Johannes Leimena (Often abbreviated as J. Leimana; 6 March 1905 – 29 March 1977), more colloquially referred to as Om Jo, was an Indonesian politician, physician, and
national hero
The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...
. He was one of the
longest-serving government ministers in Indonesia, and was the longest-serving under
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Sukarno. He filled the roles of
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...
and
Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
. An
Ambonese Christian, he served in the
People's Representative Council and the
Constitutional Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
during the 1950's, and was the chairman of the
Indonesian Christian Party
The Indonesian Christian Party ( id, Partai Kristen Indonesia), better known as Parkindo, was a Christian political party active in Indonesia from 1950 until 1973, when it was merged to make the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Founded by Johannes ...
from 1951 until 1960.
Leimena was born in
Ambon, Maluku
Ambon (formerly nl, Amboina) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Maluku. This city is also known as , which means "beautiful" or "pretty" Ambon. It covers a land area of 298.61 km2, and had a population of 331 ...
, but he grew up in
Cimahi
Cimahi () is a landlocked city located immediately west of the larger city of Bandung, in West Java Province, Indonesia and within the Bandung Metropolitan Area. It covers an area of 40.37 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 541,1 ...
and later
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 ...
(today
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 ...
). He became involved in Indonesian nationalist movements through the Ambonese youth group ''Jong Ambon'', and he took part in the two
Youth Congresses in 1926 and 1928. In addition, he participated in the Christian
ecumenical movement
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
during his time at Batavia's
medical school (
STOVIA), from which he graduated in 1930. After briefly working in a Batavian hospital, he moved to work at a
missionary hospital in
Bandung. In 1941, he became a
chief physician of hospitals in
Purwakarta
Purwakarta (Dutch: Poerwakarta) is a district and town in West Java, Indonesia which serves as the regency seat of the Purwakarta Regency. It had a population of 165,447 at the 2010 Census,. rising to 179,233 at the 2020 Census.
History
Purwaka ...
and
Tangerang
Tangerang ( Sundanese: , ) is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the western border of Jakarta, it is the third largest urban centre in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi; the sixth largest city ...
throughout the
Japanese occupation, during which he was briefly arrested and imprisoned.
Following the
proclamation of independence and the beginning of the
Indonesian National Revolution, Leimena was appointed Deputy Health Minister, and later Health Minister. He retained his ministerial position through nine different cabinets across six years, and was a member of the Indonesian delegations in the
Linggadjati,
Renville, and
Roem–Van Roijen Agreement
The Roem–Van Roijen Agreement was an agreement made between Indonesian republicans and the Netherlands on 7 May 1949 at the Des Indes Hotel. The name was derived between the two principal negotiators at the meeting; Mohammad Roem and Jan ...
s, as well as the
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 ...
. During this time, Leimena founded the
Indonesian Christian Party
The Indonesian Christian Party ( id, Partai Kristen Indonesia), better known as Parkindo, was a Christian political party active in Indonesia from 1950 until 1973, when it was merged to make the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Founded by Johannes ...
(Parkindo), and was elected the party's chairman in 1950. He also participated in national Christian organizations such as the
Communion of Churches in Indonesia
The Communion of Churches in Indonesia ( id, Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia) is a national ecumenical body in Indonesia. It was founded in 1950. It is a member of the World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a w ...
. During his tenure as Health Minister, Leimena envisioned a plan to provide
preventive healthcare
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
in rural areas, which, despite encountering difficulties during its 1954 implementation, became the precursor of the modern
Puskesmas
Puskesmas ( id, Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat, ) are government-mandated community health clinics located across Indonesia. They are overseen by the Indonesian Ministry of Health and provide healthcare for the population on sub-district level. ...
system.
Leimena became Deputy Prime Minister in 1957 and became one of Sukarno's closest aides. During the
30 September Movement and the ensuing political shifts, Leimena was heavily affected, his own house being attacked on the night of the incident. Leimena took part in many meetings to advise Sukarno, with some giving him credit for convincing Sukarno to take a course of action which avoided a
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. Witnessing the signing of the
Supersemar
The Order of Eleventh March ( id, Surat Perintah Sebelas Maret), commonly referred to by its syllabic abbreviation ''Supersemar'', was a document signed by the Indonesian President Sukarno on 11 March 1966, giving army commander Lt. Gen. Suhar ...
, he lost his position as a government minister after
Sukarno's fall. Unlike many of his imprisoned colleagues, Leimena was still involved in politics, becoming a member of the
Supreme Advisory Council until 1973. He died in 1977, and his body was interred at the
Kalibata Heroes Cemetery
The National Main Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Nasional Utama, Kalibata, colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes Cemetery ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Kalibata, or ''TMP Kalibata'') is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South ...
. In 2010, 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 ...
by President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Early life and education
Childhood and family
Leimena was born in
Ambon, Maluku
Ambon (formerly nl, Amboina) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Maluku. This city is also known as , which means "beautiful" or "pretty" Ambon. It covers a land area of 298.61 km2, and had a population of 331 ...
, on 6 March 1905. His father, Dominggus Leimena, was a substitute teacher in an elementary school in Ambon, and his mother, Elizabeth Sulilatu, also worked as a teacher. Throughout his childhood, Leimena lived in the town of Ambon or at his parents' villages elsewhere on
Ambon Island. The Leimena family was descended from the local ''
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
s'' from his father's home village of Ema, and like the rest of Ema, the Leimena family adhered to Christianity. When Leimena was five years old, his father died and his mother remarried, leaving Leimena to live with his aunt (also an elementary school teacher) while his other siblings moved in with their stepfather. As a child in Ambon, he enrolled in the Dutch language ''Ambonsche Burgerschool''. In 1914, Leimena moved to
Cimahi
Cimahi () is a landlocked city located immediately west of the larger city of Bandung, in West Java Province, Indonesia and within the Bandung Metropolitan Area. It covers an area of 40.37 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 541,1 ...
,
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 ...
; his aunt had been promoted to a principal of a school serving the children of Ambonese colonial troops stationed there. After nine months, before Leimena had enrolled at that school, his aunt was reassigned to
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 ...
.
Youth and education
In Batavia, he initially enrolled at a ''
Europeesche Lagere School'' elementary school, but moved to the more diverse ''Paul Krugerschool'' after some time. He continued his studies at a Christian-only ''
Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs
Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs ( Dutch, "more advanced primary education") was during part of the twentieth century a level of education in the Netherlands (and the Dutch East Indies), comparable with the junior high school level in the US educati ...
''. After graduating in 1922, his aunt ruled out enrolling at a ''
Hogere Burgerschool'', and Leimena did not qualify for the technical ''Koningin Wilhelmina School''. Leimena applied for jobs as a railway or postal officer, but was rejected by both. Instead, he enrolled at the
medical school STOVIA.
During his time at STOVIA, Leimena participated in youth organizations such as the ''Jong Ambon'' ("Ambonese Youth") and the ''Christen Studenten Vereniging'' ("Christian Students Association"). Leimena became a leading figure within the former, initially advocating neutrality for Jong Ambon in the background of competition between pro-independence and pro-Dutch Ambonese organizations. He also joined the
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...
, influenced by his Sumatran colleagues such as
Amir Sjarifuddin
Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, EVO: Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap; 27 April 1907 – 19 December 1948) was an Indonesian politician and journalist who served as the second prime minister of Indonesia from 1947 until 19 ...
and
Mohammad Yamin. Leimena's nationalist views deepened in the mid-1920s, as he became aware of
Sukarno's founding of the
Indonesian National Party
The Indonesian National Party ( id, Partai Nasional Indonesia, PNI) was the name used by several nationalist political parties in Indonesia from 1927 until the 2000s. The first PNI was established by future President Sukarno. After independence, th ...
and the nationalist aspirations of the ''
Perhimpoenan Indonesia'' student organization in the Netherlands. In 1926, Leimena was a committee member at the "First Youth Congress", and again in 1928's Second Youth Congress. Outside of the nationalist movements, Leimena also took part in the
ecumenical movement
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
, which was taking root in Indonesia during his time at STOVIA. He graduated from STOVIA as a doctor in 1930.
Medical career
After graduating, Leimena first worked at Batavia's ''Centraal Burgerlijke Ziekenhuis'' (today
Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital). A year later, he moved to
Bandung,
where he worked at the Zending Imanuel Hospital until 1941. There, he was promoted to manage the education of new nurses by 1936, and he worked with a number of clinics affiliated with the hospital from the surrounding region. During this time, due to locals' concerns about religious conversions due to treatment in a missionary hospital, Leimena initiated a referral system whereas polyclinics led by ''mantri'' (nurses) in villages around Bandung would provide preventive care. Leimena received a medical degree in 1939 from Batavia's Medical College (), specializing in
liver diseases. In 1941, after a decade of working in Bandung, he became
chief physician at the Banyu Asin Hospital at
Purwakarta
Purwakarta (Dutch: Poerwakarta) is a district and town in West Java, Indonesia which serves as the regency seat of the Purwakarta Regency. It had a population of 165,447 at the 2010 Census,. rising to 179,233 at the 2020 Census.
History
Purwaka ...
. In the aftermath of the
Japanese takeover of the Dutch East Indies, the hospital at Purwakarta was briefly occupied by the Japanese before Leimena could return to his work. In 1943, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese military, likely either due to his links with socialist politician
Amir Sjarifuddin
Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, EVO: Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap; 27 April 1907 – 19 December 1948) was an Indonesian politician and journalist who served as the second prime minister of Indonesia from 1947 until 19 ...
or his treatment of injured Dutch soldiers after the
Battle of Kalijati. He was held for six months and suffered beatings during his incarceration.
He was released after he treated a
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 ...
officer who suffered from
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
.
Political career
National Revolution
![Renville Agreement Indonesian Delegation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Renville_Agreement_Indonesian_Delegation.jpg)
When the
Indonesian National Revolution broke out, Leimena had been working at a hospital in
Tangerang
Tangerang ( Sundanese: , ) is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the western border of Jakarta, it is the third largest urban centre in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi; the sixth largest city ...
. In the wake of the
Lengkong incident
The Lengkong incident was an incident that occurred on 25 January 1946, where cadets from the newly formed Indonesian Military Academy and Japanese soldiers unexpectedly engaged in combat.
Events
In the afternoon of 25 January 1946, a group of ne ...
– which saw over 30 Indonesian Army cadets killed – Leimena treated some of the injured, and he met Sukarno when the latter visited the injured cadets at the hospital.
Two months after the incident, he accepted an offer to become a Junior Minister for Health in
Sutan Sjahrir's
second cabinet formed in 1946, under Health Minister
Darma Setiawan. According to accounts by his colleagues, Leimena initially rejected the appointment, citing his desire to work as a doctor, but he was convinced by his friend Amir Sjarifuddin, who was by then Minister of Information.
Leimena was first appointed as a full health minister in the
First Amir Sjarifuddin Cabinet, which was formed on 3 July 1947. He retained the post until 1953, when the
Wilopo Cabinet
The Wilopo Cabinet was an Indonesian cabinet that served from 1 April 1952 until 3 June 1953.
Composition Cabinet Leadership
*Prime Minister: Wilopo (Indonesian National Party – PNI)
*Deputy Prime Minister: Prawoto Mangkusasmito (Masyumi Pa ...
collapsed, for a total of eight cabinets. He was also a founding member of the
Indonesian Christian Party
The Indonesian Christian Party ( id, Partai Kristen Indonesia), better known as Parkindo, was a Christian political party active in Indonesia from 1950 until 1973, when it was merged to make the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Founded by Johannes ...
(Parkindo), being appointed as part of the leadership committee upon Parkindo's formation in September 1947. He would later be elected as Parkindo's chairman following the party's 3rd Congress on 6 – 9 April 1950. Beyond his cabinet position, Leimena agreed to chair the ''Pemuda Indonesia Maluku'' (PIM), a pro-Indonesian Ambonese organization formed by
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 unt ...
. While both Leimena and Latuharhary were respected, they held little control over PIM's activities.
Leimena was based in Jakarta in the early days of the revolution, but moved alongside the rest of Sjahrir's cabinet in 1946 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, ...
as Jakarta was being increasingly controlled by the Dutch. Leimena was an important member of the Indonesian negotiating team in agreements with the Dutch. He was part of the Indonesian delegation to the
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, Kunin ...
of November 1946, and the
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 ...
of January 1948 (during which, Leimena remarked, the Indonesian side accepted the Dutch terms under American pressure). After
Operation Kraai
Operation Kraai (Operation Crow) was a Dutch military offensive against the ''de facto'' Republic of Indonesia in December 1948 after negotiations failed. With the advantage of surprise the Dutch managed to capture the Indonesian Republic's t ...
, Leimena evaded capture and attended talks in Jakarta with representatives from the federal states of 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 (exce ...
in January 1949. During the
Roem–Van Roijen Agreement
The Roem–Van Roijen Agreement was an agreement made between Indonesian republicans and the Netherlands on 7 May 1949 at the Des Indes Hotel. The name was derived between the two principal negotiators at the meeting; Mohammad Roem and Jan ...
, Leimena also participated in negotiations, and he further participated in the
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 ...
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 o ...
, leading Indonesia's military delegation.
South Maluku Affair
When the
South Maluku Republic (RMS) was declared in Ambon in the aftermath of the Dutch recognition of Indonesian sovereignty, Leimena was dispatched to Ambon to lead the Indonesian government's initial negotiating party ("Leimena mission") with RMS leaders aboard the corvette ''
Hang Tuah
Hang Tuah ( Jawi: , /tuah/ or /toh/) is said to have been a warrior who lived in Malacca during the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah in the 15th century. There is limited historical evidence for his existence. However, he was supposedly a great laksam ...
''. While Leimena attempted to convince RMS leaders in Ambon (where they arrived on 1 May 1950) and
Saparua
Saparua is an island east of Ambon Island in the Indonesian province of Maluku; the island of Haruku lies between Saparua and Ambon. The main port is in the south at Kota Saparua. The island of Maolana is located near its southwestern side an ...
to come aboard ''Hang Tuah'' to negotiate, the leaders refused, wanting to negotiate on board neutral vessels while under
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 ...
supervision. Additionally, the RMS leaders wanted to be recognized as representatives of an independent state, a request that was refused.
Leimena had initially intended to travel to Ambon aboard a
KNIL
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 ...
aircraft, but this was overridden by the Defense Minister at that time. After further attempts at negotiation failed, tensions continued to rise between the Indonesian government and RMS, with another attempt in June endorsed by Leimena failing due to difficulty in securing transport. A last-ditch effort at establishing contact was attempted by sending Leimena to
Namlea
Namlea is a town and ''kecamatan'' on the northeastern coast of the Indonesian island of Buru. It is the capital of the Buru Regency.
Climate
Namlea has a tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a ...
on 27 September, reportedly giving him wide authority in the negotiations including amnesty and autonomy for the region, but the mission was interrupted by
TNI's landings in Ambon the day after Leimena's departure.
Post-war health minister
![Dr Johannes Leimena, Pekan Buku Indonesia 1954, p243](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Dr_Johannes_Leimena%2C_Pekan_Buku_Indonesia_1954%2C_p243.jpg)
Due to underinvestment in public health during the Dutch colonial period, military takeover of health infrastructure during the Japanese occupation, general malnutrition, and disruptions by the military actions during the Revolution, the Indonesian public health sector in 1949 had failed to become what had been envisioned by nationalist leaders. Leimena viewed public health as a necessity in the reconstruction of Indonesia and in socioeconomic development, and during his time as health minister he put significant efforts into
preventive healthcare
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
and hygiene in rural Indonesia. This was directly in contrast to the pre-independence Dutch health policy, which focused on healthcare in urban areas. In 1950, the municipal government of Bandung initiated a project based on missionary hospital networks, under which an urban central hospital would be supported by a number of smaller clinics in surrounding villages. The hospital and the clinics would be run under a singular system, directed by a head physician at the regency (subprovincial) level.
This program, dubbed the "Bandung Plan", received strong support from Leimena, and was strongly inspired by Leimena's experience at the Imanuel Hospital. The Bandung Plan (or its later renaming, the "Leimena Plan") was initially slated to be launched across Indonesia in 1954, but encountered administrative bottlenecks and financial constraints. Another important factor complicating the implementation was a lack of doctors; European doctors were leaving Indonesia and many local doctors were leaving their practices for revolutionary careers in the military or politics. Despite these issues, the Bandung Plan became the basis of the
Puskesmas
Puskesmas ( id, Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat, ) are government-mandated community health clinics located across Indonesia. They are overseen by the Indonesian Ministry of Health and provide healthcare for the population on sub-district level. ...
system established in the late 1960s. Three laws related to healthcare, presented to the government by Leimena's ministry, were passed in June 1951. These laws required new doctors and dentists to work for the government for three years before being allowed to open a practice, permitted the government to ban new private practices in certain areas (aimed at urban centers), and authorized the government to requisition private doctor services during times of crisis.
Leimena in 1952 also announced that medical practice was designated specifically for qualified doctors, hence excluding auxiliary medical personnel from opening their own practices. He also formed the Public Food Board (''Lembaga Makanan Rakyat''), which advised the general public on nutrition. Under a fellowship from the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
, Leimena travelled to Europe in 1953, where he observed the healthcare systems of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
(
NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
), and
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. He also went to
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, where he also attended lectures and discussions in addition to observing existing health services. The Norwegian health system, which envisioned raising the standards of living through the improvement of nutrition and working conditions, left an impression on Leimena. Leimena had concerns regarding foreign aid being used to influence Indonesian foreign policy and politics through terms and conditions, and called for unconditional aid for health services from developed countries. Leimena's first tenure as health minister came to an end on 30 July 1953, though he served another few months as Health Minister under the
Burhanuddin Harahap Cabinet
The Burhanuddin Harahap was an Indonesian cabinet, named after the Prime Minister, that served from 11 August 1955 until 3 March 1956.
Composition Cabinet Leadership
*Prime Minister: Burhanuddin Harahap (Masyumi Party)
*First Deputy Prime Minis ...
.
During the last months of the Harahap cabinet, Leimena was dispatched to
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
to negotiate regarding the
West New Guinea dispute
The West New Guinea dispute (1950–1962), also known as the West Irian dispute, was a diplomatic and political conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia over the territory of Dutch New Guinea. While the Netherlands had ceded sovereignty ov ...
. While the delegation managed to secure Dutch recognition of the dissolution of the
Netherlands-Indonesian Union
The Netherlands-Indonesia Union was a confederal relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia that existed between 1949 and 1956.
History
On 15 November 1946 the Linggadjati Agreement was signed between the Netherlands and the soon-to-be in ...
, and gained some concessions on bilateral financial and economic agreements, domestic political pressure resulted in most of the delegation being called home. Leimena, who stayed in Geneva, apparently intended to resign and reportedly said that he felt like "a fisherman who has caught something and is told to throw it back into the water". After the Harahap Cabinet's collapse,
Ali Sastroamidjojo
Ali Sastroamidjojo ( EYD: Ali Sastroamijoyo; 21 May 1903 – 13 March 1975) was an Indonesian politician and diplomat who served as prime minister of Indonesia from 1953 until 1955 and again from 1956 until 1957. He also served as the Indo ...
intentionally excluded all ministers who served the entire length of the Harahap cabinet, including Leimena, from his cabinet. At that time, Leimena had also been elected as a member of the
People's Representative Council representing Maluku in the
1955 elections. He was then appointed into 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 dec ...
, as a deputy speaker, until he became inactive due to further appointment as minister. Aside from his work as health minister, Leimena also participated in the newly formed
Communion of Churches in Indonesia
The Communion of Churches in Indonesia ( id, Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia) is a national ecumenical body in Indonesia. It was founded in 1950. It is a member of the World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a w ...
(''Dewan Gereja Indonesia'' or DGI, later PGI). He was elected its deputy chairman in 1950, and he remained in that position until 1964, when he instead became an honorary chairman until his death. He also founded the
Indonesian Christian Student Movement
The Indonesian Christian Student Movement ( id, Gerakan Mahasiswa Kristen Indonesia, GMKI) is the main student organization for Christian students in Indonesia. Established on 9 February 1950, it is the product of a merger between the ''Christel ...
(GMKI) in 1950.
Guided Democracy period
After the collapse of the
Second Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet
The Second Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet was an Indonesian cabinet that served from 26 March 1956 until 14 March 1957.
Composition Cabinet Leadership
*Prime Minister: Ali Sastroamidjojo (Indonesian National Party – PNI)
*First Deputy Prime Minist ...
in 1957, Leimena took a position where he stated that further collapses of cabinets could only be prevented by a more inclusive government, including political parties and groups previously excluded. Within the
Djuanda Cabinet, which started on 9 April 1957, Leimena was initially appointed as Social Minister, but by that year as well he was relieved from that post and instead became a Deputy Prime Minister. Leimena joined the "National Council" which was formed in May 1957, and late in 1957, Leimena was also appointed into a "Committee of Seven" intended to manage undergoing issues with the
Indonesian Army. Other members of the committee were 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 ...
,
Djuanda Kartawidjaja
Raden Djuanda Kartawidjaja ( EYD: Raden Juanda Kartawijaya; 14 January 1911 – 7 November 1963), commonly known as Djuanda Kartawidjaja, usually referred to simply as Djuanda, was an Indonesian politician and ethnic Sundanese noble from the cou ...
,
Abdul Haris Nasution,
Hamengkubuwono IX
Hamengkubuwono IX or HB IX (12 April 1912 – 2 October 1988) was an Indonesian statesman and royal who was the second vice president of Indonesia, the ninth sultan of Yogyakarta, and the first governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Hamen ...
, and
Azis Saleh. Leimena was a loyalist of Sukarno, including after
Sukarno's 1959 Decree. From 1957 to 1959, he largely passed over the work of being Parkindo chairman to
A.M. Tambunan.
After the 1959 Decree, Leimena was appointed Distribution Minister, and shortly afterwards also became Deputy First Minister. Within his capacity as Distribution Minister, he saw nutritional intake as vital in improving worker productivity and desired to achieve rice self-sufficiency for the growing population through intensification of rice cultivation in Java while expanding farmlands elsewhere. However, his plans stalled due to issues regarding coordination with the Ministries of Agriculture, Transmigration and Labor.
Leimena was part of the Supreme Operations Command (''Komando Operasi Tertinggi''/KOTI) in 1962 during the
West New Guinea dispute
The West New Guinea dispute (1950–1962), also known as the West Irian dispute, was a diplomatic and political conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia over the territory of Dutch New Guinea. While the Netherlands had ceded sovereignty ov ...
. He was given a titular rank of a
vice admiral of the
Indonesian Navy
The Indonesian Navy ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, , Indonesian National Military-Naval Force, TNI-AL) is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol ...
in 1962, and was promoted to admiral on 17 August 1964. In November 1963, following the unexpected death of Djuanda, a
presidium
A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one.
Communist states
In Communist states the presid ...
was appointed by Sukarno to manage the cabinet, consisting of Leimena,
Subandrio, and
Chaerul Saleh
Chairul Saleh Dt Paduko Rajo (September 13, 1916 – February 8, 1967) was born in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra. He was an Indonesian government minister and vice prime minister during the Sukarno presidency. He was a close confidant of Sukarno, who ...
. During the whole of the
Guided Democracy
Guided democracy, also called managed democracy, is a formally democratic government that functions as a ''de facto'' authoritarian government or in some cases, as an autocratic government. Such hybrid regimes are legitimized by elections th ...
period, Leimena remained a close ally of Sukarno, being skilled with handling the political elite, though he lacked the ability to organize large-scale popular support. Due to his position as Deputy First Minister, he took over presidential duties as acting president seven times.
1965 coup and Supersemar
![Leimena Nasional 1 Jul 1960 p1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Leimena_Nasional_1_Jul_1960_p1.jpg)
At the time of the
30 September Movement, Leimena's house was located two houses down and across the street from Army General
Abdul Haris Nasution, who was a key target for the coup organizers. Around one hundred men were involved in the early morning operations against Nasution's house, and as Leimena had three men assigned to him as personal bodyguards due to his position, the rebel soldiers wanted to prevent them from interfering in the kidnapping of Nasution. In the ensuing scuffle, one of Leimena's guards,
Karel Satsuit Tubun
Karel Satsuit Tubun (also written as Karel Sadsuitubun; 14 October 1928 – 1 October 1965) was an Indonesian police officer and national hero. A bodyguard for deputy prime minister Johannes Leimena, he was killed while on duty in a scuffle by ...
, was killed, but no further attempts were made by rebels to enter his residence or to take Leimena into custody. Leimena, upon learning that Tubun had been killed, refused to flee the house. The incident at Leimena's home received more attention than some of the attacks on the generals' homes, and it was assumed then that Leimena was a target for the rebels, though he was not. Initial reports of the attack which
Suharto received from
Umar Wirahadikusumah
Umar Wirahadikusumah (; 10 October 1924 – 21 March 2003) was an Indonesian politician and former army general, who served as the fourth Vice President of Indonesia, serving from 1983 until 1988. Previously, he was chair of the Audit Board of ...
erroneously reported that Leimena had been captured along with the generals.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, still on the morning of 1 October, Leimena was summoned by Sukarno to
Halim Perdanakusuma airforce Airbase, where he had gone to speak with the coup leaders. Leimena first consulted with Suharto before heading to Halim, and he delivered a message from Suharto to Sukarno requesting the latter leave Halim before 16:30 that day, as that was the time limit Suharto gave the coup forces to surrender before he would launch an attack on Halim. Leimena remained with Sukarno all afternoon in Halim. After discussions there resulted in the appointment of
Pranoto Reksosamudro
Major General Pranoto Reksosamodra (16 April 1923 – 9 June 1992) was an Indonesian Army general who was briefly army chief of staff and was detained for 15 years without trial for alleged involvement in the 30 September Movement coup a ...
as acting
Army Chief of Staff to replace the late
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 Jena ...
, they were informed that
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserves Command ( id, Komando Cadangan Strategis Angkatan Darat; abbreviated ) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operati ...
(Army Strategic Command) under Suharto was preparing the attack on the airbase. Apparently, while Sukarno was nearly convinced to head east for
Madiun, East Java or Bali as suggested by coup leaders such as
Omar Dani, Leimena convinced Sukarno not to do so, fearing an imminent civil war. In following Leimena's advice, Sukarno had foiled the coup's primary objective of getting Sukarno to a place where he would be under the coup's control. The
Bogor Palace was a "neutral" area, so heading to Bogor according to Sukarno's weekly routine would disassociate Sukarno from the coup. Leimena was named by the coup plotters as part of an "Indonesian Revolution Council" (nearly half of which was sitting government officials) on the afternoon of 1 October.
On 3 March 1966, as acting minister for higher education and science, Leimena ordered the closure of the
University of 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 D ...
, but his order was ignored by the army units guarding the university. Leimena was present during a cabinet meeting on 11 March in Jakarta during which troops took up positions in front of the palace. Later in the afternoon, Leimena joined Sukarno and two other Deputy Prime Ministers (
Subandrio and
Chaerul Saleh
Chairul Saleh Dt Paduko Rajo (September 13, 1916 – February 8, 1967) was born in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra. He was an Indonesian government minister and vice prime minister during the Sukarno presidency. He was a close confidant of Sukarno, who ...
) in meeting with Army generals
Amirmachmud,
Mohammad Jusuf
Andi Mohammad Jusuf Amir (23 June 1928 – 8 September 2004), more commonly known as M. Jusuf, was an Indonesian military general and a witness to the signing of the Supersemar document transferring power from President Sukarno to General Suhar ...
and
Basuki Rahmat
Basuki Rahmat (4 November 1921 – 8 January 1969) was an Indonesian general, National Hero and a witness to the signing of the Supersemar document transferring power from President Sukarno to General Suharto.
Early life
Basuki Rahmat was born ...
at the Bogor Palace. The outcome of that meeting was the
Supersemar
The Order of Eleventh March ( id, Surat Perintah Sebelas Maret), commonly referred to by its syllabic abbreviation ''Supersemar'', was a document signed by the Indonesian President Sukarno on 11 March 1966, giving army commander Lt. Gen. Suhar ...
, which handed over considerable powers to Suharto. Leimena attended another meeting on 16 March during which Sukarno refused demands to reorganize his cabinet. Regardless, on 18 March, fifteen cabinet ministers were dismissed and arrested, but Leimena alone initially retained his position in a newly formed five-member cabinet presidium (himself, Hamengkubuwono IX,
Idham Chalid
Idham Chalid (27 August 1921 – 11 July 2010) was an Indonesian politician, religious leader, and minister, who served as Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly and Chairman of the People's Representative Council from 1972 until 1977. He ...
,
Adam Malik
Adam Malik Batubara (22 July 1917 – 5 September 1984), or more commonly referred to simply as Adam Malik, was an Indonesian politician, diplomat, and journalist, who served as the 3rd Vice President of Indonesia from 1978 until 1983, under ...
and
Ruslan Abdulgani
Ruslan Abdulgani (November 24, 1914, Surabaya — June 29, 2005, Jakarta, his first name is also spelled Roeslan) was an Indonesian government official and diplomat known for his role as a leader during the Indonesian National Revolution in ...
). He had, at that time, served for nearly twenty years in a similar number of cabinets.
New Order
During the
New Order, Suharto reportedly intended to retain Leimena as a minister, but the latter politely refused the position by going through Hamengkubuwono IX.
Instead, he was appointed as the acting deputy speaker of the
Supreme Advisory Council from 1966 until 1968. After his acting deputy speaker term had expired, he remained a member of the council until 1973. During his time in the council, he resolved several internal disputes of the DPA, on topics such as tax inequality, nationwide education, and the question of who should become acting president when the president was abroad. He was also appointed as the director of the
Cikini Hospital
Primaya Hospital PGI Cikini, also known as PGI Cikini Hospital (''Rumah Sakit PGI Cikini'') or Cikini Hospital (''Rumah Sakit Cikini''), is a hospital in Cikini, Menteng in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was formerly a mansion that was designed by Indonesi ...
on 11 December 1968. Leimena was one of the few politicians in this period who did not distance himself from Sukarno.
[''Kompas'' newspaper. 16 November 2007. p. 51]
Leimena was elected into the
People's Representative Council following the
1971 election, but he did not take office. After the fusion of the
Indonesian Christian Party
The Indonesian Christian Party ( id, Partai Kristen Indonesia), better known as Parkindo, was a Christian political party active in Indonesia from 1950 until 1973, when it was merged to make the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Founded by Johannes ...
to the
Indonesian Democratic Party
The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was one of the two state-approved parties during the New Order era of the late 20th-century in Indonesia.
Origins
Ten political parties participated in the 1971 legislative elections, a number that Pres ...
in 1973, Leimena was appointed as the deputy chairman of the party's advisory council.
Views
Prior to Indonesia's independence, Leimena had been speaking about the differences between the international Christian movement and the nationalist Indonesian independence movement. Sukarno described him as having "a
dominee
In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidan ...
soul, but against the colonialism-imperialism he never ceased to combat and to strive". After independence, Leimena wrote against the
Darul Islam movement, and also opposed
separatism and communism. This opposition to both positions partly led to Leimena's strong affinity toward Sukarno, who leaned toward a
Pancasila-based state. Despite this view, Leimena found much common ground with some of the more socialist-leaning Islamic
Masyumi
The Council of Indonesian Muslim Associations ( id, Partai Majelis Syuro Muslimin Indonesia), better known as the Masyumi Party, was a major Islamic political party in Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia. It was banned in ...
leaders such as
Mohammad Natsir
Mohammad Natsir (17 July 19086 February 1993) was an Islamic scholar and politician. He was Indonesia's fifth prime minister.
After moving to Bandung from his hometown Solok, West Sumatra for senior high school, Natsir studied Islamic doctrine e ...
and
Sjafruddin Prawiranegara
Sjafruddin Prawiranegara (EYD: Syafruddin Prawiranegara; 28 February 191115 February 1989) was an Indonesian statesman and economist. He served as the head of government in the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia, as Minister of Fi ...
.
Leimena gave two addresses to meetings of the DGI in 1950 and 1964, where he promoted the idea where the interests and aims of the church are parallel with that of the country. He had written a piece for the Christian magazine ''Eltheto'' during his time in the Netherlands, in which he mentioned that "the duty of an Indonesian Christian is to show how Christianity has nothing to do with colonialism".
Personal life and family
![Tjitjih Wiyarsih Leimena](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Tjitjih_Wiyarsih_Leimena.jpg)
During his time at STOVIA, Leimena was a football player on the school's team and several locally famous teams. Leimena married his wife, Wijarsih Prawiradilaga, during his time working as a doctor in Bandung. The couple had four sons and four daughters. One of his daughters,
Melani Leimena Suharli, would serve as a deputy speaker of the
People's Consultative Assembly.
His family noted Leimena's tendency to dress in simple clothing, especially white-colored attire.
In his autobiography, Sukarno noted how Leimena, while on diplomatic missions during the Indonesian Revolution, lacked formal clothes and had to borrow sets of a suit and tie from colleagues.
Death
Leimena died in Jakarta on 29 March 1977, at around 07:30a.m. He had been suffering from an illness during a recent trip to Europe, when he was forced to return to Indonesia on a wheelchair. After his funeral service, he received a
military funeral
A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards o ...
at
Kalibata Heroes Cemetery
The National Main Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Nasional Utama, Kalibata, colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes Cemetery ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Kalibata, or ''TMP Kalibata'') is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South ...
.
Honours
National
*:
**
Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 2nd Class (1973)
**
Guerrilla Star (1959)
**
Development Medal (1961)
**
Independence Medal
**
Civil Service Long Service Medals, 1st Class
Foreign
*:
Commander of the Order of Sikatuna
*:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Condor of the Andes
*:
Order of 23 August, 2nd Class
*:
Order of the Yugoslav Flag
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
, 1st Class
*:
Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit
''Source'':
Legacy
Sukarno and
Mohammad Roem
Mohammad Roem (; May 16, 1908 – September 24, 1983) was a diplomat and one of Indonesia's leaders in the Indonesian war for independence. During the Sukarno presidency, he served as Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and later Min ...
said that Leimena was an honest politician and a skilled diplomat.
Sutan Sjahrir described Leimena's relationship with Sukarno as "telling what he felt sincerely to Sukarno, but he wouldn't leave Sukarno by all by himself".
Many of his colleagues saw him as a senior figure, hence his nickname "Om Jo" (i.e. "Uncle Jo"), in contrast to many contemporary figures referred to with the more egalitarian "Bung".
In 2010, 33 years after his death, Leimena was awarded the title of
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 ...
by President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. A public hospital in Ambon, RSUP Dr Johannes Leimena, was named after him in 2019. A statue of Leimena, inaugurated in 2012, is also present in Ambon next to
Pattimura University
University of Pattimura ( id, Universitas Pattimura) is a public university in Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It ...
.
The , operated by the DGI, had been established in 2004, having been previously founded as the Leimena Academy in 1984 as a
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
.
Writings
* ''The Dutch-Indonesian Conflict'' (1949)
* ''Public Health in Indonesia: Problems and Planning'' (1955)
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leimena, Johannes
Indonesian Christians
1905 births
1977 deaths
Government ministers of Indonesia
People from Ambon, Maluku
National Heroes of Indonesia
People of the Indonesian National Revolution
Members of the People's Representative Council, 1955
Health ministers of Indonesia
Social affairs ministers of Indonesia
20th-century Indonesian physicians