The Dark Side Of National Heroes: Forgotten 'sulking' President Syafruddin

Syafruddin Prawiranegara (Commons Wikimedia)

Basuki Rahmat is a national hero who is said to have been involved in the overthrow of Sukarno. Meanwhile, Tan Malaka gave birth to a rebellious movement that even turned into a separatist movement. In this article, we take a look at the dark side of other national heroes. Regarding the forgotten president, Syafruddin Prawiranegara and his opposition to the post-independence Indonesian government, and how he supported the United States (US) against the communists in the archipelago. This is a follow-up to VOI's signature Series, "Becoming a National Hero."

Born in Serang, Banteng on February 28, 1911, Syafruddin Prawiranegara was a fighter during the independence era of the Republic of Indonesia. Syafruddin once saved the country when the government of the Republic of Indonesia in Yogyakarta fell into Dutch hands. This incident occurred during the Dutch military aggression II, 19 December 1948.

At that time, President Sukarno and Vice President Hatta and other officials were held captive by the Dutch. At that time, Syafruddin, who served as Minister of Prosperity, was in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. Syafruddin together with Teuku Muhammad Hasan and Colonel Hidayat then took the initiative to form an emergency government. Sukarno sent his blessing by telegram.

Armed with this blessing, Syafruddin took over the duties of the head of state by becoming President or Chairman of the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PDRI). PDRI formation was inaugurated on December 22, 1948 in Halaban, an area near Payakumbuh. With only what he had, Syafruddin announced to the world that Indonesia was still standing.

The broadcast on the emergency radio, Radio Rimba Raya, also denied the Dutch propaganda about Indonesia that no longer exists because its leaders had been arrested. This step came about. The news broadcast by Radio Rimba Raya prompted the UN to urge the Netherlands to return to the negotiating table.

Counter-government

A decade after PDRI was formed, on February 15, 1958, the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PRRI) released a counter-cabinet to the legitimate government. The declaration was made in the same place as the PDRI declaration: Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. Syafruddin emerged as prime minister alias the highest leader of the defector movement.

Written by Syamdani in a 2009 book, PRRI Rebellion or Isn't it ?, PRRI appeared simultaneously with the People's Struggle for the Universe (Permesta) in eastern Indonesia. Their appearance was the result of disappointment with the Indonesian government at that time.

They demand broader regional autonomy. Syafruddin is considered to have an important role in this maneuver. Syafruddin's expression of frustration at that time was contained in his speech recorded by Time magazine. The speech which was later quoted by Baskara T Wardaya in Bung Karno Suing.

"It is with deep sadness and sorrow that we are compelled to raise the flag against our own Head of State. We have spoken and spoken. Now is the time to act!" said Syafruddin.

The central government considered this movement a rebellion and sent soldiers to put it down. In August 1958, the PRRI resistance was declared to have ended. The central government granted amnesty and abolition to everyone involved through Presidential Decree No.449 / 1961.

Support the US against the communists

Apart from being involved in defection, Syafruddin is also said to have given support to the United States (US) to eradicate communism in the Southeast Asian region. One of them was in the United States-Vietnam war.

In addition, Syafruddin is also known to have supported the massacre of communists after the 1965 G30S PKI tragedy. This was revealed in the US National Security Archive document which was disclosed and published at George Washington University in 2017.

The documents show that the US Embassy in Jakarta kept records of the identities of the PKI leaders who were killed, and that US officials actively supported the Army's (AD) efforts to crush the left-oriented labor movement in Indonesia.

Of the 39 documents published from a collection of 30,000 archives of the diaries of the US Ambassador to Jakarta for the period 1964-1968, one of them is Syafruddin's letter to former USAID administrator (US aid agency) Edwin Fox. In the letter, Syafruddin gave his support for the US war in Vietnam as a step to stem the communism movement.

Sjafruddin's enthusiastic support for the Vietnam war was extraordinary, because US foreign policy in the Southeast Asian region was met with a lot of resistance, including anti-communist ABRI officers, many of whom sympathized with the Vietnamese against the US.

According to Syafruddin, US's foreign policy was correct. "Following the only correct path towards the necessary containment against aggressive communism," he said as written in the letter.

Even so, Syafruddin's great service in defending the nation's sovereignty is certainly not underestimated. In fact, if we are allowed to make our own calculations, we would like to place Syafruddin as the second president of the Republic of Indonesia after Sukarno.

Next article: "Encouraging All Improvement in the Issue of the Title of National Hero"