Throughout Indonesian history, the title of First Lady ( id, Ibu Negara) or, in an instance, First Gentleman ( id, Bapak Negara) has been used to refer to the wife or husband of the

president of Indonesia The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and is ...

. While the

Constitution of Indonesia The 1945 State Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Undang-Undang Dasar Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945, commonly abbreviated as ''UUD 1945'' or ''UUD '45'') is the supreme law and basis for all laws of Indonesia. The constitu ...

does not mention anything about the spouses of the president, it continues to hold significant influence in the Indonesian society. The current holder of the title is Iriana Joko Widodo, wife of current president

Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite ...

. Taufiq Kiemas, husband of President

Megawati Sukarnoputri Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri (; born 23 January 1947) is an Indonesian politician who served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as the eighth vice president from 1999 to 2001. Megawati i ...

, to date is the only first gentleman.

History

It is unclear when the role of ''Ibu Negara'' first developed in the Indonesian constitutional conventions.

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 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 first president, was married to his third wife

Fatmawati Fatmawati (5 February 1923 – 14 May 1980) is a National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia). As the inaugural First Lady of Indonesia, she was the third wife of the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, and the mother of Indo ...

when he became president in August 1945. Sukarno then married Hartini in July 1953 on Fatmawati's permission. Hartini lived in

Istana Bogor The Bogor Palace (; ) is one of six presidential palaces of Indonesia, it is located in the city of Bogor, West Java. The palace is noted for its distinctive architectural and historical features, as well as the adjoining botanical gardens. Istan ...

and also accompanied the president to official state duties and visit abroad.Sitompul, Martin
''Hartini, First Lady yang Tak Diakui'' ("Hartini, the Unrecognized First Lady")
''Historia.id'', 20 April 2018. Accessed 1 June 2019. Throughout his presidency, Sukarno married another five women, but Fatmawati remained the first lady. Siti Hartinah, Soeharto's wife, occupied the role of ''Ibu Negara'' until her death in April 1996. Her eldest daughter,

Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (born 23 January 1949), known as Tutut Suharto, is an Indonesian politician who is the eldest daughter of former Indonesian president Suharto and the wife of Global Mediacom (then known as Bimantara Citra) co-founder and fo ...

("Tutut") acted on behalf of her mother throughout the remainder of her father's presidency until 1998. From March to May 1998, she also served as the minister of social affairs.

History

List of title holders

References

See also