Anwar Tjokroaminoto

Oetarjo Anwar Tjokroaminoto (3 May 1909 – 16 November 1975) was an Indonesian politician and journalist. He served as Minister of Social Affairs for a year in the Wilopo Cabinet, and was the Prime Minister of Pasundan for less than a month during January 1950.

Son of Indonesian nationalist and Sarekat Islam founder H.O.S. Tjokroaminoto, he studied journalism in his youth and for some time worked in schools affiliated with his father's political party PSII before working for newspapers. He worked for the '' Asia Raya'' newspaper during the Japanese occupation period, and he was also managing editor for '' Pemandangan''. After Indonesian independence, Tjokroaminoto entered politics through the Masyumi Party, serving briefly as a minister before moving to PSII. He was part of the government of the State of Pasundan and was appointed prime minister, though suspicions after the APRA coup d'état resulted in Pasundan's dissolution shortly afterwards.

Tjokroaminoto then rejoined the government as a legislator, and by 1952 he obtained a cabinet post as Minister of Social Affairs in the Wilopo Cabinet where he was reshuffled after a year. PSII later fractured in 1972, and Tjokroaminoto became a leader in one of the two competing factions until his death in 1975.

Early life and education

Oetarjo Anwar Tjokroaminoto was born in Surabaya on 3 May 1909, as the second child and eldest son of Oemar Said Tjokroaminoto. He was educated in Dutch schools (an ELS and a MULO) before later enrolling at Douwes Dekker's Teacher's Training School, where he studied journalism and graduated in 1940. Additionally, he also studied at '' pesantren'' in Rembang and Garut.

Career

Pre-1945

Between 1930 and 1935, he taught at Sarekat Islam schools, starting in Batavia before he moved to Sumatra where he was principal at a school in Menggala and the chief supervisor for SI schools in Southern Sumatra. After this career in education, he moved back to Jakarta in 1936, where he became the managing editor for the ''Pembangoenan'' daily newspaper. He worked at this newspaper until the Japanese invasion of the Indies. In 1941, Tjokroaminoto was also working at the '' Pemandangan'' newspaper as managing editor.

In the immediate aftermath of the Japanese invasion and seizure of the Indies, Tjokroaminoto wrote essays in support of the Japanese. In April 1942, he also voiced his support in ''Pemandangan'' for the shift of time zones in Java to fit Tokyo and in an essay of May 1942, titled ''Lebih Loeas Lagi'' (Broader Still), he supported the Japanese-sponsored ideology of Pan-Asianism, though with a strong influence of Islamism. During the Japanese occupation period, Tjokroaminoto worked at the Japanese-sponsored newspaper '' Asia Raya'' as deputy chief editor. Tan Malaka wrote that during Tjokroaminoto's time at ''Asia Raya'' he wrote popular satirical articles portraying Japan's occupation in a negative light under the pen name "Bang Bedjat" (Mr Pervert). Later on, Tjokroaminoto joined a political liaison group of other nationalist youths led by his colleague at ''Asia Raya'', B. M. Diah.

Revolution

During the Indonesian National Revolution, Tjokroaminoto joined the Masyumi Party as one of its leaders at the party's founding, though he did not have a specific title within the leadership structure. In September 1945, he co-founded the National Publishing Company, along with other journalists such as Adam Malik and Sumanang. He was then appointed into the "Army Political Education Staff" and was given a nominal rank of major general, despite having no military experience. While being attached to the military, he acted as chief editor of the army news magazine.

He was later honorably discharged from his military assignment, and afterwards he returned to journalism for some time, managing the ''al-Djihad'' daily newspaper. He joined the Second Amir Sjarifuddin Cabinet as a minister of state in 1947, without portfolio. During this period, the Indonesian Islamic Union Party (PSII) split away from Masyumi, and Tjokroaminoto became one of its leaders alongside his brother Harsono Tjokroaminoto.

Post-revolution

On 9 January 1950, Tjokroaminoto was appointed as the Prime Minister of Pasundan, replacing Djumhana Wiriaatmadja who had resigned. Within the month, however the APRA coup d'état led by Raymond Westerling rocked Jakarta, and the United States of Indonesia government immediately suspected the State of Pasundan's government as having supported Westerling, leading to the arrest of Tjokroaminoto and his cabinet and eventually the dissolution of Pasundan. Despite this arrest, he joined the newly formed DPR-RIS as a legislator, and retained his seat following the defederalization of the state. (shows blank page in Firefox 73, open in Chrome, or download PDF)

By 1952, however, Tjokroaminoto had been appointed as Minister of Social Affairs under the Wilopo Cabinet. In May 1953, due to political tensions between PSII and Wilopo in the aftermath of the 17 October Affair, Tjokroaminoto was withdrawn from the cabinet, and he was later replaced by R.P. Soeroso. Tjokroaminoto won a legislator seat representing South Sumatra in the 1955 legislative election.

In 1966, the last year of Sukarno's presidency, Tjokroaminoto criticized the government's ( Dwikora Cabinet) foreign policy, especially under foreign minister Subandrio. His statement pointed at Indonesia's isolation internationally (due to the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation), in addition to heavy deficits and inflation. He then called for the formation of a proper representative cabinet, instead of the interim cabinet then.

Within PSII, Tjokroaminoto's political position had been eroded due to perceived dynastic politics, and poor performance in the 1971 legislative election culminating in his removal as chairman in July 1972. In the ensuing internal party conflict, PSII (then merged with other Islamic parties to form the United Development Party in 1973 with Anwar recorded as one of the founders, leaving the original Sarekat Islam organization) was fractured into two organizations, one of which was led by Tjokroaminoto and Thayeb Mohammad Gobel and was more favoured by the incumbent New Order administration.

In 1973, he was sworn in as a member of the Supreme Advisory Council.

Tjokroaminoto died on 16 November 1975.

References

Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tjokroaminoto, Anwar
1909 births
1975 deaths
20th-century journalists
Government ministers of Indonesia
Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan
Indonesian Islamic Union Party politicians
Indonesian journalists
Indonesian Sunni Muslims
Javanese people
Masyumi Party politicians
Members of the People's Representative Council, 1950
Members of the People's Representative Council, 1955
Pemandangan people
People from Surabaya
Tjokroaminoto family