Supreme Advisory Council
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The Supreme Advisory Council (, DPA), was an advisory council for the
President of Indonesia The president of the Republic of Indonesia () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president is the leader of the executive branch of the Indonesian government and the commander-in-chief of the ...
which existed from 1945 to 1950, and then again from 1959 to 2003. Largely composed of senior and retired government figures, the DPA was generally regarded as powerless. Its functions were limited to offering proposals to the
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
on matters of national importance as well as opinions on matters raised by the president. The DPA was succeeded by the
Presidential Advisory Council Presidential Advisory Council (; abbreviated as ''Wantimpres'') is a non-structural government agency that serves as an advisory council for the President of Indonesia. The council was formed in 2007 during the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoy ...
in 2007.


Background

There was no definitive source about the background of the council's formation when it was embodied in the Constitution of Indonesia. In the supplement of the constitution, the council was compared to a
council of state A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
, leading to possibility that the council was based on the
Council of the Indies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
in 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 ...
. In the founding fathers of Indonesia itself, there was an opinion that the council was based on the village traditions in Indonesia, on which the villagers decided matters and resolve conflict with a "council of elders", headed by a '' :id:Kepala desa''. Supreme Advisory Council was claimed to be par with a village "council of elders", which was composed of retired politicians, although a village is hardly an sprawling fantastically diverse archipelagic country with vast differences in spiritual belief systems and countless local languages spoken. This may also reflect a degree of cultural nostalgia that exalts the
model village A model village is a mostly self-contained community, built from the late 18th century onwards by landowners and business magnates to house their workers. "Model" implies an ideal to which other developments could aspire. Although the villages ...
as cultural and spiritual roots of mannerisms and customs, broad similarities exist in India where a kepala desa is replaced by a
sarpanch A sarpanch, gram pradhan, mukhiya, or president is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the gram sabha (village government) in India. The sarpanch, together with other elected panchay ...
, as well as the dynamic of
Thainess Thainess, or the Thai identity (, ), is a conceptual identity regarding the quality of being Thai: characteristics seen as distinctive to the Thai people, Thai culture, and those belonging to Thailand as a whole. It forms the central identity upon ...
coupled wit
agrarian nostalgia
Cambodian
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
mode
agrarianism
at the expense of Western and
global governance Global governance (or world governance) refers to institutions that coordinate the behavior of transnationality, transnational actors, facilitate cooperation, resolve disputes, and alleviate collective action problems. Global governance broadly ...
ideals like
government transparency Open government is the governing doctrine which maintains that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction, it opposes reason of state a ...
that respect modern social complexities, the far higher degree to which exist specialization of labor in urban environments, and sheer bureaucratic breadth and scale. Therefore, a governance model dating back to prehistory, perhaps suitable for a small footprint and scale of closely related individuals such as a village, merely invites disconnect -- fiery demonstrations by mobs and
special interest groups A special interest group (SIG) is a community within a larger organization with a shared interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to effect or to produce solutions within their particular f ...
alike, in the crowded megacities, not to mention
autocratic Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...
crushing of dissent and the
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
abuses that follow.


History

The council was established one month and one week 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 ...
. When it was first established on September 25, 1945. The name for the council was Advisory Council, which was suggested by Mohammad Yamin. The name was approved by Sukarno. However, several months later, the name was changed to the Supreme Advisory Body. It was later changed again into the Supreme Advisory Council. The Supreme Advisory Council was formed with the announcement of the formation of the council in the Official Gazette No. 4 of 1945. Due to the emergency situation of the country, the council was not formed with a binding law. The priority at that time was to form a temporary advisory council as soon as possible under the
Constitution of Indonesia The 1945 Constitution of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (, commonly abbreviated as ''UUD 1945'' or ''UUD '45'') is the supreme law and basis for all laws of Indonesia. The constitution was written in June–August 1945, in the ...
. The council was formed on 25 September 1945 with
Margono Djojohadikusumo Raden Mas Margono Djojohadikusumo (16 May 1894 – 25 July 1978) was an Indonesian politician and banker. He was the founder and the first president of Bank Negara Indonesia, and was also a member of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Wor ...
as its chairman and Radjiman Wediodiningrat, Syech Dahlan Djambek, Agus Salim, K.R.M.T.H. Wurjaningrat, H. Adnan, Mochammad Enoch, Dr. Latumeten, Pangeran Mochammad Noor, Sukiman Wirjosandjojo, Nyonya Soewarni Pringgodigdo, as its members. Several months after its formation, on 6 November 1945, chairman of the council Margono resigned from his position. He was replaced by Wiranatakusumah on 29 November 1945. Later, in 1948, there was an addition of eleven members to the council, namely
Ario Soerjo Raden Mas Tumenggung Ario Soerjo (Enhanced Spelling of the Indonesian Language, EYD: Ario Suryo) (9 July 1898–10 November 1948) is now regarded as a National Hero of Indonesia. Soerjo and two policemen were captured by pro-communist (Communist ...
, Sutardjo Kartohadikusumo, Abdul Wahab Hasbullah,
Ki Hadjar Dewantara Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat ( EYD: Suwardi Suryaningrat); from 1922 also known as Ki Hadjar Dewantara (EYD: Ki Hajar Dewantara), which is also written as Ki Hajar Dewantoro to reflect its Javanese pronunciation (2 May 1889 in Pakualaman â ...
, Frits Laoh, Daud Beureu'eh, Anwarudin,
Oerip Soemohardjo General Priyayi, Raden Oerip Soemohardjo (; Perfected Spelling System, Perfected Spelling: Urip Sumoharjo; 22 February 1893 â€“ 17 November 1948) was an Indonesian general, the first chief of general staff of the Indonesian National Arme ...
,
Ernest Douwes Dekker Ernest François Eugène Douwes Dekker also known as ''Setyabudi'' or ''Setiabudi'' (8 October 1879 – 28 August 1950) was an Indonesian-Dutch people, Dutch Indonesian National Revolution, nationalist and politician of Indo people, Indo descen ...
, Moch. Sjafei, and Liem Ing Hwie. On 24 April 1948, Wiranatakusumah was installed as the ''Wali Negara'' of Pasundan. Ario Soerjo replaced him as the chairman, but several days later he was assassinated on 10 November 1948. To replace him, the vice chairman of the council Sutardjo Kartohadikusumo was installed on 15 November 1948. Ki Hadjar Dewantara was later appointed as vice chairman of the council. During the
liberal democracy period in Indonesia The Liberal Democracy period in Indonesia (), also known as the Era of Parliamentary Democracy, was a period in Indonesian political history, when the country was under a liberal democracy, liberal democratic system. During this period, Indones ...
, the organization was dissolved in 1950, and was restructured into the National Council () on 1957. The National Council was dissolved in 1959, and formed the Provisional Supreme Advisory Council, with Sukarno, the president of Indonesia, as its chairman. After the fall of Sukarno, the council was restored as a structural organization in 1967. It was dissolved on 31 July 2003 after the
amendments An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. They ...
to the
Constitution of Indonesia The 1945 Constitution of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (, commonly abbreviated as ''UUD 1945'' or ''UUD '45'') is the supreme law and basis for all laws of Indonesia. The constitution was written in June–August 1945, in the ...
. The functions of the council, which is previously regulated in the section IV of the constitution, was removed. Professor Harun Al-Rasjid from the Law Faculty of the
University of Indonesia The University of Indonesia (UI; ) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the Dutch East Indies when UI was established) ...
, a critic of the operations of the council, dubbed the DPA as the ''Dewan Paling Anteng'' (Most Serene Council). Rasjid stated that the result of the Supreme Advisory Council was unknown by the public and that its existence should be reviewed.


Potential Revival and Return

Despite its constitutional basis revoked from constitution, DPA plotted to be revived in future Prabowo administration. Even being returned, future DPA only nomenclature change of current Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) and do not have its original power it had during pre-amendment Indonesian Constitution of 1945. The bill for returning DPA was accepted to be processed into next reading and discussion by the DPR on 11 July 2024.


List of chairmen


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * {{Refend Advisory councils for heads of state Politics of Indonesia