The Spiritual Guru Behind President Soeharto and His Accurate Prophecy

Behind the power of a president, there is sometimes a figure rarely known to the public. For Indonesia’s second president, Soeharto, that figure was a spiritual teacher named Rama Diyat, also known as Raden Panji Soediyat Prawirokoesoemo. His closeness to the country’s number one person meant that Rama Diyat’s house was always guarded by military vehicles.

This was revealed by Supreme Court Justice Adi Andojo Soetjipto, who was a neighbour of Rama Diyat on Jalan Sriwijaya, South Jakarta, in the 1970s. In his memoir, ‘Menyongsong dan Tunaikan Tugas Negara Sampai Akhir, Sebuah Memoar’ (2007), Adi admitted to frequently seeing military vehicles at his neighbour’s house. “On Jalan Sriwijaya, we were neighbours with President Soeharto’s spiritual advisor, Romo Diyat. In fact, at Romo Diyat’s house, there was always a military vehicle stationed there, likely a guard’s vehicle,” Adi wrote.

According to Ahmad Moestahal in ‘Dari Gontor ke Pulau Buru: Memoar H. Achmadi Moestahal’ (2002), Rama Diyat was appointed by Soeharto as a personal assistant with the honorary rank of Brigadier General. Historian M.C. Ricklefs, in ‘Mengislamkan Jawa’ (2013), also mentions Rama Diyat as Soeharto’s spiritual teacher. He often led rituals at Jambe Pitu, Mount Selok, on the southern coast of Java. Ricklefs could not confirm whether Soeharto attended these rituals in person or sent an envoy.

However, Rama Diyat’s relationship with Soeharto had been established long before the general became president. According to Moestahal, Rama Diyat was originally an army captain who fought in the War of Independence. In 1950, he decided to leave the military and began teaching mysticism. His students came from various backgrounds, including Soeharto.

The bond between the two reportedly grew stronger when Soeharto faced difficult times in his military career, particularly in mid-1965. At that time, Soeharto felt his career was stagnating. He was overshadowed by his peers and did not hold a strategic post. During the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation in 1963, he was even placed under the command of Omar Dhani, his junior. “Additionally, he felt ostracised from Ahmad Yani’s inner circle due to language limitations and being more reserved,” wrote Jusuf Wanandi in ‘Shades of Grey: A Political Memoir of Modern Indonesia’ (2012).

In this state, Soeharto intended to resign from military service. His resignation letter had already been written. However, the plan was discovered by his confidant, Soedjono Hoemardani. Soedjono urged Soeharto to cancel his intention, reminding him of a message from Rama Diyat, who had prophesied that Soeharto would become a great man. Soeharto relented. Shortly thereafter, the G30S incident erupted in 1965. After several high-ranking Army officers were killed, Soeharto took control of operations, and his career soared until he eventually became the second President of Indonesia.

Despite his privileged position within the presidential circle, there are few official records detailing the advice Rama Diyat provided during Soeharto’s leadership.