History Of Today, January 7, 1962: The Attempted Assassination Of President Soekarno With A Grenade In Makassar

President Soekarno helped a woman who fainted due to crowding to welcome her in the 1950s. (Twitter/@potretlawas)

JAKARTA History today, 61 years ago, January 7, 1962, the attempted murder of President Soekarno has occurred again. This time the effort was carried out by throwing grenades at the Bung Karno convoy in Makassar.

Bung Karno survived. However, 31 people around the location became victims, three of whom died. Previously, attempted attempts to kill Soekarno often occurred. Dissatisfaction with Soekarno's leadership is behind it.

Life as President of Indonesia is not easy. Bung Karno once felt it. Bung Karno's life is often haunted by concerns. Because his life is often the target of those who do not like it. This condition lasted from the revolutionary period to an independent Indonesia.

Moreover, attempts to try to kill him were increasingly present when the Dutch began to recognize Indonesia's sovereignty in 1949. This incident made people who hate Bung Karno even more widespread.

Those who did not like Bung Karno began planning an assassination attempt. Cikini's incident in 1957, for example. People who were deemed dissatisfied with Bung Karno's politics tried to shower him with grenades.

The incident took place with the 15th anniversary of the Cikini College. Which is, the Cikini college is where Soekarno's sons and daughters go to school. However, the good luck was with Bung Karno. He survived the murder attempt.

There was an attempted murder of President Soekarno on November 30, 1957, known as the Cikini Incident, when President Soekarno attended the 15th birthday party. Cikini college, where her sons and daughters went to school. This assassination attempt was carried out using hand grenades, causing many victims, especially school children in the school yard.

Another victim was Police Inspector I Oding Suhendar, a member of the presidential guard force. He died from being hit by grenade fragments. The president himself survived thanks to the alertness and speed of acting Major Sudarto (the president's aide). After the first explosion, Sudarto quickly took the President to a safe place, "said Marwati Djoened Poesponegoro in the book Indonesian National History Volume VI (2008).

Instead of trying to kill Soekarno soon ended, people who hated him continued to try to kill him. The grenade bomb terror was not only carried out in Jakarta. This is because terror was also carried out outside Java. Makassar, to be precise.

The assassination attempt took place when Bung Karno's convoy carried out a convoy on January 7, 1962. The purpose of the motorcade was to bring Bung Karno to the Makassar Sports Building to meet the people.

In the middle of the road, grenades were released by terrorists. However, the goddess of fortuna was again on Bung Karno's side. He survived the assassination attempt.

Since January 4, President Soekarno has been in Makassar and in other places in South Sulawesi to inflame the spirit of the struggle for West Irian's release. This afternoon news broke out, on Sunday night, January 7, there was an attempt to kill the President by throwing a grenade.

Soekarno is heading to the Raga Makassar Sports Building to give his advice around the tri command for the release of West Irian. The President survived. As a result of the grenade throwing that fell 150 meters behind the car the President was carrying, 31 people became victims, of which three people died, namely a child and two adults," explained Rosihan Anwar in the book Sukarno, Army, PKI (2006).