Siti Hartinah
Raden Ayu Siti Hartinah (23 August 1923 – 28 April 1996) was the wife of the second Indonesian president, Suharto and former First Lady of Indonesia from 1967 until 1996. She is usually known as Ibu Tien to Indonesians, but is also known as Siti Hartinah Soeharto (the difference in spelling is due to Dutch Colonial era spelling).
Siti Hartinah | |
---|---|
1990s official Presidential Portrait | |
2nd First Lady of Indonesia | |
In role 12 March 1967 – 28 April 1996 | |
Preceded by | Fatmawati |
Succeeded by | Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (acting) Hasri Ainun Habibie |
Personal details | |
Born | Surakarta, Surakarta Sunanate | 23 August 1923
Died | 28 April 1996 72) Jakarta, Indonesia | (aged
Resting place | Astana Giribangun |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 6, including Tutut,[1] Titiek, and Tommy |
Signature |
Madame Suharto was also widely acknowledged to be a close confidant and political advisor to Suharto.[2]
Biography
Siti Hartinah was distantly related to the Mangkunegaran Royal household.[3] Some commentators state that her honorific title of Raden Ayu was reserved only for faithful commoner courtiers or servants (abdi dalem) of the Mangkunegaran court.
She married Suharto on 26 December 1947 in Surakarta using a traditional Javanese ceremony. The Javanese custom was for the bride's family to pay the bulk of the wedding costs. Suharto apparently drove there in a battered De Soto sedan. Suharto stated that the marriage was initially not one of romantic love, but they did eventually grow to love each other devotedly, a type of marriage that was very common for many Javanese of that era.[3] Three days after their marriage, Siti Hartinah was taken by Suharto to live in his Yogyakarta house at Jalan Merbabu 2.[3]
Her marriage was initiated by Suharto's foster mother at the time, Ibu (Mrs) Prawirowiharjo, who sought an audience with her mother. Ibu Prawirowiharjo cultivated a close relationship with her mother, a family in Suharto's own words as "well regarded and respected in the city of Solo"[4]
Siti Hartinah became to be known in Indonesia as "Madame Tien". Many Javanese saw her as one of the major causes of Suharto's own power.
Siti Hartinah is interred beside her husband in the Astana Giribangun mausoleum complex in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java.[2]
Family
Suharto and Siti Hartinah had six children, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (Tutut), Sigit Harjojudanto (Sigit), Bambang Trihatmodjo (Bambang), Siti Hediati (Titiek), Hutomo Mandala Putra (Tommy) and Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih (Mamiek), and 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Notes
- Berger, Marilyn (January 28, 2008). "Suharto Dies at 86; Indonesian Dictator Brought Order and Bloodshed". New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
- Budiardjo, Carmel (April 29, 1996)"Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: unfit url (link) . hamline.edu
- Elson, 23
- Elson, 22
References
- Suharto: A Political Biography. Robert Edward Elson. Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-521-77326-1
- Siti Hartinah Soeharto : First Lady of Indonesia. Abdul Gafur. PT. Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada, 1992. ISBN unknown
- Who's Who in Indonesia. Mahiddin Mahmud. Gunung Agung, 1990. ISBN unknown
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Siti Hartinah. |
- (in Indonesian) Biography on TokohIndonesia.com
- 1996 news:Madame Ten was buried
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Fatmawati |
First Lady of Indonesia 12 March 1967 – 28 April 1996 |
Succeeded by Vacant Hasri Ainun Habibie (1998) |