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The Jakarta Charter ( id, Piagam Jakarta) was a document drawn up by members of the
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 ...
Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence The Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence ( id, Badan Penyelidik Usaha-usaha Persiapan Kemerdekaan, BPUPK; ja, 独立準備調査会, Hepburn: , Nihon-shiki / Kunrei-shiki: ), sometimes referred to as the Investigating Co ...
(BPUPK) on 22 June 1945 in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
that later formed the basis of the preamble to 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 ...
. The document contained the five principles of the Pancasila ideology, but it also included an obligation for
Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
to abide by
Shariah law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
. This obligation, which was also known as the "Seven Words" (''tujuh kata''), was eventually deleted from the enacted
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
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 18 August 1945. Following the deletion of the "Seven Words" efforts by Islamic parties continued to seek its inclusion, most notably in 1959, when the 1945 constitution was suspended; in 1968, during the
Transition to the New Order Indonesia's transition to the New Order in the mid-1960s ousted the country's first president, Sukarno, after 22 years in the position. One of the most tumultuous periods in the country's modern history, it was the commencement of Suharto's ...
; and in 2002, following the end of the New Order and the beginning of the ''Reformasi'' era.


Background


Founding of the BPUPK

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...
,
Kuniaki Koiso was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Governor-General of Korea and Prime Minister of Japan from 1944 to 1945. After Japan's defeat in World War II, he was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment. Early lif ...
, realising
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
was losing the
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, promised on 7 September 1944, in a session of the Japanese parliament, that independence for the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
would be achieved "later on". In February 1945, partly in response to the Koiso's declaration, the 16th Army decided to establish a committee to investigate Indonesian independence, known as the
Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence The Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence ( id, Badan Penyelidik Usaha-usaha Persiapan Kemerdekaan, BPUPK; ja, 独立準備調査会, Hepburn: , Nihon-shiki / Kunrei-shiki: ), sometimes referred to as the Investigating Co ...
(BPUPK). This was intended as a concession to Indonesian nationalists, and the Japanese hoped it would redirect nationalist enthusiasm towards harmless arguments between factions. The BPUPK was announced by the Japanese administration on 1 March 1945 to work on "preparations for independence in the region of the government of this island of Java."


First BPUPK session

The committee, which was supposed to lay the foundations for the national identity of Indonesia by drafting a constitution, consisted of 62 Indonesian members, 47 of whom belonged to the secular nationalists and 15 to the Islamists. Members of the Islamist camp wanted a new state which was based on sharia law, as opposed to a secular state. From 29 May to 1 June 1945, the BPUPK came to Jakarta for its first conference. At this conference, Sukarno gave his famous speech in which he introduced the principles of the Pancasila.


Committee of Nine

In the recess between the two BPUPK sessions, at the urging of future 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 ...
, the delegates set up an eight-person Small Commission (''Panitia Kecil''), which was headed by Sukarno and had the task of collecting and discussing the proposals submitted by the other delegates. To reduce tensions between the national and Islamic groups, Sukarno formed a
Committee of Nine The Committee of Nine was a group of conservative political leaders in Virginia, led by Alexander H. H. Stuart, following the American Civil War, when Virginia was required to adopt a new Constitution acknowledging the abolition of slavery before it ...
on 18 June 1945. Over the course of the afternoon of 22 June, the nine men produced a preamble for the constitution that included Sukarno's Pancasila philosophy, but added the seven words in Indonesian (''dengan kewajiban menjalankan syariat Islam bagi pemeluknya'') that placed an obligation on Muslims to abide by Islamic law.
Mohammad Yamin Mohammad Yamin (24 August 1903 – 17 October 1962) was an Indonesians, Indonesian poet, politician and National Hero of Indonesia, national hero who played a key role in the writing of the draft preamble to the Constitution of Indonesia, 1945 c ...
, who played a dominant role in the wording, named the preamble the Jakarta Charter. The committee chaired by Sukarno was tasked with formulating the preamble to the Indonesian constitution that was acceptable to both parties. These members, and their affiliations were:


Members


Secular Muslim nationalists

* Sukarno *
Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta (; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman and nationalist who served as the country's first vice president. Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indone ...
*
Mohammad Yamin Mohammad Yamin (24 August 1903 – 17 October 1962) was an Indonesians, Indonesian poet, politician and National Hero of Indonesia, national hero who played a key role in the writing of the draft preamble to the Constitution of Indonesia, 1945 c ...
*
Achmad Soebardjo Achmad Soebardjo Djojoadisoerjo (23 March 1896 – 15 December 1978) was a diplomat, one of Indonesia's founding fathers, and an Indonesian national hero. He was the first Foreign Minister of Indonesia. In 1933, he received the degree '' Meester ...


Muslim nationalists

*
Abikoesno Tjokrosoejoso Abikusno Tjokrosujoso (also spelled Abikoesno Tjokrosoejoso, or Abikusno Cokrosuyoso; 1897–1968) was one of the Founding Fathers of Indonesian Independence and a signatory to the constitution. During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Ind ...
*
Abdoel Kahar Moezakir Prof. K.H. Abdel Kahar Moezakir or new spelling Abdul Kahar Muzakir (16 April 1907 – 2 December 1973), was chosen Rector Magnificus Islamic University of Indonesia for the first time with the name of STI during two periods – 1945–48 and 19 ...
*
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 ...
*
Wahid Hasjim Abdul Wahid Hasyim (June 1, 1914 – April 19, 1953) was the first Minister of Religious Affairs in the government of President Sukarno of Indonesia, a post he held in 1945, and from 1949 to 1952. He was the son of Nahdlatul Ulama founder Hasy ...


Secular Christian nationalists

* A.A. Maramis


Compromise


Results of the committee

The results of the Committee of Nine were as follows: * In the Jakarta Charter, the principle of "belief in one god" is used as the first principle, which differs from the formulation of Pancasila which was put forward by Sukarno in his speech on 1 June 1945, "belief in one god" is the fifth principle. * In the Jakarta Charter, the existence of the phrase "with the obligation to carry out Islamic law for its adherents" (which became known as the "Seven Words"), recognizes
Sharia law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the Five Pillars of Islam, religious precepts of Islam and is based on the Islamic holy books, sacred scriptures o ...
for Muslims, this greatly differs from the formulation of Pancasila which was put forward by Sukarno in his speech on 1 June 1945. The "Seven Words" itself was considered ambiguous and it is not known whether it imposes the obligation to carry out Islamic law individually or by the government.


Second BPUPK session

In accordance with the advice of the Committee of Nine, the BPUPK held its second (and final) session from 10 to 17 July 1945 under Sukarno's leadership. The aim was to discuss issues related to the constitution, including the draft preamble contained in the Jakarta Charter. On the first day, Sukarno reported the things that had been achieved during the discussions during the recess, including the Jakarta Charter. He also reported that the Small Committee had unanimously accepted the Jakarta Charter. According to Sukarno, this charter contained "all the points of thought that filled the chests of most of the members of Dokuritu Zyunbi Tyoosakai PUPK" On the second day of the trial (July 11), three BPUPK members expressed their rejection of the "Seven Words" (''Tujuh Kata'') in the Jakarta Charter. Most notably,
Johannes Latuharhary Johannes Latuharhary (6 July 1900 – 8 November 1959) was an Indonesian politician and nationalist of Moluccan descent, who served as the first Indonesian governor of Maluku from 1945 until 1955, though he did not assume office in Maluku unti ...
, who was a
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
member from
Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...
, disagreed heavily with the "Seven Words." He felt that the seven words in the Jakarta Charter would have a large impact on other religions. He also expressed his concern that the seven words would force the
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see below' ...
to abandon their customs and also affect land rights based on customary law in Maluku. Two other members who disagreed with the seven words were
Wongsonegoro Kanjeng Raden Mas Tumenggung Wongsonegoro (20 April 1895 – 4 March 1974), more commonly known simply as Wongsonegoro, was an Indonesian politician, who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Indonesia, alongside Zainul Arifin under Prime Min ...
and Hoesein Djajadiningrat. Both were worried that the "Seven Words" would cause
fanaticism Fanaticism (from the Latin adverb ''fānāticē'' ren-''fānāticus''; enthusiastic, ecstatic; raging, fanatical, furious is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or an obsessive enthusiasm. Definitions Philosopher George Santayana ...
among muslims, a worry
Wahid Hasyim Abdul Wahid Hasyim (June 1, 1914 – April 19, 1953) was the first Minister of Religious Affairs in the government of President Sukarno of Indonesia, a post he held in 1945, and from 1949 to 1952. He was the son of Nahdlatul Ulama founder Hasy ...
(another member of the committee), denied.


Preparatory Committee


Proclamation of Independence

On 7 August 1945, the Japanese government announced the formation of the
Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence The Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence ( id, Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia), PPKI, ja, 独立準備委員会, Dokuritsu Junbi Iinkai, lead=yes) was a body established on 7 August 1945 to prepare for the transfer of auth ...
(PPKI). Then, on 12 August, Sukarno was appointed as its chairman by the Commander of the Southern Expeditionary Group Field Marshal
Hisaichi Terauchi Count was a '' Gensui'' (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II. Biography Early military career Terauchi was born in Tokyo Prefecture, and was the eldest son of ...
. Only four of the nine Jakarta Charter signatories were members of the PPKI, namely Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta, Achmad Soebardjo, and Wahid Hasyim. Initially PPKI members would gather on 19 August to finalize Indonesia's constitution. However, on August 6 and 9, 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were atomically bombed by the Allies. Then, on August 15, Emperor Hirohito announced that Japan had unconditionally surrendered to the Allies. Sukarno and Hatta declared Indonesia's independence on 17 August. Then, on the morning of August 18, the PPKI gathered to ratify Indonesia's constitution. During the meeting, Hatta suggested that the seven words in the Preamble and Article 29 be deleted. As Hatta later explained in his book, around the evening of 17 August, a
Japanese Navy , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
officer came up to him and conveyed the news that a Christian nationalist group from Eastern Indonesia rejected seven words because they were considered discriminatory against religious minorities, and they even stated that it would be better to establish their own state outside the Republic of Indonesia if the seven words were not repealed.


Erasing of the "Seven Words"

Hatta then explained his proposed changes: the term "God" would be replaced with "the one and only God", while the term "''Mukadimah''" which came from Arabic was changed to "Preamble". The verse stating that the President of Indonesia must be Muslim was also removed. After this proposal was accepted, PPKI approved the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia on the same day, and the seven words were officially abolished. Bali representative
I Gusti Ketut Pudja I Gusti Ketut Pudja (19 May 1908 – 4 May 1977) was an Indonesian politician and national hero, who served as the first governor of Lesser Sunda from 1945 until 1946. He was a member of the Investigating Agency for Preparatory Work for Indonesi ...
also suggested that "Allah" be replaced with "God". His proposal was accepted, but when the official constitution was published, the changes were not made. It is not known for certain why PPKI agreed to Hatta's proposal without any resistance from the Islamic group. On the one hand, the composition of PPKI members is very different from that of BPUPK: only 12% of PPKI members are from the Islamic group (while in BPUPK there are 24%). Of the nine signatories to the Jakarta Charter, only three attended the meeting on 18 August. The three people were not from the Islamic group; Hasyim who came from Surabaya only arrived in Jakarta on August 19. On the other hand, Indonesia at that time was threatened by the arrival of Allied troops, so that the priority was national defense and efforts to fight for the aspirations of the Islamic group could be postponed until the situation allowed. The decision to remove the seven words disappointed the Islamic group. They felt increasingly dissatisfied after PPKI on 19 August rejected the proposal to establish a Ministry of Religion. Hadikoesoemo expressed his anger at a meeting of the
Muhammadiyah Muhammadiyah ( ar, محمدية; 'followers of Muhammad'); also known as the Muhammadiyah Society ( id, Persyarikatan Muhammadiyah) is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia.A. Jalil HamidTackle the rising cost of living longer ...
Tanwir Council in
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, ...
a few days after the PPKI session was over. However, along with the arrival of Allied troops, the Islamic group decided to prioritize national unity in order to maintain Indonesian independence.


Subsequent developments

On 17 August 1945, Sukarno and Hatta declared Indonesian independence. The following day, the
Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence The Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence ( id, Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia), PPKI, ja, 独立準備委員会, Dokuritsu Junbi Iinkai, lead=yes) was a body established on 7 August 1945 to prepare for the transfer of auth ...
(PPKI), which had been established with Japanese permission on 7 August, was due to meet. Hatta in particular and Sukarno were both worried that the obligation on Muslims would alienate non-Muslims. Before the meeting, Hatta met with Muslim leaders and managed to persuade them to agree to the removal of the seven words "for the sake of national unity". The PPKI then met and elected Sukarno and Hatta president and vice-president respectively. It then discussed the draft constitution, including the preamble. Hatta spoke in favour of removing the seven words, and Balinese delegate
I Gusti Ketut Pudja I Gusti Ketut Pudja (19 May 1908 – 4 May 1977) was an Indonesian politician and national hero, who served as the first governor of Lesser Sunda from 1945 until 1946. He was a member of the Investigating Agency for Preparatory Work for Indonesi ...
suggested replacing the Arabic word ''
Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
'' with the Indonesian word for God (''Tuhan''). This was accepted, but for some reason when the constitution was officially published, this change was not made. Following further discussion, the constitution was approved. When the 1945 constitution was replaced by the
United States of Indonesia The United States of Indonesia ( nl, Verenigde Staten van Indonesië, id, Republik Indonesia Serikat, abbreviated as RIS), was a short-lived federal state to which the Netherlands formally transferred sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies (except ...
Federal Constitution of 1949 The 1949 Federal Constitution of the United States of Indonesia ( id, Konstitusi Republik Indonesia Serikat) replaced the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia when sovereignty was officially transferred from the Netherlands to Indonesia following the D ...
, and this in turn replaced by 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 ...
, there were no attempts to include the seven words in the preambles, despite their similarity to 1945 version. However, in 1959, the
Constitutional Assembly of Indonesia The Constitutional Assembly ( id, Konstituante) was a body elected in 1955 to draw up a permanent constitution for the Republic of Indonesia. It sat between 10 November 1956 and 2 July 1959. It was dissolved by then President Sukarno in a decr ...
, which had been set up to produce a permanent constitution, reached deadlock as the Islamist faction wanted a greater role for Islam, but like the other factions, did not have enough support to win the two-thirds majority to push through its proposals. The Islamist faction supported the government's proposal to return to the 1945 Constitution on condition that the obligation on Muslims be re-inserted in the preamble. The nationalist faction voted this down, and in response, the Islamist faction vetoed the reintroduction of the 1945 Constitution. On 9 July 1959, Sukarno issued a
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 ...
dissolving the assembly and reinstating the original constitution, but without the seven words the Islamists wanted. To placate them, Sukarno stated that his decree relied on the Jakarta Charter, which had inspired the 1945 Constitution and which was an "inseparable", but was not a legal part of it. There were two further attempts to revive the Jakarta Charter. In the 1968 special session of the
Provisional People's Consultative Assembly The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, MPR-RI) is the legislative branch in Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the members of the People's Rep ...
(MPRS),
Parmusi Parmusi (Muslim Party of Indonesia, id, Partai Muslimin Indonesia) was a political party in Indonesia. It was established in 1968, came fourth in the 1971 Indonesian legislative election, winning 5.36% of the vote and 24 seats in the legislature, ...
, a new Islamist party, called for it to have legal force, but the proposal was voted down. In 2002, during the MPR session that passed the final amendments to the constitutions, a number of small Islamic parties with the support of Vice-president
Hamzah Haz Hamzah Haz (born 15 February 1940) is an Indonesian politician who served as vice president of Indonesia from 2001 until 2004, under President Megawati Sukarnoputri. He previously held the positions of Minister of Investment and Coordinating M ...
tried again, this time by amending the Article 29 of the constitution to make shariah law obligatory on Muslims, but they were resoundingly defeated.


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References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1945 documents Law of Indonesia 1945 in the Dutch East Indies Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies Political charters