Idham Chalid (27 August 1921 – 11 July 2010) was an Indonesian politician, religious leader, and minister, who served as Chairman of the

People's Consultative Assembly The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (, MPR-RI) is the legislative branch in Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the members of a lower body, House of Representatives (DPR) and an upper body, Regional R ...

and Chairman of the

People's Representative Council The House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (, DPR-RI or simply DPR) is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the national legislature of Indonesia. It is considered the lower house, while th ...

from 1972 until 1977. He was also a prominent leader of the

Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership numbered over 40 million in 2023, making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU is also a charitable body funding schools and hospitals as well as or ...

(NU) and leader of the

United Development Party The United Development Party (, PPP) is an Islam-based Al-Hamdi, Ridho (February 2017). ''Moving towards a Normalised Path: Political Islam in Contemporary Indonesia''. Jurnal Studi Pemerintahan (Journal of Government & Politics). Vol. 8 No. 1, p ...

(PPP), from 1956 until 1984. He was appointed a

National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...

, along with 6 other figures, based on Presidential Decree No. 113/TK/Year 2011 dated 7 November 2011. On 19 December 2016, he was immortalized in the new redesign of Rp. 5.000, new

rupiah The rupiah (Currency symbol, symbol: Rp; ISO 4217, currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia, issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also inform ...

banknote.

Early life and education

Early life

Idham Chalid was born on August 27, 1921, in Satui,

Tanah Bumbu regency Tanah Bumbu is one of the regencies in the Indonesian province of South Kalimantan. It was formerly part of Kotabaru Regency, but was split off on 25 February 2003 to form a separate regency, following dissatisfaction on the Kalimantan mainland t ...

, in the southeast portion of

South Kalimantan South Kalimantan () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is the second most populous province on the island of Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory of the island of Borneo after West Kalimantan. The provincial capital was Banjar ...

. He is the eldest of five children. His father was Muhammad Chalid, a person from Amuntai, about 200 kilometers from

Banjarmasin Banjarmasin is the largest city in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It was the capital of the province until 15 February 2022. The city is located on a delta island near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers. Historically the centre of t ...

. When he was six years old, his family moved to Amuntai and lived in the Tangga Ulin area, his father's ancestral hometown.

Education

He was admitted to the second grade of Amuntai People's School (SR). After graduating from there, he continued his education to Madrasah Ar-Rasyidiyyah in 1922. Idham continued his education at the Gontor Islamic Boarding School located in

Ponorogo Ponorogo Regency (; ) is an inland Regency (Indonesia), regency () of East Java Province of Indonesia. It is considered the birthplace of Reog, Reog Ponorogo, a traditional Indonesian dance form. The regency covers an area of , and it had a popu ...

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...

. Becoming fluent in a number of languages, including

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. After graduating from Gontor, 1943, he continued his education in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

. In the capital, his fluency resulted in him being employed as a translator between the Japanese and the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Around this time, he graduated from an Islamic teaching college, and would go on to work as a teacher at Islamic institutes from 1943-1945.

Political career

Early political career

Following the Proclamation of Independence, he joined the Indonesian People's Union, a local party, which then moved to the Indonesian Muslim Union. After working in local government, in 1950 he became a member of the

. After a short period as secretary general of the Nahdlatul Ulama, in 1956 he became chairman, a position he held until 1984. In March 1956, he was appointed second deputy prime minister in the Second Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet, and four years later became deputy chairman of the

. In 1960, after

Masyumi Party The Council of Indonesian Muslim Associations Party (), better known as the Masyumi Party, was a major Islamic political party in Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia (1950-1957), Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia. It was b ...

was banned by President Sukarno.

The New Order

Following the fall of President Sukarno, he served in the

Ampera Cabinet The Ampera Cabinet () was the Indonesian cabinet which served under President Sukarno and later on acting president Suharto from July 1966 until October 1967. The cabinet was formed after the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS) se ...

and Revised Ampera Cabinet as minister of people's welfare from July 1966 until June 1968. He was reappointed to the

First Development Cabinet The First Development Cabinet () is the name of the cabinet of the Indonesian government led by President Suharto. This cabinet was announced on 6 June 1968 and served from 10 June 1968 until 27 March 1973. The composition of this cabinet is not ...

as state minister for people's welfare. From 1972 to 1977, he was both

speaker of the People's Representative Council The Speaker of the House of Representatives, (; ) is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the House of Representatives (Indonesia), House of Representatives of Indonesia. The speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House ...

and chairman of the

National Hero

Idham died in Cipete, South Jakarta on 11 July 2010 ten years after suffering a stroke. He was buried in the grounds of the Darul Qur`an Islamic Boarding School complex in Cisarua, Bogor. He was named a

based on 113/TK/Tahun Presidential Decree No. 2011 dated 7 November 2011. He became the third Banjarese to receive the title. Following the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 31 of 5 September 2016,

Bank Indonesia Bank Indonesia (BI) is the central bank of the Republic of Indonesia. It replaced in 1953 the Bank of Java (, DJB), which had been created in 1828 to serve the financial needs of the Dutch East Indies. History Bank of Java King William ...

introduced seven new banknote designs featuring national heroes. Idham Chalid's face is featured on the obverse of the Rp 5,000 banknote. Idham Chalid's face is also featured on the newer 2022 series.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chalid, Idham 1921 births Banjar people 2010 deaths Indonesian Islamic religious leaders Indonesian Sunni Muslims Nahdlatul Ulama people Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam National Heroes of Indonesia Speakers of the People's Consultative Assembly Deputy prime ministers of Indonesia