Anwar Tjokroaminoto

Oetarjo Anwar Tjokroaminoto (3 May 1909 – 16 November 1975) was an Indonesian politician and journalist. He served as Minister of Social Affairs for a year in the Wilopo Cabinet, and was the Prime Minister of Pasundan for less than a month during January 1950.

Anwar Tjokroaminoto
Tjokroaminoto, 1954
Minister of Social Affairs
In office
1 April 1952 – 11 May 1953
Prime MinisterWilopo
Preceded bySamsuddin
Succeeded bySoeroso
3rd Prime Minister of Pasundan
In office
9 January 1950 – 23 January 1950
Preceded byDjumhana Wiriaatmadja
Succeeded byposition abolished
Member of People's Representative Council
In office
26 March 1956 – 22 July 1959
In office
15 February 1950 – 1 April 1952
Personal details
Born
Oetarjo Anwar Tjokroaminoto

(1909-05-03)3 May 1909
Surabaya, Dutch East Indies
Died16 November 1975(1975-11-16) (aged 66)
Political partyIndonesian Islamic Union Party
Relations

Son of Indonesian nationalist and Sarekat Islam founder H.O.S. Tjokroaminoto, he studied journalism in his youth and for some time worked in schools affiliated with his father's political party PSII before working for newspapers. He worked for the Asia Raya newspaper during the Japanese occupation period, and he was also managing editor for Pemandangan. After Indonesian independence, Tjokroaminoto entered politics through the Masyumi Party, serving briefly as a minister before moving to PSII. He was part of the government of the State of Pasundan and was appointed prime minister, though suspicions after the APRA coup d'état resulted in Pasundan's dissolution shortly afterwards.

Tjokroaminoto then rejoined the government as a legislator, and by 1952 he obtained a cabinet post as Minister of Social Affairs in the Wilopo Cabinet where he was reshuffled after a year. PSII later fractured in 1972, and Tjokroaminoto became a leader in one of the two competing factions until his death in 1975.

Early life and education

Oetarjo Anwar Tjokroaminoto was born in Surabaya on 3 May 1909, as the second child and eldest son of Oemar Said Tjokroaminoto.[1][2] He was educated in Dutch schools (an ELS and a MULO) before later enrolling at Douwes Dekker's Teacher's Training School, where he studied journalism and graduated in 1940. Additionally, he also studied at pesantren in Rembang and Garut.[1][3]

Career

Pre-1945

Between 1930 and 1935, he taught at Sarekat Islam schools, starting in Batavia before he moved to Sumatra where he was principal at a school in Menggala and the chief supervisor for SI schools in Southern Sumatra.[1][4] After this career in education, he moved back to Jakarta in 1936, where he became the managing editor for the Pembangoenan daily newspaper. He worked at this newspaper until the Japanese invasion of the Indies.[1][4] In 1941, Tjokroaminoto was also working at the Pemandangan newspaper as managing editor.[5]

In the immediate aftermath of the Japanese invasion and seizure of the Indies, Tjokroaminoto wrote essays in support of the Japanese.[6] In April 1942, he also voiced his support in Pemandangan for the shift of time zones in Java to fit Tokyo[7] and in an essay of May 1942, titled Lebih Loeas Lagi (Broader Still), he supported the Japanese-sponsored ideology of Pan-Asianism, though with a strong influence of Islamism.[8] During the Japanese occupation period, Tjokroaminoto worked at the Japanese-sponsored newspaper Asia Raya as deputy chief editor.[4] Tan Malaka wrote that during Tjokroaminoto's time at Asia Raya he wrote popular satirical articles portraying Japan's occupation in a negative light under the pen name "Bang Bedjat" (Mr Pervert).[1] Later on, Tjokroaminoto joined a political liaison group of other nationalist youths led by his colleague at Asia Raya, B. M. Diah.[9]

Revolution

During the Indonesian National Revolution, Tjokroaminoto joined the Masyumi Party as one of its leaders at the party's founding, though he did not have a specific title within the leadership structure.[10] In September 1945, he co-founded the National Publishing Company, along with other journalists such as Adam Malik and Sumanang.[11] He was then appointed into the "Army Political Education Staff" and was given a nominal rank of major general, despite having no military experience.[12] While being attached to the military, he acted as chief editor of the army news magazine.[4]

He was later honorably discharged from his military assignment, and afterwards he returned to journalism for some time, managing the al-Djihad daily newspaper.[4] He joined the Second Amir Sjarifuddin Cabinet as a minister of state in 1947, without portfolio.[12] During this period, the Indonesian Islamic Union Party (PSII) split away from Masyumi, and Tjokroaminoto became one of its leaders alongside his brother Harsono Tjokroaminoto.[13]

Post-revolution

On 9 January 1950, Tjokroaminoto was appointed as the Prime Minister of Pasundan, replacing Djumhana Wiriaatmadja who had resigned.[14] Within the month, however the APRA coup d'état led by Raymond Westerling rocked Jakarta, and the United States of Indonesia government immediately suspected the State of Pasundan's government as having supported Westerling, leading to the arrest of Tjokroaminoto and his cabinet and eventually the dissolution of Pasundan.[15] Despite this arrest, he joined the newly formed DPR-RIS as a legislator, and retained his seat following the defederalization of the state.[4]

By 1952, however, Tjokroaminoto had been appointed as Minister of Social Affairs under the Wilopo Cabinet.[16][17] In May 1953, due to political tensions between PSII and Wilopo in the aftermath of the 17 October Affair, Tjokroaminoto was withdrawn from the cabinet, and he was later replaced by R.P. Soeroso.[18] Tjokroaminoto won a legislator seat representing South Sumatra in the 1955 legislative election.[3]

In 1966, the last year of Sukarno's presidency, Tjokroaminoto criticized the government's (Dwikora Cabinet) foreign policy, especially under foreign minister Subandrio. His statement pointed at Indonesia's isolation internationally (due to the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation), in addition to heavy deficits and inflation. He then called for the formation of a proper representative cabinet, instead of the interim cabinet then.[19]

Within PSII, Tjokroaminoto's political position had been eroded due to perceived dynastic politics, and poor performance in the 1971 legislative election culminating in his removal as chairman in July 1972.[20] In the ensuing internal party conflict, PSII (then merged with other Islamic parties to form the United Development Party in 1973 with Anwar recorded as one of the founders,[21] leaving the original Sarekat Islam organization) was fractured into two organizations, one of which was led by Tjokroaminoto and Thayeb Mohammad Gobel and was more favoured by the incumbent New Order administration.[22]

Tjokroaminoto died on 16 November 1975.[23]

gollark: Are you sure? Brains can probably vary substantially over development.
gollark: They are very good for modelling some data, like ASTs.
gollark: Wrong, algebraic data types good and wondrous.
gollark: I don't believe in fresh air¡
gollark: I enjoy breathing air which exists!

References
  1. Anderson 1972, p. 453.
  2. Sugiharto, Jobpie (26 October 2019). "Cicit Beberkan Cara HOS Tjokroaminoto Mendidik Keluarga". Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  3. Parlaungan (1956). Hasil Rakjat Memilih Tokoh-tokoh Parlemen (Hasil Pemilihan Umum Pertama - 1955) di Republik Indonesia (PDF) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: C.V. Gita. p. 328. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  4. Ministry of Information of Indonesia (1954). Kami perkenalkan (PDF) (in Indonesian). p. 75. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020. (shows blank page in Firefox 73, open in Chrome, or download PDF)
  5. Oemar, Priyantono (5 October 2019). "Benarkah Tabrani Mengkhianati Thamrin?". Republika (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. Mark 2018, p. 28.
  7. Mark 2018, p. 137.
  8. Mark 2018, p. 155.
  9. Anderson 1972, pp. 55-56.
  10. Fogg 2019, p. 153.
  11. Anderson 1972, p. 289.
  12. Simatupang, T. B. (2009). Report from Banaran: Experiences During the People's War. Equinox Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 978-602-8397-55-1.
  13. Fogg 2019, p. 199.
  14. Aneta (10 January 1950). "Nieuw kabinet van Pasoendan". De Vrije Pers. Bandung.
  15. Feith 1962, p. 63.
  16. Feith 1962, p. 229.
  17. Feith 2009, p. 94.
  18. Feith 2009, p. 205.
  19. Agency, United States Central Intelligence (1966). Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts. p. RRR 2-3.
  20. Subekti 2014, pp. 154, 199.
  21. "Peringati Harlah ke-46, PPP Ziarah ke Makam Para Pendiri Partai". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). 5 January 2019. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  22. Subekti 2014, p. 204.
  23. Subekti 2014, p. 205.

Bibliography
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