Even President Sukarno Was Cheated By The King And Queen Of Impersonation

Illustration of Sukarno welcoming a special guest (Photo: Pena Soekarno)

JAKARTA - Recently, Indonesia has been shocked by the establishment of the Keraton Agung Sejagat which was proclaimed on January 10. The palace, which is located in Purworejo, Central Java, suddenly caused a scene for local residents.

Keraton Agung Sejagat is led by Toto Santoso as the king who has the title Rakai Mataram Agung Jaya Kusuma Wangsa Sanjaya. Meanwhile, Fani Aminadia, as his consort, has the title Kanjeng Ratu Dyah Gitarja.

They claim that the Great Palace was established to change all state systems in the world, be it financial, political, government and others. Therefore, the United Nations and the World Bank are obliged to submit to the Palace.

After four days of commotion in the community, Toto and Fanni, as the kings and empresses of the Keraton Agung Sejagat, were finally arrested by the police. They were charged with criminal charges regarding fraud.

The story of this fake king and queen who aimed to deceive also happened during the Old Order era, in 1958 to be precise. The Idrus and Markonah pair at that time claimed to be kings of the Anak Dalam tribe in Jambi.

He said the kingdom he led was an area that was formerly the power of Srivijaya. He said that this kingdom would contribute to the struggle to liberate West Irian, which at that time Indonesia was still in dispute with the Netherlands.

The boasting of Idrus and Markonah then broke out and many parties believed. On March 10, 1958, the Regional Government of South Sumatra issued a letter of recommendation that Idrus and Markonah and some of their followers go to Jakarta to meet President Sukarno.

Arriving in the capital, Idrus and Markonah, along with their entourage, were received by President Sukarno at the State Palace. The massive welcome was understandable. This is because Idrus and Markonah will donate assets for the liberation of West Irian. In that instant, President Sukarno was in need of support for the struggle in West Irian.

During this meeting with Sukarno, Idrus and Markonah submitted a request to tour various cities in Java. Their request was fulfilled, President Sukarno facilitated their excursions and their entourage.

Quoted from the Dutch newspaper, Leeuwarder Courant, April 7, 1959 edition, Idrus said he had 18 wives. Moreover, he claims to have a huge palace in one of the giant caves. Inside are mummies of 40 Japanese and Dutch people.

Apart from visiting the State Palace, while in Jakarta, Idrus and Markonah were also greeted by officials from the capital, namely the Mayor of Sudiro. Quoting from the 19 July 1958 edition of the Het Parool Daily, the Mayor, Sudiro hosted this fake king and queen to have dinner with members of the Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD).

During the dinner that night, Idrus told me that he was used to eating raw meat in the royal palace, his favorite food was snake meat, and his drink was snake blood.

On March 20, 1958, Idrus and his entourage left for Bandung, West Java, then continued on to Central Java. The series of Idrus and Markonah journeys were greeted like real kings and queens. Even during their series of visits to several cities, the two of them were escorted by a voorijder like state officials.

But Idrus and Markonah's trickery had to stop during their visit to Madiun. They were arrested by the Military Police Corps and then questioned.

The revelation of this lie was due to the narrative of a pedicab driver who recognized Idrus as a partner in his profession. He was suspicious of it and reported it.

The suspicion grew stronger after the confirmation from the government to the Kubu and Anak Dalam tribes. From there it is known that in their custom there is no term king. The highest position of the two tribes is the chief of the tribe.

The guise of con artists is revealed. Idrus's identity is actually a pedicab driver, while Markonah is a Tuna Susila (WTS). They were sentenced to nine months in prison and they were released in mid-1959.

As a result of the actions of Idrus and Markonah who only wanted to experience the luxurious and respected life earlier. Their stories succeeded in deceiving some of the officials who had already believed in their boasting. This story is also in the spotlight of foreign media.

The daily Het Parool edition of 19 July 1958 wrote, "Many laughed at the adventures of the King of South Sumatra, in which President Sukarno, the mayor of Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Solo, Yogyakarta, and Madiun were deceived."