Hamid Algadri or Hamid Al-Gadri ( ar, حامد القدرى, ; 1912-1998) was a pioneer of freedom for Indonesian independence who was meritorious in

Linggadjati Agreement The Linggardjati Agreement (''Linggarjati'' in modern Indonesian spelling) was a political accord concluded on 15 November 1946 by the Dutch administration and the unilaterally declared Republic of Indonesia in the village of Linggarjati, Kuning ...

Renville Agreement The Renville Agreement was a United Nations Security Council-brokered political accord between the Netherlands, which was seeking to re-establish its colony in South East Asia, and Indonesian Republicans seeking for Indonesian independence durin ...

Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference The Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference was held in The Hague from 23 August to 2 November 1949, between representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Indonesia and the Federal Consultative Assembly, representing va ...

(, ) and one of the members of parliament in the founding days of the

Republic of Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. Ind ...

Early life

Hamid was born in

Pasuruan Pasuruan ( nl, Pasoeroean) is a city in East Java, Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 186,262 at the 2010 Census and 208,006 at the 2020 Census. It is surrounded by, but administratively separate from, Pasuruan Regency. It is located around ...

on July 10, 1912. In the beginning, he had difficulty in securing entry to a Dutch elementary school ''

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 ...

'' due to his non-

Caucasian race The Caucasian race (also Caucasoid or Europid, Europoid) is an obsolete racial classification of human beings based on a now-disproven theory of biological race. The ''Caucasian race'' was historically regarded as a biological taxon which, de ...

and age, succeeding only after his father lied about his age to look two years older and persistence of his grandfather by threatening to return his medal of Netherlands if Hamid was not admitted. His father was an Arab Muwallad named ''Muhammad'', and his paternal grandfather named ''Alim Algadri'', a Hadhrami descent born in

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

, India who married a local Indian woman and later migrated to

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere 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 bord ...

and was given position as the

Kapten Arab Kapitan Arab or Kapten Arab (Captain of the Arabs; nl, Kapitein der Arabieren; ar-at, الكابتن العرب, al-Kābitin al-'Arab) or ''Head of The Arabs'' ( nl, Hoofd der Arabieren; ar-at, القائد العرب , al-Qā'id al-'Arab) is ...

in Pasuruan, a position in the colonial system solely for

Arab Indonesians Arab Indonesians ( ar, عربٌ إندونيسيون) or ''Hadharem'' (; sing., ''Hadhrami'', ), informally known as Jama'ah, and until the 20th century known as Codjas or Kodjas, note the work was also published in the Hague and Utrecht simulta ...

. His grandfather started selling horses before becoming a successful businessman in real-estate. From this mixed family life, Hamid mastered

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

, Javanese and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

from his formal education. He received his basic education from ELS, which he continued to middle school ( MULO) 1928 - 1933, and

AMS AMS or Ams may refer to: Organizations Companies * Alenia Marconi Systems * American Management Systems * AMS (Advanced Music Systems) * ams AG, semiconductor manufacturer * AMS Pictures * Auxiliary Medical Services Educational institutions * A ...

(High school) majoring in Classical Western civilizations from 1933 to 1936. In 1930 Hamid affiliated himself in

Jong Islamieten Bond Jong Islamieten Bond (JIB) or ''Islamic youth association'' was a youth organization during Dutch East Indies ruling established in Batavia on January 1, 1925. The organization was established by Indonesian young students with the first goal to pro ...

(JIB) in Surabaya, a youth organization initiated by nationalist activists such as

Agus Salim ''Haji'' Agus Salim (; October 8, 1884 – November 4, 1954) was an Indonesian journalist, diplomat, and statesman. He served as Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1947 and 1949. Early life Agus Salim was born Masjhoedoelhaq Sali ...

. He moved to Batavia in 1936 and became student in the '' Recht Hoge School'' (RHS, law school) in

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

, but unable to finish it because the University was closed by Japanese occupation in 1942. After the

Indonesian 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 t ...

and with the initiative of Prof. Djokosoetono (the first Dean of Faculty of Laws at

Universitas Indonesia The University of Indonesia ( id, Universitas Indonesia, abbreviated as 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 Dut ...

and co-founder of Indonesian Police Academy), he was able to earn his ''master in de rechten'' (MR, Master in Law) in 1952. He was the first

Arab-Indonesian Arab Indonesians ( ar, عربٌ إندونيسيون) or ''Hadharem'' (; sing., ''Hadhrami'', ), informally known as Jama'ah, and until the 20th century known as Codjas or Kodjas, note the work was also published in the Hague and Utrecht simulta ...

who entered the university. At the university, Hamid was active in youth organizations within or outside campus, such as at ''Perhimpunan Pelajar-Pelajar Indonesia (PPPI,'' Indonesian Student Association'')'', ''Indonesia Muda (''Young Indonesia), ''Studenten Islam Studie Club'', ''Unitas Studiosorum Indonesisensis'' and ''Baperpi (Badan Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia,'' Indonesian Student Association Board'')''. His youth career was such as being an editor of USI magazine and as vice president of ''Baperpi''. While still as student, Hamid joined the Arab Union of Indonesia (

Persatuan Arab Indonesia The Indonesia Arab Association ( id, Persatuan Arab Indonesia) (PAI) is an association of Arab Indonesians founded by Abdurrahman Baswedan in 1934 in Semarang to encourage the allegiance of Arab immigrants to Indonesia. History On October 4, 1 ...

or PAI) which was established in 1934 by AR Baswedan.

Career

Hamid Algadri worked in the Secretariat of the Prime Minister. One day he accompanied

Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian politician, and revolutionary independence leader, who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, from 1945 until 1947. Previously, he was a key Indonesian nationalist organiz ...

and his entourage in a special train going from Jakarta 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, ...

in the late 1945. Riding in the special train some high-ranking Indonesian officials such as Djokosutono, Tanuwijaya Djojohadikusomo and Didi Kartasasmita. He later moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, later as Secretary of the Ministry of Information as well as a member of the

Central Indonesian National Committee The Central Indonesian National Committee, ( id, Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat) or KNIP, was a body appointed to assist the president of the newly independent Indonesia. Originally purely advisory, it later gained assumed legislative functions. ...

(KNIP). When Sjahrir became head of KNIP, Hamid who was in Pasuruan was summoned and given the task to work in Jakarta. At that time Soedjatmoko, Soedarpo, Soebadio Sastrosatomo were called ''de jongens van Sjahrir'' (the children of Sjahrir). Hamid Algadri was also included in it as became member of the working committee of KNIP. During this period (1945 - 1949) he was also high official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Executive secretary of the Ministry of Information under Minister

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 ...

, and editor of ''Sikap'', apolitical magazine of PSI. At a young age in Jakarta, Hamid lived on 13 Serang street. Hamid was chosen as one of the advisors to the Indonesian delegation in the talks during

and

meetings. When the Dutch military aggression (

Operation Product Operation Product was a Dutch military offensive against areas of Java and Sumatra controlled by the Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution.Vickers (2005), p. 99 It took place between 21 July and 4 August 1947. Referr ...

) broke out on 21 July 1947, Hamid along with other members of the Republican delegation in Jakarta were arrested, but with the intervention of

Willem Schermerhorn Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn (17 December 1894 – 10 March 1977) was a Dutch politician who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 25 June 1945 until 3 July 1946. He was a member of the now-defunct Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) a ...

, the chairman of the General Commission of the

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, they were released immediately. After the Renville Agreement signed in January 1948, the Dutch began to establish smaller states such as State of East Sumatra,

State of Madura The State of Madura ( id, Negara Madura; mad, Negara Madhurâ) was a federated state, federal state ''(negara bagian)'' formed on the Indonesian island of Madura by the Netherlands in 1948 as part of an attempt to reestablish the colony of the ...

State of Pasundan The State of Pasundan (Indonesian language, Indonesian and su, Negara Pasundan) was a federated state, federal state ''(negara bagian)'' formed in the western part of the Indonesian island of Java by the Netherlands in 1948 following the Linggad ...

and

State of East Indonesia The State of East Indonesia ( id, Negara Indonesia Timur, old spelling: ''Negara Indonesia Timoer'', nl, Oost-Indonesië) was a post–World War II state formed in the eastern half of Dutch East Indies. Established in December 1946, it became ...

(NIT) to oppose the creation of united Indonesian republic. Hamid and Ali Budiardjo then co-founded the plebiscite movement for Indonesia to campaign to the west to win supports of western countries. The movement tried to thwart the establishment of the ''State of Pasundan,'' but was not successful. He also participated in the Indonesian delegation as an adviser to the Round Table Conference (RTC) in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

in 1949. The RTC produced an agreement for transfer of sovereignty from the Netherlands to Indonesia in late December 1949. At the time Hamid was member of parliament in the Foreign Affairs Commission, so he had frequent official visits to various countries in Asia and Europe. He was member of delegation to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. In 1952,

Habib Bourguiba Habib Bourguiba (; ar, الحبيب بورقيبة, al-Ḥabīb Būrqībah; 3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of T ...

and Tayeb Salim of Neo Destour Party of Tunisia came to Indonesia to ask for help against the

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Then in 1956, two young Algerian, Lakhdhar Brahimi and Muhammad Ben Yahya, came asking for similar help. At that time Hamid was the Committee Chairman of the Foreign Affairs in the Indonesian parliament. He was officially given the responsibility to assist both groups, and he eventually became Secretary General of Algeria and Tunisia Aid Committee.

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and

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asked for moral and material supports for their struggle from political parties. Indonesia, through Hamid's leadership, helped them by providing offices, cars, and a monthly allowance for their representatives in Jakarta, and by arranging that some foreign exchange from the sale of rubber were sent to them. Indonesia also sent an experienced guerrilla fighter, General Suwarto, to Algeria. After the 1955 general election, he became chairman of the faction of the

Socialist Party of Indonesia The Socialist Party of Indonesia ( id, Partai Sosialis Indonesia) was a political party in Indonesia from 1948 until 1960, when it was banned by President Sukarno. Origins In December 1945 Amir Sjarifoeddin's Socialist Party of Indonesia (Pars ...

(PSI) in the Constituent Assembly in 1958, which convened in

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

to write a new constitution. He voiced the disagreement of the PSI for the establishment of an Islamic state in Indonesia and after the talk failed to agreement of the proposed changes, the Constitutional Assembly agreed to back to 1945 constitution as an alternative way to overcome the crisis. On July 5, 1959 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 ...

decreed the return to 1945 constitution and declared the dissolution of The Constitutional Assembly.

Recognition

Hamid was recognized internationally by the countries of North Africa for his struggles and efforts for the independence of North African countries. He was awarded with the highest L'ordre de Nishan Iftikhar from the Republic of Tunisia on January 15, 1956 and was awarded the ''Wism Jumhuria'' on August 29, 1992. He was also awarded the Highest Order ''Masaf al-Istihqaq al-Wathani'' from Algeria on August 3, 1992. In his home country, he was awarded the '' Satya Lencana Wira Karya'' medal in 1978 and is recognized as a pioneer of freedom. When he was no longer the member of parliament, Hamid was active in the social activities, such as the director of the ''Yayasan'' ''Dana Bantuan'' (Assistance Fund Foundation), board member of Social Foundation to fight

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and board member of the ''Yayasan Bunga Kamboja'' (Kamboja Social Foundation).

Personal life

Hamid was in the presiding board of PAI which was led by Hussein Alatas in 1942 when Hamid married Alatas' daughter, Zena. When they married, Hamid was 32 years old and Zena was just 18 years old. They held their wedding in small town of Pasuruan, but because many delegates and member of PAI come to congratulate them, it raised suspicion of Japanese

Kenpeitai The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...

that the event was thought as a covertly political activity and about to be cancelled, but later was let to continue. Hamid died of natural cause at Medistra hospital, Jakarta on January 25, 1998. He was buried in a simple ceremony led by then Minister of Foreign Affair

Ali Alatas Ali Alatas ( ar, علي العطاس '; 4 November 193211 December 2008) was an Indonesian diplomat of Ba 'Alawi sada descent, who served as the country's foreign minister from 1988 to 1999. He was Indonesia's longest serving foreign minister. E ...

. Hamid and Zena had four children, namely Atika (the wife of Nono Anwar Makarim), Maher Algadri (a businessman of the Kodel group), Mrs. Adila Suwarno Soepeno and Sadik Algadri (an entrepreneur).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Algadri, Hamid 1912 births 1998 deaths National Heroes of Indonesia Indonesian people of Indian descent Hadhrami people Indonesian Muslims Indonesian people of Yemeni descent Indonesian revolutionaries People from Pasuruan