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 1953. Generally considered a member of the PNI's liberal wing, Wilopo's cabinet was described as "bolder and more ambitious than any other cabinet of the post-revolutionary period".

Wilopo was born to a Muslim family in Purworejo, in what was then the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). He attended the '' Technischeh Hoge School'' in Bandung, before dropping out due to asthma. In 1930, he became a teacher at a Taman Siswa school, before entering the '' Rechts Hogeschool'' (RHS) three years later. In the RHS, Wilopo became involved in the struggle for Indonesia's independence, taking an attitude of "no-cooperation" towards the colonial government. After graduating in 1939, he became an unlicensed solicitor. Following the proclamation of independence and the subsequent national revolution which followed, he served as Deputy Minister, and later Minister of Labor under Prime Minister Mohammad Hatta. In April 1952, after the fall of Soekiman Wirjosandjojo's government, Wilopo was appointed prime minister by President Sukarno. As prime minister, Wilopo led a "business cabinet," with unity and a common policy orientation even at the risk of uncertain parliamentary support.

During his government, Indonesia underwent several important changes in the political balance. The split between the PNI and the Masyumi Party became more pronounced, while a rift inside of the Masyumi resulted in the formation of the Nahdlatul Ulama political party. Meanwhile, the Communist Party re-entered the political scene, and the country was facing an economic crisis by mid-1952. The government introduced several measures to combat the crisis, introducing import restrictions and reducing government expenditures. These measures also included the reorganization of the Indonesian Army, which the army saw as excessive civilian interference, culminating in the 17 October affair. Though the affair broke the army, it had also renewed the push for elections. By November 1952, an election bill was submitted to parliament, and it was passed on 1 April 1953.

In 1953, a land dispute in North Sumatra resulted in a confrontation that left five people dead. Outrage over the incident grew, and pressure to fire Governor Abdul Hakim Harahap. The Masyumi stood by Abdul, and further political infighting occurred, before the cabinet decided to dissolve itself. After the fall of his cabinet, Wilopo remained active in politics. In 1955, elections were held for the Constitutional Assembly, and he was appointed the assembly's speaker. He held the office for three years, until Sukarno dissolved the body in 1959. In 1968, Wilopo was appointed the Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council by President Suharto. Additionally, he chaired a commission on corruption, where despite finding "corruption everywhere", no actions were taken by the government. He retired from politics in 1978, and he died on 1 June 1981. His body is interred at Tanah Kusir Cemetery, South Jakarta.

Early life and education

Early life

Wilopo was born in Purworejo, on October 21, 1909. He was born to modest family in Central Java. His father was man named Soedjono Soerodirjo, but he was raised by his uncle, a man known as Mantri Guru Prawirodiharjo. He wouldn't know of his real father until he reached adulthood. When he was eight years old, he and his family had to moved to Loano which is five kilometers from Purworejo. They returned to Purworejo when he was in sixth grade.

Education

Wilopo attended the Holland Inlandse School (HIS). He could have continued education at the Europese Hogere School (ELS), but he didn't because he wanted to continue his education at the Opleiding School Voor Inlandsche Ambtenaren (OSVIA). After graduating from HIS, Wilopo continued his education to the Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO) in Magelang.

After studying at MULO, Wilopo continued his education at Algemene Middelbare School (AMS), in Yogyakarta. At AMS, Wilopo took part in exact sciences and physics. He received a scholarship to make ends meet during his life in Yogyakarta. During his saty in Yogyakarta, he enjoyed reading newsletters of the De Locomotief, Darmo Kondo and Soeara Oemoem newspapers. Through this, he found the name of Sukarno (future President of Indonesia). Wilopo also joined the Jong Java youth organization around this time.

He continued his education at the Technischeh Hoge School (THS) in Bandung. There, Wilopo lived in the Prawirosentiko family's house. After some illnesses, he moved to Sukabumi, living in his cousin's house. There, he became a teacher at the Taman Siswa.

He moved to Jakarta and continued his studies at the Rechts Hoge School (RHS). During this time, he lived at the house of Abdul Rasyid, a friend of his from MULO.

Political career

Minister of Labour

Wilopo's first government position was as the Junior Minister of Labour during the First and Second Amir Sjarifuddin Cabinets from 3 July 1947 to 29 January 1948. After a brief hiatus, he became the Minister of Labour during the Republic of the United States of Indonesia Cabinet from 20 December 1949 to 6 September 1950; he was later the Minister of Trade and Industry during the Sukiman Cabinet.

Prime Minister of Indonesia

After completing his tenure as Minister of Trade and Industry, on 19 March 1952, Wilopo was told to choose a cabinet to lead. Three days after giving his list to President Sukarno, on 1 April he and his cabinet took power; it was essentially a coalition of necessity between the Masyumi and National parties. During his time as prime minister he also spent 26 days as Foreign Minister, from 3 to 29 April, making him the shortest serving Indonesian foreign minister as of 2011. As prime minister, he was initially able to draw support from the army by unhesitatingly accepting Sultan of Yogyakarta Hamengkubuwono IX as defence minister. After fourteen months, the cabinet collapsed; the collapse was blamed on land issues.

Post-prime ministership

From 1955 to 1959, Wilopo served as the Speaker of the Constitutional Assembly of Indonesia. He later became head of the Commission of Four, a part of the Corruption Eradication Team, with his service beginning in June 1970. Despite finding "corruption everywhere", no actions were taken by the government.

Death

Wilopo died in Jakarta in 1981.

Personal life

During his time in Jakarta, he met Sumikalimah, the younger sister of Abdul Rasyid's mother. Sumikalimah is a teacher at an elementary school. Wilopo began a relationship with Sumikalimah until they got married in October 1917.

Legacy

Historical assessment

Herbert Feith, an Australian scholar on Indonesian politics, notes that Wilopo was widely considered fair-minded and sympathetic to the plight of the working classes, working carefully towards his goals. As he did not prioritize party loyalty, he was known as being able to cooperate with anyone.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilopo
People from Purworejo Regency
Javanese people
Prime Ministers of Indonesia
1909 births
1981 deaths
Indonesian National Party politicians
Members of the Constitutional Assembly of Indonesia
Foreign ministers of Indonesia