Semarang, before returning to Surakarta to work on his father's business in 1937, and he also became the treasurer of a nationalist youth organisation Indonesia Muda (Young Indonesia).
Career
After the
Japanese took power in Indonesia, Soedjono joined the Japanese reserve police force (''
Keibōdan
was an organization formed by the Empire of Japan in the occupied Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) during World War II. Indonesian names for the organization were ''Barisan Pembantu Polisi'' ("Auxiliary police") and '' Laskar Penjaga Kea ...
'') and became a deputy commander.
During the
Indonesian National Revolution, he started off in 1945 as a second lieutenant in the 4th Division (today
Kodam IV/Diponegoro
KODAM IV/Diponegoro or IV ''Military Regional Command/Diponegoro'' ( id, Komando Daerah Militer IV/Diponegoro) is a military area command (effectively a military district) of the Indonesian Army. It covers the provinces of Central Java and Spe ...
), and became a treasurer for a regiment within it. He was later promoted to first lieutenant in 1947 and was assigned as the division's financial officer. After the war, his rank was elevated to captain in 1950, major in 1957, and
lieutenant colonel in 1961. During this period,
Soeharto
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 l ...
was the commander of the Diponegoro division, and Soedjono was his financial officer. Soedjono also undertook a 10-month course in the
United States Army Financial Management School
The United States Army Financial Management School is located in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and has the mission of providing the United States Army with military and civilian leaders trained in financial management, and develop complementary ...
at
Fort Benjamin Harrison
Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence Township, Marion County, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis, between 1906 and 1991. It is named for the 23rd United States president, Benjamin Harrison.
History
In 1901, ...
, completing it in 1964.
In mid-1966, several months following Suharto's takeover of the presidency (through the
Supersemar
The Order of Eleventh March ( id, Surat Perintah Sebelas Maret), commonly referred to by its syllabic abbreviation ''Supersemar'', was a document signed by the Indonesian President Sukarno on 11 March 1966, giving army commander Lt. Gen. Suhar ...
), Soedjono was appointed as one of six military officers in Suharto's personal staff, and as one of three junior officers (under the coordination of
Alamsyah Ratu Perwiranegara
Alamsjah Ratoe Perwiranegara (December 25, 1925 in Kotabumi, North Lampung, Lampung, Dutch East Indies – January 8, 1998 in Jakarta, Indonesia) was an Indonesian military general who served as State Secretary Minister, Coordinating Minister ...
). At the time, he held the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
. By September that year, he was dispatched with
Adam Malik
Adam Malik Batubara (22 July 1917 – 5 September 1984), or more commonly referred to simply as Adam Malik, was an Indonesian politician, diplomat, and journalist, who served as the 3rd Vice President of Indonesia from 1978 until 1983, under ...
's delegation to the Netherlands, the US, and Japan, and the delegation announced Indonesia's reapplication to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
while it was in New York. In a 1969 interview, Soedjono remarked that Suharto's only order for the delegation for the United Nations was to "enter". When the delegation then went to Japan, Soedjono met with influential Japanese figures lobbying for relations with Indonesia, and established himself as the intermediary between Suharto's government and the lobby. The following year, industrialist Yutaka Kubota had visited him to lobby for the resumption of the development of an
aluminum plant at Asahan.
Due to extensive powers they held, the personal staff was nicknamed as the "shadow government" around 1968.
Suharto disbanded his personal staff due to suspicions of business interests in 1968, but the three army officers (including Soedjono) were immediately reappointed as "personal assistants" (
Aspri
Asisten Pribadi (English: Personal assistants), better known by the acronym Aspri, were a team of advisors to Indonesian President Suharto from 1968 until 1974. The group was disbanded in the wake of the Malari incident in January 1974, though a ...
), and effectively nothing changed for them. With his new title, Soedjono continued engaging with Japanese investors (becoming a subject of student demonstrations in 1972 due to his involvement in the matter), lobbying for loans and investments almost exclusively outside formal diplomatic methods. He defended multiple times during interviews his role in allowing significant foreign capital control over firms operating in Indonesia, though he did help establish significant ties between some local entrepreneurs and Japanese investors. Additionally, a recommendation from Soedjono was considered essential for local entrepreneurs seeking to establish ties with Japanese companies.
Soedjono was promoted to
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
rank in 1969. In 1971, Soedjono, alongside
Ali Murtopo
Ali Murtopo (23 September 1924 – 15 May 1984) was a prominent Indonesian general and political figure during the first half of General Suharto's New Order regime.
Early life
Ali Murtopo was born on 23 September 1924 in Kebumen, Central Ja ...
, backed the founding of the
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit organization based in Indonesia which has served as a think tank on social, international, political and economical issues. CSIS was founded on Sept 1, 1971 by a group of ...
. He was further appointed as an armed forces representative to the
People's Consultative Assembly in 1971.
Malari incident
Soedjono and Ali Murtopo was known in the early 1970s to be in opposing factions within the military leadership against
Sumitro.
Soedjono's well-known position as the conduit for Japanese investors became target of student protesters, who on 15 January 1974 rioted in what is today known as the
Malari incident. Effigies of Soedjono and Japanese PM
Kakuei Tanaka
was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1990, and was Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974.
After a power struggle with Takeo Fukuda, he became the most influential member of the ruling Liberal ...
(who was visiting) were burned by the protesters; eventually, Aspri was disbanded, and Soedjono was reassigned as an
inspector general of national development in July 1974.
After the incident, Soedjono's publicly visible relationship with Japanese investors diminished, though he maintained ties with his Japanese network throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Spiritual advisor
There was a popular belief that Suharto had relied on Soedjono for spiritual advice (Alamsyah had once referred to Soedjono, in criticism, as a "
dukun
A dukun is an Indonesian term for shaman. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic. In common usage the dukun is often confused wi ...
"). Suharto himself denied this in his autobiography, claiming that Soedjono had more often approached him for spiritual affairs.
Death
Soedjono died on 12 March 1986 in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
,
Japan, due to
internal bleeding
Internal bleeding (also called internal hemorrhage) is a loss of blood from a blood vessel that collects inside the body. Internal bleeding is usually not visible from the outside. It is a serious medical emergency but the extent of severity dep ...
.
Before his body was transported back to Indonesia, he was visited by multiple of his Japanese colleagues (many from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and his burial procession was accompanied by the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia at the time. He was buried outside Surakarta.
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*{{cite journal , last1=Malley , first1=Michael , title=Soedjono Hoemardani and Indonesian-Japanese Relations 1966-1974 , journal=Indonesia , date=1989 , issue=48 , pages=47–64 , doi=10.2307/3351266 , issn=0019-7289, jstor=3351266, hdl=1813/53919 , hdl-access=free
1918 births
1986 deaths
People from Surakarta
Indonesian generals
Indonesia–Japan relations
Members of the People's Consultative Assembly