Gatot Soebroto (
Enhanced Spelling: Gatot Subroto, 10 October 1907 – 11 June 1962) was an Indonesian general who began his military career with the
Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) and rose to be deputy Army chief-of-staff.
Early life
Soebroto was born in
Purwokerto
Purwokerto is a large but non-autonomous town on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is the capital of Banyumas Regency, Central Java province. The population of the four districts which comprise the town at the 2010 census was 233,951 and 22 ...
,
Central Java
Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
. He began his education at a ''
Europeesche Lagere School
Europeesche Lagere School (ELS) was a European elementary school system in what was then the Dutch East Indies during colonial rule. The schools were intended primarily for Europeans. The implementation of basic education at that time was diffe ...
'', an elementary school for the children of Europeans, but was expelled for fighting with the Dutch children.
[Mutiara Sumber Widya (publisher)(1999)] He then moved to a ''
Hollandsch-Inlandsche School
Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS) (Dutch school for natives) was a school during the Dutch colonial era in Indonesia. The school, was first established in 1914, following with the enactment of the Dutch Ethical Policy. The school was at the Low ...
'' for Indonesians. He did not continue his education after graduating from this elementary school, but instead found a job. However, he was dissatisfied, and decided on a military career.
[Sudarmanto (1996)][Bachtiar (1988)]
Pre-independence military career
In 1923, Gatot enrolled in military school in
Magelang
Magelang () is one of six cities in Central Java that are administratively independent of the regencies in which they lie geographically. Each of these cities is governed by a mayor rather than a ''bupati''. Magelang city covers an area of 18. ...
. After graduating, he joined the
Royal Dutch East Indies Army
The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The ...
(KNIL) and rose to the rank of sergeant.
[Sundhaussen (1982)] In 1942, the
Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies, and Gatot joined the
PETA
Peta or PETA may refer to:
Acronym
* Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943
* People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization
* People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...
(''Defenders of the Homeland''), an army set up by the Japanese in case of invasion by the allies. He received training in
Bogor
Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.[Banyumas
Banyumas ( jv, ꦧꦚꦸꦩꦱ꧀, formerly spelt "Banjoemas") Regency is a regency ( id, kabupaten) in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Purwokerto, but that town no longer has a central adm ...]
, then a battalion commander.
Gatot was one of the group of ex-KNIL NCOs, which included future president
Soeharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
and future army chief-of-staff
Ahmad Yani
General Ahmad Yani (19 June 1922 – 1 October 1965) was the Commander of the Indonesian Army, and was killed by members of the 30 September Movement during an attempt to kidnap him from his house.
Early life
Ahmad Yani was born in Jenar, ...
who joined the BKR (People's Security Agency), the forerunner of the
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...
as soon as it was set up
after the
Indonesian Declaration of Independence
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of th ...
on 17 August 1945. On 5 October 1946, he was appointed commander of the II/Gunung Jati Division in
Central Java
Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
. On 31 May 1948 he became commander of the Military Police and later that year Military Governor of the
Surakarta
Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...
-
Semarang
Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...
-
Pati-
Madiun
Madiun ( jv, ꦑꦸꦛꦩꦝꦶꦪꦸꦤ꧀, translit=Kutha Madhiun) is a landlocked city in the western part of East Java, Indonesia, known for its agricultural center. It was formerly (until 2010) the capital of the Madiun Regency, but is now adm ...
region. He was involved in the suppression of the
1948 Madiun Revolt. In July 1949, he went to
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of 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 a monarchy, ...
shortly after Army commander
Soedirman
General of the Army Raden Sudirman ( Old Spelling: Soedirman; 24 January 1916 – 29 January 1950) was a high-ranking Indonesian military officer during the Indonesian National Revolution. The first commander of the Indonesian National A ...
's return to the city, which at the time was the capital. There he was sick, and had to be treated at the
Panti Rapih Hospital
Panti Rapih Hospital (''Rumah Sakit Panti Rapih'') is a private hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It was founded in 1929 by five sisters from St. Carolus Borromeus. It is managed by Panti Rapih Foundation.
History
In January 1929, five sisters ...
.
[Prasetyo & Hadad (Eds)(1998)]
On 3 August 1949, President
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 ...
announced a ceasefire with the Dutch, and
Nasution
General of the Army Abdul Haris Nasution ( Old Spelling: Abdoel Haris Nasution; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000), was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution and ...
, commander of the Java Military District, decided a reorganization of divisions was needed to face the threat of a possible third Dutch "police action". Central Java's III and IV divisions were merged, and Gatot Soebroto appointed commander, although he was still in hospital at the time.
He was officially inaugurated on 20 November as commander of the renamed III/Diponegoro Division, which became the
IV/Diponegoro Military Region in December.
In this capacity, he issued a warning to one of his brigade commanders,
Soeharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
over the establishment of a transport enterprise using Army vehicles, which the future president had set up to provide jobs for veterans.
[McDonald (1998)]
In March 1952, Gatot moved to
Makassar
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
to take over command of the VII/Wirabuana Military Region, which covered all of Indonesia east of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
and
Kalimantan
Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo.
In 2019, ...
. However, on 16 November he was arrested and displaced by his chief-of-staff, Lt. Col.
J. F. Warouw. This was one of a series of small-scale coups against officers blamed for their involvement in the
17 October 1952 incident where troops demonstrated in front of the
Presidential Palace in Jakarta calling for the dissolution of the legislature. Although Gatot supported the demonstration, he was not present in Jakarta at the time.
[Feith (2007)] He was subsequently either placed on non-active status as a result of the incident
or resigned from the military.
Political career
![Gatot Subroto, 15rp (undated)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Gatot_Subroto%2C_15rp_%28undated%29.jpg)
On 20 May 1953, he attended a meeting led by
Nasution
General of the Army Abdul Haris Nasution ( Old Spelling: Abdoel Haris Nasution; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000), was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution and ...
(also inactive) in Tugu,
West Java
West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
at which it was decided to establish a political party to "fight for the return to the spirit of the
1945 Constitution. The party was called the
League of Supporters of Indonesian Independence
The League of Supporters of Indonesian Independence ( id, Ikatan Pendukung Kemerdekaan Indonesia, IPKI) was a political party in Indonesia established by former Army head General Abdul Haris Nasution as a vehicle for the Indonesian Army to enter th ...
(IPKI). The party won four seats in the
1955 election, and Gatot Soebroto became a member of the Indonesian legislature representing Central Java.
Return to the military
Soon after the elections, the cabinet and the Army began the process of appointing an Army chief-of-staff to replace the acting head Colonel Lubis, who had not officially been installed.
Gatot Soebroto emerged as a "compromise candidate",
but turned down the job as he was worried about being manipulated by other officers. He told the cabinet that if they wanted a high quality officer, they should recall Nasution to the post.
Nasution was officially re-appointed on 7 November 1955.
The following year, Gatot Soebroto was appointed deputy chief-of-staff, a position he held until his death.
In 1959, together with Nasution, he called a special meeting of the major political parties at the time to persuade them to support the proposal to return to the
1945 Constitution, which had been abrogated in favor of the
Provisional Constitution of 1950
The Provisional Constitution of 1950 ( id, Undang-Undang Dasar Sementara Republik Indonesia 1950, ''UUDS 1950'') replaced the Federal Constitution of 1949 when Indonesia unilaterally withdrew from Netherlands-Indonesia Union, the union with th ...
nine years before. All parties eventually agreed, and on 5 October 1959, the 1945 Constitution was reimposed by
presidential decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
.
Later that year, Nasution and Gatot Soebroto decided against taking further action against
Soeharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
after his dismissal from the command of the Diponegoro Division following revelations of involvement in smuggling.
Gatot Soebroto died suddenly in Jakarta on 11 June 1962 and was buried in Buddhist funeral ceremony in the village of Kalirejo Ungaran near Semarang . A week later, he was declared a
National Hero of Indonesia
National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia) is the highest-level title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual deeds which can b ...
via Presidential Decision No.222/1962.
Notes
References
* Bachtiar, Harsja W. (1988), ''Siapa Dia?: Perwira Tinggi Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (Who is S/He?: Senior Officers of the Indonesian Army)'', Penerbit Djambatan, Jakarta,
*
Feith, Herbert
Herbert Feith (3 November 1930 – 15 November 2001) was an Australian academic and world leading scholar of Indonesian politics.
Background
Born in Vienna, Austria in 1930, Feith witnessed oppression of the Jews and witnessed Kristallnacht in 19 ...
(2007) ''The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia '' Equinox Publishing (Asia) Pte Ltd,
* McDonald, Hamish (1980) ''Suharto's Indonesia'' Fontana/Collins, Victoria, Australia
* Mutiara Sumber Widya (publisher)(1999) ''Album Pahlawan Bangsa (Album of National Heroes)'', Jakarta
* Stanley Adi Prasetyo & Toriq Hadad (Editors) 1998 ''Jenderal Tanpa Pasukan, Politisi Tanpa Parta: Perjalanan Hidup A.H. Nasution General without Troops, Politician without a Party: The Life of A.H. Nasution'', Pusat Data dan Analisa Tempo, Jakarta,
* Sudarmanto, Y.B. (1996) ''Jejak-Jejak Pahlawan dari Sultan Agung hingga Syekh Yusuf (The Footsteps of Heroes from Sultan Agung to Syekh Yusuf''), Penerbit Grasindo, Jakarta
* Sundhaussen, Ulf (1982) ''The Road to Power: Indonesian Military Politics 1945–1967'', Oxford University Press.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soebroto, Gatot
1907 births
1962 deaths
Indonesian Buddhists
Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan
Indonesian generals
Members of Pembela Tanah Air
National Heroes of Indonesia
People from Banyumas Regency