Ahmad Kemal Idris (10 February 1923 – 28 July 2010) was a prominent

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 Guine ...

n Army general during the 1950s and 1960s. He was an Indonesian guerrilla leader during the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...

, who in 1949 was involved in continued resistance to the Dutch forces after they occupied

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, ...

Poncke Princen Johannes Cornelis Princen (21 November 1925 – 2 February 2002), also known as Poncke Princen, was a Dutch anti-Nazi fighter and activist. In 1948, he deserted, joining the pro-independence guerrillas in what was then the Dutch Indies. ...

, the Dutch soldier who went over to the guerrillas, served under Idris's command. Idris participated in the 17 October 1952 affair in which a group of Indonesian Army officers staged a failed coup attempt that would have forced the dissolution of the

People's Representative Council The People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, DPR-RI), also known as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), ...

(DPR, the parliament) and put 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 ...

as the supreme leader of Indonesia. As a consequence of his action, Idris failed to receive any significant promotion within the Army for 13 years. In 1965–1966, Idris was chief of staff of the Strategic Reserve Command (

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 operationa ...

), and had an important role in the

overthrow of Sukarno 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' ...

and the rise of General

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

to power. Nevertheless, by 1980 Idris had a falling out with Suharto and he was part of group of senior Indonesian retired generals and politicians to sign a petition highlighting their concerns against Suharto increasing authoritarian rule. This group was later known as the

Petisi 50 The Petition of Fifty ( id, Petisi 50) was a document protesting then President Suharto's use of state philosophy Pancasila against political opponents. Issued on 5 May 1980 as an "Expression of Concern", it was signed by fifty prominent Indones ...

group, highlighting the number of its signatories. As a result of his involvement with Petisi 50, Idris and his colleagues were sidelined and isolated by the Suharto government. Nevertheless, he managed to set up a

waste collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable m ...

company 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 ...

, earning him the nickname of ''jenderal sampah'' ("waste general"). Idris died in Jakarta on 28 July 2010, due to complications from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Honour

Foreign honour

* : **

Honorary Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on ...

(P.S.M.) - Tan Sri (1972)

References

1923 births 2010 deaths People from Buleleng Regency Indonesian generals People of the Indonesian National Revolution Minangkabau people Deaths from pneumonia in Indonesia Honorary Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia {{Indonesia-mil-bio-stub