The Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence ( id, Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia), PPKI, ja, 独立準備委員会, Dokuritsu Junbi Iinkai, lead=yes) was a body established on 7 August 1945 to prepare for the transfer of authority from the occupying Japanese to Indonesia. It approved and promulgated the first Indonesian constitution, and appointed

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 ...

president.

Background

In two sessions from May to July 1945, the

Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence The Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence ( id, Badan Penyelidik Usaha-usaha Persiapan Kemerdekaan, BPUPK; ja, 独立準備調査会, Hepburn: , Nihon-shiki / Kunrei-shiki: ), sometimes referred to as the Investigating Co ...

(BPUPK) decided on Pancasila as the ideological basis of independent Indonesia, and produced a draft constitution. With the war turning against them, the Japanese, who were occupying Indonesia, decided to grant independence in order to create problems for the returning Dutch colonial authorities. The plan was that Java would become independent in early September, followed shortly by the rest of the country. On 7 August, the day after an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Lt. General

Hisaichi Terauchi Count was a '' Gensui'' (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II. Biography Early military career Terauchi was born in Tokyo Prefecture, and was the eldest son of ...

, commander of the Japanese Southern Area who was based in Saigon, gave permission for the formation of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI). On 9 August, the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the Japanese authorities flew future president

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 ...

and BPUPK chairman Radjiman Wediodiningrat to

Da Lat Da Lat (also written as Dalat, vi, Đà Lạt; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbian Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mos ...

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

for a meeting with General

, the commander of the Southern Area. He promised Indonesian independence would be granted on 24 August, and appointed Sukarno chairman of the PPKI. After delaying discussion of the extent of independent Indonesia when setting up the BPUPK, the Japanese finally clearly stated it would include the whole of the former Dutch East Indies. The three men flew back to Indonesia, arriving on 14 August. The Indonesian underground rejected any independence gifted by the Japanese, preferring to win it through force of arms. However, on 17 August 1945, two days after the

Japanese surrender The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

, Sukarno declared independence.

Membership

Most of the 21 committee members appointed by the Japanese belonged to the older generation. Unlike the BPUPK, whose members only came from Java, the PPKI had representatives from Eastern Indonesia (under the control of the Japanese navy) and Sumatra. The membership comprised: *

(chairman) *

(vice-chairman) * K.R.T.

Rajiman Wediodiningrat Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung (K.R.T.) Radjiman Wedyodiningrat (21 April 1879 – 20 September 1952) was an Indonesian physician and one of the founding figures of the Indonesian Republic. He was a member of the Budi Utomo organization, in 1945 was ele ...

(

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 ...

) * R.

Oto Iskandar di Nata Oto Iskandar di Nata (Sundanese: , also spelled Otto Iskandardinata, called Otista and nicknamed Si Jalak Harupat; born 31 March 1897 – disappeared 19 December 1945, retrospectively declared dead 20 December 1945) was an Indonesian politician a ...

(Java) * Abdul Wahid Hasyim (Java) * Ki Bagus Hadikusuma (Java) * B.K.P.A. Soerjohamidjojo (Java) * B.P.H. Poerbojo (Java) * Mas Sutardjo Kertohadikusumo (Java) * R.P. Suroso (Java) * R. Soepomo (Java) * R. Abdul Kadir (Java) * Mohammad Amir (

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 ...

) *

Teuku Muhammad Hasan Teuku Mohammad Hasan ( EVO: Teoekoe Moehammad Hasan; 4 April 1906 – 21 September 1997) was an Indonesian politician and national hero from Aceh, who served as the first and only governor of Sumatra from 1945 until 1948. He also served as a cab ...

(Sumatra) * Abdoel Abas (Sumatra) *

Rahmah el Yunusiyah Rahmah el Yunusiyah ( Van Ophuijsen Spelling Rahmah el Joenoesijah, 26 October 1900 – 26 February 1969) was a Dutch East Indies and Indonesian politician, educator, and activist for women's education. Born into a prominent family of Islamic sc ...

(Sumatra) *

Sam Ratulangi Dr. Gerungan Saul Samuel Jacob Ratulangi (also written as ''Ratu Langie''; 5 November 1890 – 30 June 1949) was a Minahasan teacher, journalist, politician, and National Hero of Indonesia, national hero from North Sulawesi, Indonesia. He was part ...

(

Celebes Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu A ...

) * Andi Pangerang Pettarani (Celebes) * A.A. Hamidhan (

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

) *

I Gusti Ketut Pudja I Gusti Ketut Pudja (19 May 1908 – 4 May 1977) was an Indonesian politician and national hero, who served as the first governor of Lesser Sunda from 1945 until 1946. He was a member of the Investigating Agency for Preparatory Work for Indonesi ...

(

Lesser Sunda Islands The Lesser Sunda Islands or nowadays known as Nusa Tenggara Islands ( id, Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara, formerly ) are an archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up t ...

) *

Johannes Latuharhary Johannes Latuharhary (6 July 1900 – 8 November 1959) was an Indonesian politician and nationalist of Moluccan descent, who served as the first Indonesian governor of Maluku from 1945 until 1955, though he did not assume office in Maluku unti ...

(

the Moluccas The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located eas ...

) *

Yap Tjwan Bing Yap Tjwan Bing (1910-1988) was an Indonesian politician active in the Indonesian independence movement. Life and career Bing was born in Kediri, son of a Chinese Indonesian merchant. He trained in pharmacy in Amsterdam (1932-1939) and subsequen ...

(

Chinese community The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...

)

Added later

Six additional committee members added without the approval of the Japanese authorities in Indonesia: *

Achmad Soebardjo Achmad Soebardjo Djojoadisoerjo (23 March 1896 – 15 December 1978) was a diplomat, one of Indonesia's founding fathers, and an Indonesian national hero. He was the first Foreign Minister of Indonesia. In 1933, he received the degree '' Meester ...

(advisor) *

Sayuti Melik Mohamad Ibnu Sayuti, known as Sayuti Melik (November 22, 1908 – February 27, 1989) was an Indonesian typist. He helped type a copy of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, which Sukarno proclaimed to Indonesia on August 17, 1945. He was ...

(Java) *

Ki Hajar Dewantara Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat ( EYD: Suwardi Suryaningrat); from 1922 also known as Ki Hadjar Dewantara (EYD: Ki Hajar Dewantara), which is also written as Ki Hajar Dewantoro to reflect its Javanese sounds (2 May 1889 in Pakualaman – 26 Ap ...

(Java) * R.A.A. Wiranatakoesoema (

Sunda Sunda may refer to: Europe * Sunda, Faroe Islands India * Sunda (asura), an asura brother of Upasunda * Sunda (clan), a clan (gotra) of Jats in Haryana and Rajasthan, India Southeast Asia * Sundanese (disambiguation) ** Sundanese people ...

/Java) * Kasman Singodimedjo (Java) *

Iwa Koesoemasoemantri Iwa Koesoemasoemantri ( Perfected Spelling: Iwa Kusumasumantri; also Kusuma Sumantri; 31 May 1899 – 27 November 1971) was an Indonesian politician. Born in Ciamis, West Java, Iwa graduated from legal school in the Dutch East Indies (now ...

(Sunda/Java)

Actions of the PPKI

The committee met for the first time on 18 August. It elected Sukarno as president and Hatta as vice-president of Indonesia. It established a seven-member commission, including Sukarno, Hatta, Soepomo and

Muhammad Yamin Mohammad Yamin (24 August 1903 – 17 October 1962) was an Indonesian poet, politician and national hero who played a key role in the writing of the draft preamble to the 1945 constitution. Early life and education Yamin was born on 28 Augus ...

, to approve the constitution that had been started by the BPUPK in July and to make other changes. One significant change was the removal from the preamble of the obligation for Muslims to abide by

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

law included in the

Jakarta Charter The Jakarta Charter ( id, Piagam Jakarta) was a document drawn up by members of the Indonesian Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK) on 22 June 1945 in Jakarta that later formed the basis of the preamble to the Co ...

as it was felt this would alienate Christians. The changes took less than a week, and the constitution was published in the 14 February 1946 edition of ''Berita Republik Indonesia'', the government gazette. In the same meeting, the committee also decided that the president would be assisted by a national committee On August 19, the committee met again and divided Indonesia into eight

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

: West, Central and East Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and the Lesser Sundas. In its third and last meeting, held on August 22, the PPKI decided to establish the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP), a state party 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 ...

(PNI) and the Badan Keamanan Rakyat (People's Security Agency) - the forerunner of the

Indonesian National Armed Forces , founded = as the ('People's Security Forces') , current_form = , disbanded = , branches = , headquarters = Cilangkap, Jakarta , website = , commander-in-chief = Joko Widodo , ...

. The committee was dissolved by Sukarno on 29 August and replaced by the KNIP.

Notes

References