Muljadi Djojomartono ( EYD: Mulyadi Joyomartono; 3 May 189823 October 1967) was an Indonesian politician and military officer who served as Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare between 1960–1966 and Minister of Social Affairs between 1957 and 1962 and briefly in 1966. Affiliated with the Islamic organization Muhammadiyah, he had originated in Surakarta and served as a battalion commander in the

Defenders of the Homeland ''Pembela Tanah Air'' (abbreviated PETA; ) or was an Indonesian volunteer army established on 3 October 1943 in Indonesia by the occupying Japanese. The Japanese intended PETA to assist their forces in opposing a possible invasion by the Allies ...

organization, which resulted in his participation 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 ...

as an officer in his hometown. He was appointed as a minister by Sukarno despite protestations from his political party and Muhammadiyah, which opposed Muljadi's accommodation of Sukarno's actions.

Early life

Muljadi was born in Surakarta on 3 May 1898 and received education in Islamic institutions.

Career

Pre-independence

For a time, he worked as an employee of the postal service. Muljadi helped with the 1934 founding of a radio station in Surakarta, the SRI (''Siaran Radio Indonesia''), and he later became a well-known broadcaster on that station. He was also active in various Islamic organizations prior to the outbreak of

WW2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. During the Japanese occupation period, Muljadi joined the Japanese-controlled

(PETA) military organization, where he was appointed a battalion commander in Surakarta, along with a number of other

kyai A kyai ( ) is an expert in Islam, usually used among the ethnic Javanese people. Origins The word is of Javanese origin. Sometimes it is spelled kiai. Traditionally, students of Islam in Indonesia would study in a boarding school known as a ...

who were also appointed to similar positions in PETA.

Post-1945

During the

, Muljadi became a leading figure within the ''pemuda'' movement in Surakarta, specifically the

Barisan Banteng The ''Suishintai'' ( ja, 推進体, Suishintai, Pioneer Corps, id, Barisan Pelopor) was the paramilitary youth wing of the '' Jawa Hōkōkai'' (ジャワ奉公会, "Javanese Service Society") which was formed in August 1944 by its leader Sukarn ...

organization which he co-founded with Moewardi. At one point, when a leader for the newly formed

People's Security Agency The People's Security Agency ( id, Badan Keamanan Rakyat), or commonly abbreviated as BKR, was an Indonesian government agency established to undertake the task of maintaining security together with the people and the state offices. The BKR was fo ...

was about to select a commander, Muljadi was nominated as one of six potential candidates, and in a public vote just two voted for him, with most voting for either

Sudirman General of the Army Raden Sudirman ( Old Spelling: Soedirman; 24 January 1916 – 29 January 1950) was a high-ranking Indonesian military officer during the Indonesian National Revolution. The first commander of the Indonesian National Ar ...

(who won) and Urip Sumohardjo. Due to disputes between the central government and the local militants and authorities in Surakarta, Muljadi alongside other leading figures including Moewardi was briefly arrested in late May 1946. However, large-scale rallies coupled with an ultimatum from Barisan Banteng leader Sudiro who threatened to resign and hence leave the ''pemuda'' uncontrolled, resulted in Muljadi's release on 31 May. He again was arrested by Dutch authorities 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 ...

in February 1949 when he refused to join the Dutch-formed "Islamic Council" for Surakarta. Muljadi was a member of the where he served as chairman as early as 1951, and maintained his seat following the 1955 election. He was also a member of

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 ...

and Muhammadiyah's leadership committees. He was present as one of five Masyumi representatives at the presidential palace in April 1957 after Sukarno decreed a state of war the previous month in the aftermath 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 *List of Prime Ministers of Indonesia, Prime Minister: Ali Sastroamidjojo (Indonesian National Par ...

's resignation. As he approved of Sukarno's decision to issue said decree, he was later appointed a minister within the new Djuanda Cabinet.

Johannes Leimena 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. He was one of the longest-serving government ministers in In ...

was initially appointed as Minister of Social Affairs, but as he was promoted to Deputy First Minister, Muljadi was appointed to replace him on 24 May 1957. While his approval was in line with some leaders within Masyumi, most of Masyumi and Muhammadiyah's leadership saw his actions as making the organization bow to pressure from Sukarno, which they saw as violating the constitution. Shortly after his appointment, the Muhammadiyah plenary meeting held on 1-2 June 1957 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, ...

removed him from the organization's leadership committee (in which he was vice-chairman) and expelled from the organization. After his appointment, Muljadi would serve as Minister for Social Affairs until the end of the

First Working Cabinet The First Working Cabinet, ( id, Kabinet Kerja I), was an Indonesian cabinet that served from 9 July 1959 until 18 February 1960, when President Sukarno reshuffled it. Composition Cabinet Leadership *Prime Minister: Sukarno * Deputy Prime Min ...

, and then resumed his post with the title Junior Minister during the Second Working Cabinet, in which he also served as Minister for People's Welfare. In the

Third Working Cabinet The Third Working Cabinet, ( id, Kabinet Kerja III), was an Indonesian cabinet that resulted from a 6 March 1962 reshuffle of the previous cabinet by President Sukarno. It consisted of a prime minister, two first deputy ministers, eight deputy p ...

until the end of the

Revised Dwikora Cabinet The revised Dwikora Cabinet ( id, Kabinet Dwikora Yang Disempurnakan) was the Indonesian Cabinet which served under President Sukarno from February 1966 to March 1966. The Cabinet was formed under an extremely tense political situation and it wa ...

, he became Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare. He served one last ministerial term as Social Affairs Minister in the

Second Revised Dwikora Cabinet The second revised Dwikora Cabinet ( id, Kabinet Dwikora Yang Disempurnakan Lagi) was the Indonesian cabinet which served under President Sukarno from March 1966 until July 1966. The Cabinet was formed after Lieutenant General Suharto, using t ...

. Muljadi was well known to be hostile towards the Communist Party of Indonesia and an ardent supporter of Sukarno, to the point where he commented that if Sukarno had been born in 571 AD, he would have become an

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

. He died on 23 October 1967 in his home in Jakarta due to a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. He had been suffering from heart problems for some time before his death.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Djojomartono, Muljadi 1898 births 1967 deaths Central Java Provincial Council members Government ministers of Indonesia Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan Masyumi Party politicians Members of Pembela Tanah Air People from Surakarta People of the Indonesian National Revolution Social affairs ministers of Indonesia