Imam Munandar (15 June 1927 – 21 June 1988) was an Indonesian military officer who also served as the governor of

Riau Riau (Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of the island of Sumatra, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Barisan Mountains to the Malacca Strait, including s ...

between 1980 and his death in 1988. He was primarily active within the Kodam V/Brawijaya, and was appointed as governor in 1980 following his predecessor's death. He secured his second term in 1985 despite local opposition, after his opponent was forced to resign his candidacy.

Early life

Munandar was born in

Blitar Blitar is a landlocked city in East Java, Indonesia, about 73 km from Malang and 167 km from Surabaya. The area lies within longitude 111° 40' – 112° 09' East and its latitude is 8° 06' South. The city of Blitar lies at an altitude ...

on 15 June 1927, and graduated from a colonial elementary school (''

Hollandsch-Inlandsche School Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS) (Dutch school for natives) was a school during the Dutch East Indies, Dutch colonial era in Indonesia. The school, was first established in 1914, following with the enactment of the Dutch Ethical Policy. The scho ...

'') in 1940. He completed middle school in 1943, although he obtained his high school diploma from a technical school in 1951.

Career

Military

During the

Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. In May 1940, Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, occupied the Netherlands, and ma ...

, Munandar joined the

Defenders of the Homeland The Defenders of the Homeland (; , PETA) was a volunteer army established on 3 October 1943 in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) by the occupying Japanese. The Japanese intended PETA to assist their forces in opposing a possible inv ...

(PETA) paramilitary organization. He held the rank of platoon commander, having been trained by and being a direct subordinate of future president

Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...

. He joined the nascent

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...

, and served during the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...

as part of the Brawijaya Division, during which he took part in the crackdowns following the

Madiun Affair The Madiun Affair (), known locally as the Communist Party of Indonesia rebellion of 1948 (), was an armed conflict between the government of the self-proclaimed Republic of Indonesia and the left-wing opposition group ''Front Demokrasi Rakyat ...

of 1948. In independent Indonesia, he took part in operations against the

South Maluku Republic South Maluku, also South Moluccas and officially the Republic of South Maluku, was an unrecognised secessionist state that claimed the islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram, which currently make up most of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The ...

, the Darul Islam revolt, and the PRRI/

Permesta Permesta was a rebel movement in Indonesia that was declared on 2 March 1957 by civil and military leaders in Eastern Indonesia. Initially the center of the movement was in Makassar, which at that time was the capital of the province of Sulawe ...

rebellion. In the aftermath of the

30 September movement The Thirtieth of September Movement (, also known as G30S, and by the syllabic abbreviation Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement, also unofficially called Gestok, for ''Gerakan Satu Oktober'', or Fir ...

in 1965, Munandar took part in the anti-communist crackdowns, as the commander of

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

's military district. On one occasion, he remarked to his commanding officer that their unit should release imprisoned

Indonesian Communist Party The Communist Party of Indonesia ( Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesia. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in ...

cadres so that they could be killed. He continued to serve within Brawijaya until 1975, when he was assigned to become commander of the Papuan military area command, holding the post until 1980. During his time as commander, the Indonesian Army launched a major operation against the

Free Papua Movement The Free Papua Movement or Free Papua Organization (, OPM) is a name given to a separatist movement that aims to separate West Papua from Indonesia and establish an independent state in the region. The territory is currently divided into six ...

in 1976. At the time, as a major general, he was considered to become a potential governor for

Irian Jaya New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Austral ...

, but due to popular rejection the idea was shelved. Afterwards, he was stationed at

Tanjungpinang Tanjungpinang, also colloquially written as Tanjung Pinang, is the capital city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of Riau Islands. It covers a land area of 144.56 km2, mainly in the southern part of Bintan Island, as well ...

as part of an anti-smuggling operation.

As governor

In 1980, the sitting governor of Riau, Subrantas Siswanto, died in office and Munandar was selected to replace him. He was sworn in as Governor on 2 October 1980. Munandar was a notoriously harsh talker, and had a tendency to scold his subordinates in public. In his first two years in office, he had amicable relations with local Malay politicians in Riau. He promoted the development of

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

and

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

plantations, particularly in the province's coastal regions, in addition to continuing the development of the

Batam Batam, officially the City of Batam (, not to be confused with ''Batam Kota'', a kecamatan, district within this city), is the largest List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. The city administra ...

project. Later in his first term, however, Munandar's relationship with local politicians deteriorated as he became more temperamental. When Munandar was up for reelection in 1985, the central government in Jakarta had approved of his candidacy, despite the opposition of Riau's politicians. They sent a letter to President Suharto requesting Munandar not run for a second term, Suharto outright rejecting this request. These local politicians eventually agreed among themselves to not cast their vote for Munandar, and instead to vote for the provincial legislature's secretary and senior civil servant Ismail Suko. On 2 September 1985, the day of the vote, Munandar was defeated by Suko who won 19 votes of 37. Fearing retaliation from the central government, Suko left Pekanbaru for

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 ...

the following day, and was eventually pressured into resigning his candidacy by 10 September. Munandar was sworn in for his second term on 3 October 1985. He also was appointed as a member 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 ...

in 1987, as a representative of Riau. He did not complete his second term, however, as he died due to liver cancer at

's Dr. Soetomo Hospital on 21 June 1988.

Personal life

Munandar was married to Sri Mujinab (d. 1983).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munandar, Iman 1927 births 1988 deaths Deaths from cancer in Indonesia Deaths from liver cancer Governors of Riau Indonesian generals Members of Pembela Tanah Air Members of the House of Representatives (Indonesia), 1987 People from Blitar