Sidik Djojosukarto ( EVO: Sidik Djojosoekarto; 7 June 1908 – 8 September 1955) was an Indonesian journalist and politician 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 ...

(PNI), who served as the party's fifth chairman from his election in 1950 until his death in 1955. As PNI chairman, he was revered by all party factions, and was the closest to being an "authentic party hero". Sidik was born to a small merchant family in

Blitar Blitar is a landlocked city in East Java, Indonesia, about 73 km from Malang and 167 km from Surabaya. The area lies within longitude 111° 40' – 112° 09' East and its latitude is 8° 06' South. The city of Blitar lies at an altitude ...

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

. Graduating from the ''Ovts Handelsleergang'' trade school in 1930, he began work as a teacher in

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 ...

. Later, he became a journalist and was later

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the Indonesian newspaper ''Berdjoeang''. In addition to his work as a journalist, Sidik was involved in several pro-independence organizations, becoming a member of the

Partindo The Indonesia Party ( id, Partai Indonesia), better known as Partindo, was a nationalist political party in Indonesia that existed before independence and was revived in 1957 as a leftist party. Pre-independence party In 1927, future Indonesian p ...

and

Gerindo Gerindo (Indonesian People's Movement) ( id, Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia) was a pre-independence leftist nationalist political party in Indonesia. It adopted an anti-fascist stance, supporting the Dutch against the common threat from Empire of Japan, ...

political parties during the 1930's. During the

Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. It was one of the most crucial and important periods in modern Indonesian history. In May ...

, Sidik became the local head of the '' Putera'' and '' Jawa Hokokai'' organizations in Kediri. Following the

proclamation of Indonesian Independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of th ...

, he became chairman of the local branch of the Indonesian National Committee. In 1946, he was appointed a member of the

Central Indonesian National Committee The Central Indonesian National Committee, ( id, Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat) or KNIP, was a body appointed to assist the president of the newly independent Indonesia. Originally purely advisory, it later gained assumed legislative functions. ...

(KNIP), and became a member of the KNIP's working body by March 1947. In August 1949, he was appointed acting chairman of the PNI, replacing Sujono Hadinoto. As party chairman, Sidik represented the more conservative faction of the PNI and led the party through much of the liberal democracy period. He died of

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

on 8 September 1955, while campaigning during the

1955 Indonesian legislative election Legislative elections were held in Indonesia on 29 September 1955, to elect the 257 members of the People's Representative Council, the country's national legislature. The elections were the first national election held since the end of the Indo ...

Early life and career

Sidik Djojosukarto was born to a small merchant family on 7 June 1908, in

, in what was then the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

(now

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 ...

). Sidik began his education at a

Hollandsch-Inlandsche School Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS) (Dutch school for natives) was a school during the Dutch colonial era in Indonesia. The school, was first established in 1914, following with the enactment of the Dutch Ethical Policy The Dutch Ethical Polic ...

in Blitar, before then attending the

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 ...

school in Kediri and later Madiun, where he graduated in 1927. In 1930, he graduated from the ''Ovts Handelsleergang'' trade school, and began working as a teacher in

's People's College. Sidik didn't last long as a teacher, being fired for his opposition to the policies of the colonial government. After being fired, he then transitioned to becoming a journalist and was later

for the Indonesian newspaper ''Berdjoeang''. However, the newspaper was banned by the colonial government, as it was considered subversive and dangerous. In addition to his work as a journalist, Sidik was also involved in several pro-independence organizations. In his youth, he had been a member of the ''

Jong Java , was a Dutch East Indies youth organization founded on March 7, 1915 by at the STOVIA building under the name Tri Koro Dharmo ('Three Noble Goals'). It was founded in response to the perceived elitism of the Budi Utomo movement by many young ...

'' and later ''Indonesia Moeda'' organizations. During the 1930's, Sidik joined the

and later

political parties.

Japanese occupation

During the

, Sidik became the local head of the '' Putera'' and later the ''Jawa Hokokai'' organizations in Kediri. In 1945, following the

, he was elected chairman of the local branch of the Indonesian National Committee, and was the head of the

(PNI) branch in East Java. In 1946, he was appointed a member of the

(KNIP) in 1946, and in March 1947, he became a member of the KNIP's working body.

Chairman of the PNI

In 1949, following PNI Chairman Sujono Hadinoto's departure to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

as a part of the Indonesian delegation to the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference, he was appointed acting chairman of the party. In 1950, Sidik was officially elected party chairman in the PNI's fourth congress 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, ...

. He represented the radical nationalist wing of the PNI, and during his leadership, the wing increased their control over the party, spearheading the drive for the creation of a

unitary state A unitary state is a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create (or abolish) administrative divisions (sub-national units). Such units exercise only th ...

, and opposing both the Hatta and Natsir cabinets. After the collapse of the Natsir cabinet, Parliamentary Speaker

Sartono Sartono (5 August 1900 – 15 October 1968) was an Indonesian politician and lawyer who served as the first speaker of the People's Representative Council (DPR) from 1950 until 1960. Born to a noble ethnic- Javanese family, Sartono studied ...

was given the task of forming a government, however he returned his mandate to 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 ...

after not being able to form a cabinet. On the same day that Sartono withdrew, Sukarno appointed Sidik and

Soekiman Wirjosandjojo Soekiman Wirjosandjojo ( EYD: Sukiman Wiryosanjoyo; 19June 1898 – 23July 1974) was an Indonesian politician and physician who served as prime minister of Indonesia from 1951 until 1952. A member of the Masyumi Party, he also served as the pa ...

of the

Masyumi Party 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 ...

formateur A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur ...

s. Sidik announced a PNI program of action if its members entered the government, the program included the liquidation of the

Netherlands-Indonesia 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 i ...

and the revision of the Round Table Conference. After several weeks of negotiations, both parties agreed to an equal share posts in the cabinet, with the Masyumi returning to the office of prime minister. On 1 March 1952, Sukarno appointed Sidik and

Prawoto Mangkusasmito Prawoto Mangkusasmito (4 January 1910 – 24 July 1970) was an Indonesian politician who served as the final chairman of the Masyumi political party prior to its dissolution in 1960. He also served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Indonesia durin ...

of the

as for the creation of a new cabinet. When Prawoto and Sidik failed to reach agreement, Sukarno appointed former Labor Minister

Wilopo Wilopo ( ; 21 October 1909 – 1 June 1981) was an Indonesian politician and lawyer of the Indonesian National Party (PNI), who served as the seventh prime minister of Indonesia from his appointment in April 1952 until his resignation in June 1 ...

as formateur.

Death and legacy

While visiting the Indonesian National Party branch in East Java, Sidik grew fatigues, and was brought to the Surabaya General Hospital on 6 September 1955, accompanied by future-PNI chairman

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 ...

. There, the doctors diagnosed him with

, caused by his campaigning activities for the upcoming legislative elections. He died on 8 September 1955, at the same hospital. His body was buried in his family's grave in

on 9 September 1955. The burial ceremony was attended by President

, Sukarno's wife Hartini, and several other major figures. PNI vice chairman, Ki Sarmidi Mangunsarkoro, gave a short speech during the ceremony. During the speech he pointed to the heavy loss that the PNI has suffered due to Djojosukarto's death. In addition to the PNI,

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 ...

of the

have a short speech on behalf of the party. He stated that the passing of Sidik Djojosukarto called Natsir a great loss for his family and his party. His death became headline news in several PNI-affiliated newspapers, including the left-wing nationalist ''Berita Indonesia'' paper.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{refend 1908 births 1955 deaths Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan Indonesian National Party politicians Indonesian politicians Javanese people Members of the People's Representative Council, 1950 People from Blitar