Thoughts along Jl. Sudirman

Thoughts along Jl. Sudirman

By Sabam Siagian

The following article was written as an introduction to the
book on the late Gen. Soedirman, the Supreme Commander of the
Indonesian National Army (TNI) from December 1945 until he passed
away in January 1950. The book was written by Lt. Gen. (ret)
Tjokropranolo, Gen. Soedirman's senior aide, and will be launched
at the end of this month in Perth, Australia. This is the first
of a two-part article.

CANBERRA: One day I was caught in a massive traffic jam along
Jenderal Sudirman (modern spelling) boulevard. While waiting for
some movement, I could not help but ponder on the stark
contradiction offered by the scene around me. The imposing
modernistic office towers along this tree-lined boulevard,
housing Indonesia's prominent banks and corporations, hotels and
international airlines' offices seem to be such a contradiction
to the simple and Spartan personality of the late Gen. Soedirman
-- after whom the boulevard was named.

Another revealed irony is that the satellite town Kebayoran
and the connecting street between it and Jakarta's center --
which is now named Jalan Jenderal Sudirman -- was designed and
constructed by the Netherlands administration during the late 40s
when the Netherlands - Indonesian conflict was still taking
place. That regime was the very enemy against whom Gen. Soedirman
led the Indonesian National Army until mid-1949. When finally the
Kingdom of the Netherlands in the last days of 1949 was forced to
recognize the existence of an independent and sovereign Indonesia
through a combination of people's war and diplomacy, it was to be
expected that somehow the memory of the illustrious leader of the
people's war should be kept alive by naming a prominent street
after him.

My guess is when this long two-way boulevard was named Jalan
Jenderal Sudirman in the early 50s -- presumably on the
suggestion of the acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Col.
T.B. Simatupang, who had worked closely with Gen. Soedirman -- it
was not foreseen that one day Indonesia's corporate and financial
power would be concentrated along that stretch of road on the way
to Jakarta's new satellite town, Kebayoran.

A former senior aide of Gen. Soedirman, Tjokropranolo, who was
with him constantly during the short but intensive guerrilla war
after the Netherlands military forces launched their general
offensive on Dec. 19, 1948, and occupied the Republic of
Indonesia's war time capital Yogyakarta, wrote what is so far the
most comprehensive book on the late Gen. Soedirman. Wing
Commander Ian MacFarling, who for years was teaching on the
Dynamics of Indonesian Politics at the Australian Defence Force
Academy in Canberra, has done an admirable work by translating
Tjokropranolo's book in a condensed form (Tjokropranolo retired
from the Indonesian Army with the rank of Lieutenant General. He
was governor of the special capital territory of Greater Jakarta
1977 - 1982). Wing Commander Ian MacFarling's superb translation
hopefully will reveal to the readers one significant aspect of
the Indonesian psyche, not always prominently visible, as
epitomized by Gen. Soedirman's life.

Such a fascinating story, as displayed by Gen. Soedirman's
sacrificial life as the infant Republic of Indonesia's top
military leader, could only occur in the intense revolutionary
situation that prevailed during the early years of the republic
after the Proclamation of Independence was issued on Aug. 17,
1945, by two prominent national leaders Sukarno and Mohammad
Hatta. The spontaneous response of the Indonesian people was
indeed overwhelming, fighting units sprang up like mushrooms
after rain. Thus, before the Republic of Indonesia declared the
existence of an official military organization, a protomilitary
force had already emerged, particularly in Java, Sumatra and
Bali. In a number of cases these armed fighting units were part
of the recently formed political parties that made use of the
freedom they so much enjoyed after years of Japanese occupation.
It was indeed a curious happening that only could occur during a
revolutionary situation when Soedirman was 'elected' at a
conference of military commanders in Yogyakarta on Nov. 12, 1945.

Soedirman was a teacher at a secondary school in Purwokerto
(the residency of Banyumas), Central Java, on the eve of the
outbreak of the Pacific war on Dec. 8, 1942. The school was part
of Muhammadiyah, an Islamic social organization that felt its
task to contribute to the modernization process of the country
and the rejuvenation of Islam by establishing schools and
hospitals.

There is a streak of independency which is typical of the
Banyumas people. Most probably the historic origin of this social
attitude could be traced to some time in the mid-19th century or
perhaps earlier when the local rulers of the Banyumas area
showed some act of defiance against the Mataram Kingdom, centered
in Surakarta. It is known that the area was a recruiting place
for the Netherlands East Indies Army, with the town of Gombong
was a military garrison. Some prominent officers of the
Indonesian army that emerged during the revolutionary war in the
late 40s came from the Banyumas area.

However Soedirman did not display the known characteristics of
a heroic military leader. By definition he was a reserved person
and a devout Moslem that did not indulge in the niceties of life.
His limited formal education in the Western sense did not inhibit
him from displaying his leadership to his staff officers, who, in
some cases, had a more solid military training under the
Netherlands East Indies administration.

From the scanty biographical notes of Soedirman during those
years, one has the impression that he was a very devout Moslem
who was also sensitive to the ideas of the nationalist movement.
Most probably it was his nationalistic feeling that prompted him
to join the Home Guard (Pembela Tanah Air, shortened to Peta)
that was established by the Japanese occupational force on the
prodding of nationalist leaders such as Sukarno.

Many prominent leaders of the Indonesian Armed Forces emerged
from this Peta organization, the most prominent example is of
course President Soeharto.

The immense task that had to be carried out by Gen. Soedirman
as Supreme Commander of the Indonesian Army was spelled out by
President Sukarno during his short officiation address on Dec.
18, 1945 in Yogyakarta, where the headquarters was located.
Sukarno said that Gen. Soedirman had the awesome assignment of
unifying all the armed organizations into one cohesive and
effective force under one command if we were to achieve victory.

A young staff officer at the Supreme Headquarters of the
Indonesian National Army, Col. T.B. Simatupang, who attended the
Royal Military Academy in Bandung on the eve of the Pacific War
(December 1941), gave a succinct profile sketch of Gen. Soedirman
during those years in his memoirs. He wrote:

"Pak Dirman usually delegated to Pak Urip the technical
military problems which the Military Command faced after the
Proclamation of Independence. Pak Dirman's greatest service was
his ability to keep all groups in the Armed Forces together those
days, without making the leadership something empty or vague.
Under the circumstances then, meetings had frequently to be held
to harmonize the conflicting attitudes and viewpoints current
among the military on key questions. When opening or closing
these sessions, or whenever a decision was reached, Pak Dirman
always stated earnestly : 'Today on the ... (date) of ...
(month), of ... (year), at ... minutes past ... hours, I declare
the meeting open, closed, or the following decision taken.'
Consequently, a sense of punctuality and an orderly atmosphere
always reigned at meetings over which he presided. He generally
permitted everyone who wished to speak to present his views as
fully as he wished. Only after everyone felt that he had his say
would Pak Dirman state that, having heard and considered all
viewpoints, he, as commander, declared : 'I hereby decide this,
or that, on the ... (date) at ... hours.' Such a method of
operating, of course, required a great deal of Pak Dirman's
energy.

"The problems facing him by virtue of his position were also a
source of constant mental tension, and he could never free
himself from them for a moment. He grew increasingly thin, and
one day the doctors diagnosed that he had tuberculosis. Even so,
he could not bring himself to relinquish his duties and
responsibilities. His activities for the case of Indonesia's
independence aggravated his ill-health more and more. Rarely have
I met a person with Pak Dirman's great sense of responsibility. A
couple of times, we had our differences of opinion, but,
generally speaking, I had to admit in the end that his viewpoint
was wiser and more appropriate -- though sometimes mine was
better in a purely rational sense."