Sidik Djojosukarto ( EVO: Sidik Djojosoekarto; 7 June 1908 – 8 September 1955) was an Indonesian politician who served as chairman of the

Indonesian National Party The Indonesian National Party (, PNI) was the name used by several nationalist political parties in Indonesia from 1927 until 1973. The first PNI was established by future President Sukarno. After independence, the new PNI supplied a number of pri ...

(PNI) from 1950 until his death. As PNI chairman, he was revered by all party factions, and was the closest to being an "authentic party hero." Sidik was born to a small merchant family 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 ...

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 ...

. After graduating from the ''Ovts Handelsleergang'' trade school in 1930, he began work as a teacher in

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 ...

. Later, he became a journalist and was later

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the Indonesian newspaper ''Berdjoeang''. In addition to his work as a journalist, Sidik was involved in several pro-independence organizations, becoming a member of the

Partindo The Indonesia Party (), better known as Partindo, was a nationalist political party in Indonesia that existed before independence and was revived in 1957 as a leftist party. Pre-independence party In 1927, future Indonesian president Sukarno esta ...

and

Gerindo The Indonesian People's Movement (), better known as Gerindo, was a left-wing and nationalist political party in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) which existed from 1937 to 1942. It had modest goals and was largely cooperative to the colonia ...

political parties during the 1930s. 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 ...

, Sidik became the local head of the '' Putera'' and '' Jawa Hokokai'' organizations in Kediri. Following the

proclamation of Indonesian Independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian Nati ...

, he became chairman of the local branch of the Indonesian National Committee. In 1946, he was appointed a member of the

Central Indonesian National Committee The Central Indonesian National Committee (, KNIP), also known as the Central National Committee (, KNP), was a body appointed to assist the president of the newly independent Indonesia. Originally purely advisory, it later gained assumed legisl ...

(KNIP) and became a member of the KNIP's working body by March 1947. In August 1949, he was appointed acting chairman of the PNI, replacing Sujono Hadinoto. As party chairman, Sidik represented the more conservative faction of the PNI and led the party through much of the liberal democracy period. He died of

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

on 8 September 1955, while campaigning during the

1955 Indonesian legislative election Legislative elections were held in Indonesia on 29 September 1955 to elect the 257 members of the House of Representatives. The election was the first national election held since the end of the Indonesian National Revolution, and saw over 37 mil ...

Early life and career

Sidik Djojosukarto was born to a small merchant family on 7 June 1908, in

, in what was then the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

(now

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

). Sidik began his education at a

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 Blitar before then attending the

Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs ( Dutch, "more advanced primary education") was during part of the twentieth century a level of education in the Netherlands, Suriname and the Dutch East Indies. The system was comparable with the junior high school ...

school in Kediri and later

Madiun Madiun () is a city in the western part of East Java, Indonesia, known for its agricultural center. The city has been administratively separate from the surrounding Madiun Regency since the formation of the two bodies in 1950, but the city remain ...

, where he graduated in 1927. In 1930, he graduated from the ''Ovts Handelsleergang'' trade school and began working as a teacher in

's People's College. Sidik didn't last long as a teacher, being fired for his opposition to the policies of the colonial government. After being fired, he then transitioned to becoming a journalist and was later

for the Indonesian newspaper ''Berdjoeang''. However, the newspaper was banned by the colonial government, as it was considered subversive and dangerous. In addition to his work as a journalist, Sidik was also involved in several pro-independence organizations. In his youth, he had been a member of the ''

Jong Java , was a Dutch East Indies youth organization founded on March 7, 1915, by at the STOVIA building under the name Tri Koro Dharmo ('Three Noble Goals'). It was founded in response to the perceived elitism of the Budi Utomo movement by many young p ...

'' and later ''Indonesia Moeda'' organizations. During the 1930s, Sidik joined the

and later

political parties.

Japanese occupation

During the

, Sidik became the local head of the '' Putera'' and later the ''Jawa Hokokai'' organizations in Kediri. In 1945, following the

, he was elected chairman of the local branch of the Indonesian National Committee, and was the head of the

(PNI) branch in East Java. In 1946, he was appointed a member of the

(KNIP) in 1946, and in March 1947, he became a member of the KNIP's working body.

Chairman of the PNI

In 1949, following PNI Chairman Sujono Hadinoto's departure to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

as a part of the Indonesian delegation to the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference, he was appointed acting chairman of the party. In 1950, Sidik was officially elected party chairman in the PNI's fourth congress in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

. He represented the radical nationalist wing of the PNI, and during his leadership, the wing increased its control over the party, spearheading the drive for the creation of a

unitary state A unitary state is a (Sovereign state, sovereign) State (polity), state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions (sub-national or ...

, and opposing both the Hatta and Natsir cabinets. After the collapse of the Natsir cabinet, Parliamentary Speaker

Sartono Sartono (5 August 1900 – 15 October 1968) was an Indonesian politician and lawyer who served as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives (Indonesia), speaker of the House of Representatives (Indonesia), House of Representatives (DPR) ...

was given the task of forming a government; however, he returned his mandate to President

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

after not being able to form a cabinet. On the same day that Sartono withdrew, Sukarno appointed Sidik and

Soekiman Wirjosandjojo Soekiman Wirjosandjojo (Enhanced Spelling of the Indonesian Language, EYD: Sukiman Wiryosanjoyo; 19June 1898 – 23July 1974) was an Indonesian politician and physician who served as prime minister of Indonesia from 1951 until 1952. Additional ...

of the

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 ...

formateur A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur i ...

s. Sidik announced a PNI program of action if its members entered the government, the program included the liquidation of the

Netherlands-Indonesia Union The Netherlands-Indonesia Union (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Nederlands-Indonesische Unie,'' NIU; Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''Uni Indonesia–Belanda,'' UIB), also called the two-state solution (Dutch language, Dutch: ''tweestaten-oplossing'' ...

and the revision of the Round Table Conference. After several weeks of negotiations, both parties agreed to an equal share of posts in the cabinet, with the Masyumi returning to the office of prime minister. On 1 March 1952, Sukarno appointed Sidik and

Prawoto Mangkusasmito Prawoto Mangkusasmito (4 January 1910 – 24 July 1970) was an Indonesian politician who served as the final chairman of the Masyumi political party before its dissolution in 1960. He also served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Indonesia during ...

of the

for the creation of a new cabinet. When Prawoto and Sidik failed to reach an agreement, Sukarno appointed former Labor Minister

Wilopo Wilopo (21 October 1909 – 1 June 1981) was an Indonesian politician and lawyer. A capable administrator, he served as prime minister of Indonesia from 1952 to 1953. He also held various other positions during his career, including as Min ...

as formateur.

Death and legacy

While visiting the Indonesian National Party branch in East Java, Sidik grew fatigued and was brought to the Surabaya General Hospital on 6 September 1955, accompanied by future PNI chairman

Ali Sastroamidjojo Ali Sastroamidjojo (Perfected Spelling System, EYD: Ali Sastroamijoyo; 21 May 1903 – 13 March 1975) was an Indonesian politician and diplomat. He served in various political and diplomatic roles during the presidency of Sukarno, most nota ...

. There, the doctors diagnosed him with

, caused by his campaigning activities for the upcoming legislative elections. He died on 8 September 1955, at the same hospital. His body was buried in his family's grave in

on 9 September 1955. The burial ceremony was attended by President

, Sukarno's wife Hartini, and several other major figures. PNI vice chairman, Ki Sarmidi Mangunsarkoro, gave a short speech during the ceremony. During the speech, he pointed to the heavy loss that the PNI has suffered due to Djojosukarto's death. In addition to the PNI,

Mohammad Natsir Mohammad Natsir (17 July 19086 February 1993) was an Islamic scholar and politician. He was Indonesia's fifth List of Prime Ministers of Indonesia, prime minister. After moving to Bandung from his hometown Solok, West Sumatra for senior high sch ...

of the

have a short speech on behalf of the party. He stated that the passing of Sidik Djojosukarto called Natsir a great loss for his family and his party. His death became headline news in several PNI-affiliated newspapers, including the left-wing nationalist ''Berita Indonesia'' paper.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{refend 1908 births 1955 deaths Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan Indonesian National Party politicians Javanese people Members of the House of Representatives (Indonesia), 1950 People from Blitar