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Munawar Musso (1897, in Kediri, East Java – Madiun, on 31 October 1948) was a leader of the
Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965. ...
and one of the key figures in the 1948
Madiun affair The Madiun Affair ( id, Peristiwa Madiun), known locally as the Communist Party of Indonesia rebellion of 1948 ( id, Pemberontakan Partai Komunis Indonesia 1948), was an armed conflict between the government of the self-proclaimed Republic of ...
.


Biography


Early life

Musso was born Munawar Musso in 1897, Pagu, Kediri. His father was a bank clerk in Wates, Mas Martoredjo. In
Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
, Musso trained as a teacher. He met Alimin, a disciple of G.A.J. Hazeu and D. van Hinloopen Labberton. According to Soemarsono, one of the PKI leaders in the
Madiun affair The Madiun Affair ( id, Peristiwa Madiun), known locally as the Communist Party of Indonesia rebellion of 1948 ( id, Pemberontakan Partai Komunis Indonesia 1948), was an armed conflict between the government of the self-proclaimed Republic of ...
, Musso continued to Hogere Burger School in 1913. He lived at
Tjokroaminoto Raden Mas Hadji Oemar Said Tjokroaminoto (16 August 1882 – 17 December 1934), better known in Indonesia as H.O.S. Tjokroaminoto, was an Indonesian nationalist. He became one of the leaders of the Islamic Trade Union ( id, Syarekat Dagang Islam ...
's boarding house with
Alimin Alimin bin Prawirodirdjo (Solo, 1889 – Jakarta, 24 June 1964)Utamakan Persatuan dan Dialog', 2002–2010 Situs TokohIndonesia, 2 October 2010. Diakses 2 February 2011 was an Indonesian independence movement figure and also Indonesian communis ...
and
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 ...
. According to Arnold C. Brackman, at the time Musso worked as a cashier at a
Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
post office. In Surabaya, Musso also met
Henk Sneevliet Hendricus Josephus Franciscus Marie (Henk) Sneevliet, known as Henk Sneevliet or by the ''pseudonym'' "Maring" (1883 - 1942), was a Dutch Communism, Communist, who was active in both the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. As a functionary of t ...
.


Beginning of PKI career

Musso and Alimin had more important tasks in infiltrating
Sarekat Islam Sarekat Islam or Syarikat Islam ( 'Islamic Association' or 'Islamic Union'; SI) was an Indonesian socio-political organization founded at the beginning of the 20th Century during the Dutch colonial era. Initially, SI served as a cooperative of ...
than Surjopranoto. They were members of both the
Indonesian Communist Party The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965. ...
(PK) and SI before they were arrested due to the Afdeling B affair. Musso was involved in a farmers revolt in Cimareme, Garut supported by Sarekat Islam Afdeling B. In the trial, while Alimin confessed to making a false statement to help Tjokroaminoto, Musso refused to make a confession. In prison, the Dutch government handled him roughly.
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 ...
complained to the Voolksraad (People's Assembly) about this treatment. According to McVey, Musso held a grudge against the Dutch government after this treatment. After Musso and Alimin were released in 1923, the former received an offer to teach
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 ...
using
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
as the language of instruction in the
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 ...
from van Hinloopen Labberton. However the Japanese government rejected Musso's explanation that he did not have a sufficient academic diploma, though McVey believes that the main reasons were his experience in prison and his political views. Musso then reorganized the Batavia PKI branch and led this new organization. In January 1925, a committee of the Indies National Congress conducted a meeting resulting in the formation of the politically neutral, Surabaya-based Indonesian Study Club association. Musso was present at the club's first convention in February supporting the club agenda and wishing it to be more closely linked to the grassroots. In early 1925, Musso and Alimin gave a speech at a rally organized by the VTSP in
Banten Banten ( id, Banten; Sundanese: , romanized ''Banten'') is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Se ...
increasing communist influence in that region. After the failure of the machinists'
strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
on 5 October, Musso concluded that the action had been premature. In December 1925, PKI leaders planned to rebel against the Dutch Indies government. The government knew this and arrested most of the leaders in January 1926. Musso was one of the few who managed to escape. He along with Budisutjitro and Sugono fled to
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 ...
meeting PKI agents Subakat and Alimin who had previously had stayed with
Tan Malaka Tan Malaka (2 June 1897 – 21 February 1949) was an Indonesian teacher, Marxist, philosopher, founder of Struggle Union (Persatuan Perjuangan) and Murba Party, independent guerrilla, Indonesian fighter, and national hero. ''Tempo'' credited hi ...
in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
. The five, together with Sardjono, Mohammad Sanusi, and Winanta held discussions for three days before deciding to organize a revolt by the middle of 1926. The meeting also resulted in the sending of Alimin to Manila to request Tan Malaka to gather support for the revolt, but this plan was rejected by Tan Malaka. In February, another meeting was held but Alimin made no mention of the rejection by Tan Malaka.


Comintern membership

In March 1926, Musso and Alimin went to
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
via Canton to ask for support from
Comintern The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...
for a revolt. Knowing the plan from the meeting in Singapore remained to be implemented, Tan Malaka arrived in Singapore in June to prevent Musso and Alimin, but he was too late because both of them had already gone to Russia. The plan was if they could get support from the Comintern, they would instruct the PKI in the Dutch Indies to refrain from beginning a revolt until material aid arrived. It would be after the arrival of aid, that then PKI would launch a full revolt, else if Comintern did not support this plan the PKI would launch guerrilla and terror attacks. The Comintern rejected the request reasoning that Dutch Indies government's control was still too strong. To prevent the revolt the plan as proposed by Musso and Alimin, the Comintern instructed them to stay in Moscow longer studying the
Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
deviation. However, in October Musso still managed to instruct his people in Dutch Indies to start a revolt. In 1927, Musso and Alimin went to
the Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
and studied at the
Lenin school The International Lenin School (ILS) was an official training school operated in Moscow, Soviet Union, by the Communist International from May 1926 to 1938. It was resumed after the Second World War and run by the Communist Party of the Soviet Unio ...
for several years. In July 1928, Musso under the name Manavar, along with Alimin, Semaoen, Darsono, and Tadjudin, attended the Sixth Congress of Comintern led by
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
. He expressed his opinion about the failure of the revolt in
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
and
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
the year before. After the congress, Musso served as member of the Comintern executive committee. He also continued his study at Lenin University in Moscow but he did not graduate. Musso married a
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
woman in 1929 and became the father of two children. In April 1935, Musso went to Surabaya to meet Siti Larang Djojopanatas, wife of Musso's old friend Sosrokardono, to request permission to stay in their residence for several months. Musso was sent there to consolidate the old PKI that had been crushed in 1927. He explained the Dimitrov line, a new communist tactical approach, in several newspapers, including three times in ''Indonesia Berdjoeang''. Focusing in Surabaya and Solo, in this consolidation, Musso managed to persuade Pamudji, Azis, Sukajat, Djoko Soedjono,
Amir Sjarifudin Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap ( 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 1948. A major leader of the lef ...
, and Tan Ling Djie to join the PKI. Musso instructed the new members to infiltrate and join nationalist organizations. The Dutch Indies government discovered this and exiled the members to
Boven Digul Boven Digoel Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') in the northern part of the Indonesian province of South Papua. It is split off from Merauke Regency (of which it used to be a part) on 12 November 2002. The regency covers an area of , and the tot ...
. However Musso went back to Moscow before the government arrested and exiled him. In an article published in ''Bintang Merah'' stated that Musso went to
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
in early November 1947 helping Soeripno, that represented Indonesia in discussions about a consular agreement with the USSR. However, Soeripno himself claimed that Musso went there in March 1948. In January 1948 after the signing of 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 ...
, Musso defended his comrades in Indonesia from criticism by Moscow, especially Amir Sjarifudin, stating that it was "just a tactic, in order not to the draw attention of the anti-communist faction." After the talks in Prague finished on the third week of May, concluding with the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Indonesia, Musso, under the name Soeparto, and Soeripno returned to Indonesia on 21 June 1948. They stopped in New Delhi and stayed for two or three weeks waiting for the
Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU), literally "''Indonesian National Military-Air Force''") sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF, is the aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The ...
to finish arranging the acquisition of an aircraft. They joined the flight of a newly bought aircraft to Indonesia, svia Thailand, staying in Bukittinggi for eight days. Musso planned a communist revolution, consistent with Soviet policy, named ''A New Road for the Indonesian Republic'' either in Prague or on the way home. While in Prague, Musso discussed with Dutch-Indonesian relations Soeripno and Paul de Groot, a Dutch communist, and also whether Indonesia was to become a Netherlands commonwealth or fully independent. The plan, according to Ann Swift, was doubtlessly approved by Moscow, though Musso himself denied this. According to the former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Himawan Soetanto, the idea was influenced by the so-called "Zhdanov line". The idea was named New Road because it was different from old PKI which was influenced by the Dimitrov line. Musso and Soeripno landed in a swamp in Tulungagung on 10 August. After being picked up, they moved to
Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
to meet the military governor Wikana. They arrived in Yogyakarta on 11 August 1948. On 12 August, ''Merdeka'', a newspaper based in Solo, wrote that "there was a possibility that Musso, a veteran leader who was very popular, had returned". Later, on 13 August, he met Sukarno to discuss a revolution. During a meeting of the PKI Politbiro on 13–14 August, Musso presented the New Road. He denounced the Indonesian revolution as a bourgeois revolution instead of an authentic proletariat revolution. He also demanded more laborer representatives in the government and the armed forces. Musso also criticized the PKI movement in his absence, the use of funds from van der Plas - 25000 gulden by Amir Sjarifudin to fight the Japanese army, the resignation of Amir as prime minister without consulting the party, the leader of illegal PKI not hastening the formation of legal party after independence, and complexity of the communist organizations which were divided into the PKI,
Pesindo People's Youth ( Indonesian: ''Pemuda Rakyat'') was the youth wing of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). The organisation was formed as the Socialist Youth of Indonesia (''Pemuda Sosialis Indonesia'' or ''Pesindo''). Initially the organisati ...
, and
SOBSI The ''All-Indonesian Federation of Workers Organisations ( id, Sentral Organisasi Buruh Seluruh Indonesia (SOBSI)) was the largest trade union federation in Indonesia.Glassburner, Bruce. The Economy of Indonesia: Selected Readings'. Jakarta: Equi ...
. Musso, through the Politbiro, announced a merger of the PKI that had a poor leadership with Pesindo and SOBSI which was under the Demokrasi Rakyat Front on 21 August and turned PKI into a mass-based party, though the idea of a merger was rejected by Asrarudin and SK Trimurti. Other party members who opposed the merger into the PKI were from Pesindo and
Barisan Tani Indonesia Peasants Front of Indonesia ( id, Barisan Tani Indonesia) was a peasant mass organisation connected to the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). BTI was founded 25 November 1945. The previous peasant organisation of PKI had been the Peasants Union ...
which were inclined to support
Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian politician, and revolutionary independence leader, who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, from 1945 until 1947. Previously, he was a key Indonesian nationalist organiz ...
and from the Murba and Angkatan Komunis Muda (Akoma) which wereinclined to support Tan Malaka. The merger was officially conducted on 27 August. On 28 August, Musso discussed with
Ibnu Parna Ibnu Parna (died 1965) was an Indonesian communist politician and leader of the Acoma Party (''Partai Acoma''),Alexander, Robert J. International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement'. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991. p. ...
from the Gerakan Revolusi Rakjat (GRR) and Akoma leaders the possibility of both organizations merging with the PKI. However, after the PKI announced its reorganization on 31 August, the GRR criticized Musso and the PKI. In early September, all leftist parties were merged with the PKI. After the reorganization, the new Politbiro was created on 1 September. The new members were younger and more amenable to Musso's ideas including D.N. Aidit, M.H. Lukman,
Njoto Lukman Njoto or Njoto (17 January 1927 – 13 December 1965) was a senior national leader of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), who joined the party shortly after the country's declaration of independence, and was killed following the 1965 co ...
, and
Sudisman Sudisman (1920 – October 1968) was a general secretary of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and the only PKI leader to be put on trial following the 30 September Movement in 1965. He was sentenced to death and executed. He was the f ...
. To publicize the PKI's new course and gain more support, Musso gave speeches and conducted mass meetings. On 3 September, Musso met the Barisan Tani in Indonesia, while on 5 September, he met with students. Starting on 7 September, Musso, Wikana, Setiadjit, and Amir Sjarifudin held mass meetings in
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and East Java, beginning in Solo,
Madiun Madiun ( jv, ꦑꦸꦛꦩꦝꦶꦪꦸꦤ꧀, translit=Kutha Madhiun) is a landlocked city in the western part of East Java, Indonesia, known for its agricultural center. It was formerly (until 2010) the capital of the Madiun Regency, but is now adm ...
the day after, Kediri on the 11th, Jombang and
Bojonegoro Bojonegoro Regency ( id, Kabupaten Bojonegoro, older spelling is ''Kabupaten Bodjanegara'', jv, ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦨꦗꦤꦼꦒꦫ, translit=Kabupatèn Bojånegårå) is a regency in East Java, Indonesia, about 110 km west of Sur ...
on the 13th and 14th, and Cepu and Purwodadi on the 16th and 17th.


Madiun affair and death

In the middle of the month, an incident between PKI-influenced armed forces and government loyalist armed forces occurred in Solo. After this incident, according to ''Bintang Merah'', on 16 September in Cepu, Musso ordered his men in Solo to stop the incident from spreading. On 18 September, the crossfire broke up in Madiun. A PKI sympathizer stated that the new government, called the National Front, was formed after killing government of loyalist officers and the take over of over strategic places. Hearing this, Musso, Amir, and the others went to Madiun to control the rebellion. According to the PKI-influenced militia leader Soemarsono, his action was approved by Musso when Soemarsono visited Musso and Amir two days before. However, according to Ann Swift and Himawan Soetanto, Musso did not know about this. On the evening of 19 September, Sukarno ordered the Indonesian people to choose himself and Hatta, or Musso. According to
M.C. Ricklefs Merle Calvin Ricklefs (17 July 1943 – 29 December 2019) was an American-born Australian scholar of the history and current affairs of Indonesia.Anthony Reid, 'Merle Calvin Ricklefs, AM July 17, 1943 - December 29, 2019', Emeritus' (The Australi ...
, Musso had no experience in Indonesia so he had no base of political power over the majority of Indonesian people compared to Sukarno. Even local militias influenced by anti-government side would not support Musso. Responding to this, Musso formed the Nasional Daerah Madiun Front, and appointed Soemarsono as military governor and Djoko Soedjono as militia commander. Hatta was dissatisfied with the response, and stated that Musso wanted to take over the government and "establish a Soviet government." The rebels were pushed after the
Siliwangi Division Military Regional Command III/Siliwangi ( id, Komando Daerah Militer III/Siliwangi or Kodam III/Siliwangi) is an Indonesian Army Regional Military Command that covers Banten and West Java province. The division was formed during the Indonesian ...
was ordered to attack the PKI force in Madiun. Musso and Amir who knew that they could not successfully resist a Subroto-led attack, instructed the PKI force to try to escape and hide in the mountains. On 28 September, Musso, Amir, and Soemarsono left Madiun for Ngebel and Dungus,
Ponorogo Ponorogo Regency ( id, Kabupaten Ponorogo; jv, ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦦꦤꦫꦒ, translit=Kabupatèn Pånårågå) is a regency (''kabupaten'') of East Java, Indonesia. It is considered the birthplace of Reog Ponorogo, a traditional Indone ...
. While in Balong, Ponorogo, Musso and Amir had a serious disagreement over tactical plans. While Musso wanted to move to the south, Amir preferred moving north. On 31 October, in the mountains near Ponorogo, Musso was killed by government forces while trying to escape.


Political view and legacy

In the largest sense, Musso was a true
Marxist–Leninist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialect ...
and Stalinist who thought there could only be one party for the proletariat, a party led by Soviet-supported communists. After returning from Moscow, Musso developed a vision of ''Jalan Baru untuk Republik Indonesia'' (''The New Road for Indonesian Republik''). This vision and the associated plans the direction of the PKI from being largely dominated by the ideas of Dimitrov to Zhdanov. The next PKI leader after the Madiun affair, Alimin, disagreed with Musso's vision and supported the idea of the PKI as small party of solid professional revolutionaries with militant members throughout Indonesia. Despite Alimin's vision for the revolutionary struggle in Indonesia, young members during the era of Alimin's dominance such as those led by Njoto, Aidit, and M.H. Lukman were largely influenced by the ideas of Musso. Sukarno described Musso as a "jago", a fighting cock, because when Sukarno and Musso lived together in Tjokroaminoto's house, Musso "liked to fight". Ruth T. McVey paired Musso with Alimin as the leaders of revival of the PKI in the 1920s.
Soe Hok Gie Soe Hok Gie (17 December 1942 – 16 December 1969) was a Chinese Indonesian activist who opposed the successive dictatorships of Presidents Sukarno and Suharto. Overview Soe was an ethnic Chinese Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most ofte ...
described Musso as quite similar to Haji Misbach, as someone who "liked to run amok" and was rather reckless.


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Musso 1897 births 1948 deaths People from Kediri (city) Communist Party of Indonesia politicians Indonesian expatriates in the Soviet Union Executive Committee of the Communist International Comintern people Dutch political prisoners Sarekat Islam politicians