Sutan Sjahrir, Little Brother’s Lasting Legacy

By Nugroho Dewanto et al.

Sutan Sjahrir was one of the seven Fathers of Indonesian Revolution. He urged Sukarno and Hatta to declare Indonesian independence although he himself was not present on the big day. He chose an elegant way to drive the Dutch out of Indonesia, a way which was opposed by the other Fathers of Indonesian Revolution. His anti-fascist, anti-military ideology was criticized as only fit for an educated elite. He was thus branded an elitist. Sjahrir went down to the people, touring the country as he mobilized cadres for the Indonesian Socialist Party, the party he founded after independence. History passed over the big role of Bung Kecil, Little Brother, as he was fondly called, in the Indonesian struggle for independence. Sjahrir was a revolutionary who died in exile.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tempo Publishing
• Release date: Sep 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301529599

Book preview

SUTAN SJAHRIR

Little Brother’s Lasting Legacy

Nugroho Dewanto et al.

Published by Tempo Publishing at Smashwords

Copyrights Tempo 2013

Illustration on Cover: Kendra Paramita

SUTAN Syahrir is one of the seven Founding Fathers of Indonesian Revolution. He urged Sukarno-Hatta to declare Indonesia’s independence despite his absence from the big event. He chose an elegant way to kick out the colonialists: he opted for diplomacy which was opposed by his peers. Unfortunately, history has negated the major role of Bung Kecil (Little Brother), as he was fondly called. Sjahrir was a revolutionary who died in exile. Who was Sjahrir and what was his contribution to the fledgling nation? Read Tempo’s special edition to discover the real Sjahrir.

TABLE OF CONTENT:

Little Brother’s Big Role

The Minang Boy with a Flair for Dance

Between Tuschinski and Stadsschouwburg

Evolving in the Western Climate

A Secret Mission from De Socialist

Life in Exile

Six Years in Exile Paradise

Going Underground

The Proclamation Without Little Brother

Cirebon Takes the Lead

Declaration X: A Silent Coup

The Civil Prime Minister

Alliances and Rice Diplomacy

The Linggarjati Agreement—A Means to an End

First Indonesian Passport

Victory at Lake Success

Two Left-Wing Freedom Fighters

The Atom’s Two Ideologies

The End of a Rising Star

A Political Loss of Faith

Three Heirs to the Revolution

The Solitary Figure in Jail

Hostilities between Collaborators

Post-Independence Declaration Split

Manifesto of an Antifascist

Letters from a Faust Fan

Zurich: End of the Road

Closing the Door

Sjahrir was…

Goenawan Mohamad : Sjahrir on the Shore

**

SPECIAL EDITION TEAM OF TEMPO MARCH 16, 2009

Team Leaders: Nugroho Dewanto and Seno Joko Suyono Team Heads: Bagja Hidayat and Philipus Parera Editors: Seno Joko Suyono, Nugroho Dewanto, Arif Zulkifli, Wahyu Muryadi, Amarzan Loebis, M. Taufiqurohman, Toriq Hadad, Hermien Y. Kleden, Leila S. Chudori, Idrus F. Shahab, L.R. Baskoro, Budi Setyarso, Bina Bektiati, Mardiyah Chamim, Yosrizal Suriaji, Yosep Suprayogi, Putu Setia Writers: Bagja Hidayat, Nugroho Dewanto, Seno Joko Suyono, Sapto Pradityo, Adek Media Roza, Yandi M. Rofiyandi, Kurie Suditomo, Yandhrie Arvian, Philipus Parera, Sunudyantoro, Wahyu Dhyatmika, Anne L. Handayani, Padjar Iswara, Firman Atmakusuma, Arif A. Kuswardono, Ramidi, Retno Sulistyowati, Ahmad Taufik, Irfan Budiman, Angela Dewi, Andari Karina Anom, M. Nafi, Budi Riza, Agus Supriyanto, Yuliawati, Harun Mahbub, Nunuy Nurhayati, Sita Planasari Aquadini, R.R. Ariyani, Anton Aprianto, Rini Kustiani, Martha Warta Silaban Contributors: Akbar Tri Kurniawan, Cornila Desyana, Iqbal Muhtarom, Febrianti (Padang), Sutana Monang Hasibuan (Medan), Asmayani Kusrini (Netherlands), Ahmad Fikri and Alwan Ridha Ramdani (Bandung), Nanang Sutisna (Karawang), Ivansyah (Kuningan), Bibin Bintariadi (Malang), Hari Triwarsono (Madiun) Language Editors: Uu Suhardi, Sapto Nugroho Research: Dina Andriani, Endang Ishak Photos: Bismo Agung (Head), Mazmur Andilala Sembiring, Aryus P. Soekarno, Nickmatulhuda, Aditya Herlambang, Rully Kesuma Design: Gilang Rahadian (Head), Fitra Moerat Sitompul, Kendra H. Paramita, Kiagus Auliansyah, Danendro Adi, Hendri Prakasa, Aji Yuliarto, Agus Darmawan, Tri Watno Widodo

Little Brother’s Big Role

Sutan Sjahrir was one of the seven Fathers of Indonesian Revolution. He urged Sukarno and Hatta to declare Indonesian independence although he himself was not present on the big day. He chose an elegant way to drive the Dutch out of Indonesia, a way which was opposed by the other Fathers of Indonesian Revolution. His anti-fascist, anti-military ideology was criticized as only fit for an educated elite. He was thus branded an elitist. Sjahrir went down to the people, touring the country as he mobilized cadres for the Indonesian Socialist Party, the party he founded after independence. History passed over the big role of Bung Kecil, Little Brother, as he was fondly called, in the Indonesian struggle for independence. Sjahrir was a revolutionary who died in exile.

THE documentary recorded a moving scene. On August 14, 1947, Sjahrir stood before the United Nations Security Council at Lake Success in America, telling the world about Indonesia, a newly-independent nation with a long history. Unlike Sukarno, he spoke in clear, orderly language. This documentary was lost and forgotten for 60 years, said historian Rushdy Hoesein.

Two months ago the documentary was screened at Tempo’s editorial office on Jalan Proklamasi No. 72. With a running time of only several minutes, it recorded a critical period in the new nation’s struggle for survival as the Dutch waged war to regain a lost colony.

The scene shown in the documentary recalled a similar scene decades later when Yasser Arafat spoke before the General Assembly of the United Nations for the Palestinian people in their struggle against Israeli occupation of their land.

The documentary was screened in preparation by Tempo of a special issue to be published on the 100th anniversary of Sjahrir’s birth. To this end we invited people who knew Sjahrir personally to a discussion at Tempo’s headquarters, including Rosihan Anwar, Des Alwi, Minarsih Soedarpo, Kuswari (the only surviving member of the executive board of the defunct Indonesian Socialist Party), Gita Prasodjo, and Siti Rabyah Parvati aka Upik, and those familiar with Sjahrir’s thoughts, including Rahman Tolleng, Sabam Siagian, Fikri Jufri, Rushdy Hoesein, and Ucu Aditya Gana, a postgraduate student of the University of Indonesia who is writing a thesis on Sjahrir.

The lively discussion took place over cups of warm tea, chicken soup and boiled peanuts. Originally the senior citizens would stay for not more than two hours owing to old age. But when the discussion got livelier, they were lost in old memories and stayed on late into the night. When the discussion resumed days later, everyone was back. This time some returned not only with the Salt Lake documentary as Rushdy did, but with more to show of the life of Sjahrir as Des Alwi did with photographs of Sjahrir. One picture showed the Prime Minister of the young republic on his way by train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta. Everyone competed to identify people in the photograph. That one was Hamid Algadri carrying his first daughter Atika in his arms, said Rosihan, as he pointed to the picture. When a documentary on Sjahrir’s funeral was screened, Rosihan again identified almost all of the pallbearers and other mourners in the funeral procession.

*

THE present issue on Sjahrir is not the first special edition we have on the profiles of the nation’s founding fathers. Special issues have been published on Sukarno, Hatta, Tan Malaka, Aidit, and Natsir.

Invaluable help was received for the present issue. Rahman Tolleng brought his collection of books on Sjahrir, including documents on the Indonesian Socialist Party that he founded, mimeographed lecture notes, and articles by foreign writers on Sjahrir. Des Alwi brought rare photographs of Sjahrir collected over decades and purposely selected for this special edition.

Based on these documents we set out tracing Sjahrir’s early years both in and outside Indonesia. We sent reporters to Holland where Sjahrir spent some years studying. Articles in this issue were arranged in chronological order to make it easy for readers to follow events in Sjahrir’s life from the days of his early education in Medan to his last days as a political exile in Zurich, Switzerland. All aspects of his life were explored from his personality to his thoughts.

Sjahrir’s is a unique personality. A slightly-built person, Sjahrir was a calm, yet brave person. There’s an interesting anecdotal story about the man as related by Soendoro, an Information Ministry official in the republican capital of Yogyakarta. Sjahrir was addressing a meeting with youth leaders on the situation in Surabaya where fighting had just broken out on November 10, 1945 between allied forces and Indonesian irregulars. Suddenly there was an explosion outside the building where the meeting took place. Everyone dived for cover under the tables. When the lights returned, Sjahrir was seen remaining in his seat, calmly surveying the room as if nothing had happened.

This special edition also presents controversial issues associated with Sjahrir, including the Linggarjati Agreement which he signed as head of the Indonesian delegation in peace negotiations with the Dutch. Many republican leaders criticized Sjahrir for signing an agreement they considered a setback for Indonesia.

But viewed in a clearer perspective, the Linggarjati Agreement was a diplomatic triumph. It gave the young republic a breathing space, a springboard to full independence. The biggest win was, of course, the internationalization of the Indonesian issue which the Dutch considered all along a domestic affair between Holland and its colony. Sadly, many people didn’t appreciate this achievement.

One more thing that emerged during our discussion of Sjahrir’s role in the early years of Indonesian independence was that he was undisputedly the father of Indonesian diplomacy, the man who laid the foundation of the country’s independent and active foreign policy. In a brilliant diplomatic move, Sjahrir had Indonesian rice sent to India in aid to the rice-scarce nation, breaking the Dutch blockade. Dutch warships could do nothing as they watched and let the shipments go through.

*

THE present issue also seeks to present Sjahrir’s thoughts and farsightedness. In the 1940s Sjahrir predicted the world would be split into two blocs, East and West, an uncanny vision which became a reality after World War II.

Rosihan related that as early as the 1960s Sjahrir had already warned of the danger of militarism with the growing tendencies of the military to interfere in political affairs.

Sjahrir campaigned for populist socialism, an anti-fascist and anti-feudal ideology that respects freedom of the individual and human dignity. In his famous pamphlet, Perdjoeangan Kita (Our Struggle), he wrote: Our struggle now is no other than a struggle to gain moral freedom for our people. National maturity is the only way for us to attain a position of maturity as a nation.

That is why we understand why Sjahrir shed tears when he saw from the window of a special train that was taking him to Yogyakarta Ambonese and Manadonese being assaulted by Indonesian youths charging them with fraternizing with the Dutch. Fascism and violence never found favor with Sjahrir.

Sjahrir abhorred political demagoguery and encouraged others not to refrain from criticizing what he stood for. In 1962 Sjahrir, in jail at Keagungan Prison in Jakarta, was discussing with fellow political prisoners whether they would go if invited by Sukarno to meet him at his