never been known. He is believed to have been killed and his body dumped at sea. Because there has never been any certainty about his fate, the government finally set 20 December 1945 as the date of Otto Iskandardinata’s death. Seven years later, the government held a symbolic funeral in Bandung. The coffin buried did not contain Otto’s body, but only sand and seawater. The symbolic grave is located at the Pasir Pahlawan Monument.