Minister Of Information Amir Sjarifuddin's Car Shot By NICA In History Today, December 28, 1945

Portrait of Amir Sjarifuddin who once served as Minister of Information in the 1945-1946 era. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA History today, 78 years ago, December 28, 1945, the Minister of Information's car, Amir Sjarifuddin, was fired upon by soldiers of the Dutch East Indies Civil Government (NICA). The attempted murder attempt was carried out by the Dutch colonialists to terrorize the Indonesian government.

Previously, the Dutch colonialists did not want to see Indonesia's independence. They also want to regain control of Indonesia. The potential benefits are the estuary. They used British ally soldiers to re-enter Indonesia.

The proclamation of Indonesian independence was echoed by Soekarno-Hatta on August 17, 1945. Both represent all Indonesian people who pledge independence from all kinds of colonialism. The incident was greeted with great fanfare. However, not for the Dutch colonialists.

The country of the Windmills is still hoping to continue to colonize Indonesia. They think that Indonesia is still promising profits to the Dutch. The desire to regain control of the archipelago was unanimous. The strategy was played.

The Dutch, through NICA, tried to ride allies to enter Indonesia via Jakarta. Instead of the Dutch entering with the aim of helping to secure the former Japanese colonial government, the Dutch actually had a specific intention. They want to spread terror to regain control of Indonesia.

This strategy was played because Indonesia's military power was insignificant. Alias Indonesia is considered unable to provide meaningful resistance. The Dutch also made Jakarta like a battlefield. The bumiputras are the target.

NICA did not hesitate to beat, interrogated, and take all kinds of property belonging to the bumiputras. The terror did not make the Indonesian people give up. They chose to participate in defending the nation and state by joining forces against NICA.

Indeed, NICA is getting wilder apparently. To do cleaning' in Sawah Besar, NICA uses armored cars, heavy weapons, while the Pioneer Youth who survives there with the people only has sharp bamboo, machetes, swords, several pistols, rifles, and grenades seized from Japan.

In Asem Reges, around Gang Kali Got, in Molenvliet (now Jalan Hayam Wuruk) NICA puts the weapons of partners. NICA's complaints attacked youths who were already confined in Sawah Besar. Even though the pioneer youths gave resistance, they were forced to withdraw," said Rosihan Anwar in the book 'Petite Histoire' Indonesia Volume 7(2015).

The Netherlands did not want to back down. The intensity of terror is even more massive. They even began targeting the killings of national figures. This condition limited the space for the leaders of the nation. Every day they came out of the house and worked often covered in worry.

Minister of Information Amir Sjarifuddin, for example. His life has been targeted by NICA military forces. His car was marked. The narrative made NICA attempt to kill Amir. The NICA army shot his car on December 28, 1945.

However, there were no victims in the incident. Amir himself was not in the car. Driver Amir also survived because he immediately stepped on the gas when he was attacked by NICA. Even so, the shooting incident became hot news among national figures. Then, the national figures agreed to move the State Capital to Yogyakarta as a solution in 1946.

On December 28, 1945, the Minister of Information's car, Amir Sjarifuddin, was shot by the NICA army. At around 15.00 the Minister of Information's car slid on Jalan Pegangsaan Timur to President Soekarno's house. In front of the High School dormitory, the car met a truck containing NICA soldiers who suddenly fired their weapons at the car so that the side glass of the car broke.

The Minister of Information is not in it and the driver continues to direct to the president's house. British Military Police visited Soekarno's house and conducted an examination witnessed by Soekarno, Hatta, and Amir Sjarifoeddin. Since then the Ministry of Information has been guarded by British army units," explained Osa Kurniawan Ilham in the book Rice for India: Humanitarian Solidarity in the Revolutionary vortices of Indonesia and India 1945-1946(2021).