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."