Sarwo Edhie Wibowo
Sarwo Edhie Wibowo | |
---|---|
Ambassador of Indonesia to South Korea | |
In office May 1974 – May 1978 | |
President | Suharto |
Preceded by | Position established Benny Moerdani (acting) |
Succeeded by | Kaharuddin Nasution |
Commander of Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih | |
In office 2 July 1968 – 20 February 1970 | |
President | Suharto |
Preceded by | Brigadier General Bintoro |
Succeeded by | Brigadier General Acub Zainal |
7th Commander of Kodam II/Bukit Barisan | |
In office 25 June 1967 – 2 July 1968 | |
President | Suharto |
Preceded by | Brigadier General Sobiran |
Succeeded by | Brigadier General Leo Lopulisa |
5th Commander of RPKAD/Puspassus AD | |
In office 1964–1967 | |
President |
|
Preceded by | Lieutenant Colonel Mung Parhadimulyo |
Succeeded by | Brigadier General Widjojo Soejono |
Personal details | |
Born | Poerworedjo, Midden-Java, Dutch East Indies | 25 July 1925
Died | 9 November 1989 Jakarta, Indonesia | (aged 64)
Resting place | Purworejo, Central Java |
Political party | Independent |
Spouse | Sunarti Sri Hadiyah |
Relations | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (son-in-law) |
Children | 7, including Kristiani Herrawati and Pramono Edhie Wibowo |
Occupation | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | |
Branch/service | |
Years of service | 1942–1975 |
Rank | General (honorary) |
Unit | Infantry (RPKAD) |
Commands | |
Battles/wars | |
Sarwo Edhie Wibowo (25 July 1925 – 9 November 1989) was an Indonesian military leader and the father of
Early life
Sarwo Edhie was born in
In 1942, when the Japanese took control of Indonesia, Sarwo Edhie went to Surabaya to enlist with the Defenders of the Motherland Army (PETA), a Japanese-run auxiliary force consisting of Indonesian soldiers.
After the
Military career
Career up to 1965
Sarwo Edhie's career in the military saw him serve as a battalion commander in the Diponegoro Division (1945–1951), then regimental commander (1951–1953), deputy regimental commander of the National Military Academy (1959–1961), chief of staff of the army Paracommando Regiment (RPKAD) (1962–1964), and commander of RPKAD (1964–1967).
The RPKAD was the Indonesian government's attempt at creating a special forces unit (going on to become Kopassus) and Sarwo Edhie's appointment as the elite unit's commander was thanks in no small part to Yani. By 1964, Yani had risen to become the army commander and wanted someone whom he could trust as commander of RPKAD.[3]
Putting Down The G30S Movement
It was during Sarwo Edhie's time as RPKAD Commander that the 30 September Movement happened.
During the morning of 1 October 1965, six Army generals, including Ahmad Yani were kidnapped from their houses and taken to the Indonesian Air Force's Halim Airbase. Whilst this kidnapping process was being executed, a group of unidentified troops occupied the National Monument (Monas), the Presidential Palace, the Republic of Indonesia Radio (RRI), and the telecommunications building.
Sarwo Edhie and his RPKAD troops were at the RPKAD headquarters at Cijantung in Jakarta, where they were joined by Colonel Herman Sarens Soediro. Soediro announced that he was bringing a message from the Kostrad headquarters and informed Sarwo Edhie of the situation in Jakarta. Sarwo Edhie was also informed by Soediro that Major General Suharto, the Commander of Kostrad had for the moment assumed leadership of the Army. Sarwo Edhie sent Soediro back with the message that he would side with Suharto.[4]
Once Sudiro left, Sarwo Edhie was visited by Brigadier General Sabur, the Commander of the
At 11 AM that day, Sarwo Edhie arrived at the Kostrad headquarters and received orders to retake the RRI and Telecommunication buildings at 6 PM (The deadline by which the unidentified troops were expected to surrender). When 6 PM arrived, Sarwo Edhie ordered his troops to retake the designated buildings. This was achieved without much resistance, as the troops there retreated to Halim and the buildings were taken by 6.30 PM.
With the situation at Jakarta secured, Suharto turned his eyes to
Transition from Old Order to New Order
After taking Halim Air Base, Sarwo Edhie joined Suharto as both of them were summoned to Bogor by President Sukarno. While Suharto found himself admonished by Sukarno for ignoring his orders, Sarwo Edhie found himself shocked by Sukarno's insensitivity to the death of the six Generals. To his question "Where are the Generals?", Sukarno responded, "Aren't these things a normality in a revolution?".[6]
On 4 October 1965, Sarwo Edhie's troops would preside over the exhumation of the dead bodies of the Generals from the Lubang Buaya well.
On 16 October 1965, Suharto was appointed Commander of the Army by Sukarno. By then, the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) had been accused as the culprits of the G30S, and anti-Communist sentiments had built up sufficiently to gain momentum. Sarwo Edhie was given the task of eliminating PKI members in the Communist hotbeds in Central Java.
There were numerous estimates as to the number of people killed during these months. Early estimates number between half a million at the very least and a million at the most.
By the beginning of 1966, anti-Communist sentiments combined with the high rate of inflation caused Sukarno to begin losing his popularity in the eyes of the Indonesian people. There were now anti-Sukarno protests, led by youth movements such as the Indonesian Student Action Front (KAMI). In a Bandung rally held on 10 January 1966, KAMI issued to Sukarno and the PPCA its Three Demands of the People. They wanted the PKI to be banned, for PKI sympathizers within the Cabinet to be arrested, and for the prices to be lowered.
Suharto realized the importance of aligning the Army with the protesters. During the first months of 1966, Sarwo Edhie together with Kostrad Chief of Staff, Kemal Idris actively organized and supported the protests whilst making a name for themselves among the KAMI protesters in the process.[10] On 26 February 1966, KAMI was officially banned by Sukarno but with the encouragement of Sarwo Edhie and Kemal continued to protest. In a show of solidarity with the students, Sarwo Edhie enlisted at the University of Indonesia.[11]
Although he was growing to be Sukarno's biggest political opponent, Suharto, a strong Javanese traditionalist, was always careful to avoid challenging Sukarno directly. By March 1966 however, he was ready to force Sukarno's hand. At the beginning of the month, he ordered the RPKAD to arrest PKI sympathizers within Sukarno's Revised Dwikora Cabinet. Suharto changed his mind at the very last minute, thinking that Sukarno's security might be compromised. However, it was too late to withdraw the orders.
On the morning of 11 March 1966, during a Cabinet meeting in which Suharto was absent, Sarwo Edhie and his troops surrounded the Presidential Palace without any identification. Sukarno, fearing for his life evacuated to Bogor. Later in the day, he would transfer executive powers to Suharto through a letter called Supersemar.
In 1967, Sarwo Edhie was transferred to Sumatra and was made Commander of Kodam II/Bukit Barisan, ending his years as Commander of the RPKAD. In Sumatra, Sarwo Edhie further weakened Sukarno's powers by banning his Indonesian National Party (PNI) throughout the island.
New Order radical
Sarwo Edhie's support was firmly with Suharto as the latter began making the moves to ascend to the Presidency. Factionally speaking, however, Sarwo Edhie belonged to a faction dubbed by scholars as "New Order Radicals".
Act of Free Choice
For this, Sarwo Edhie was transferred to
Exclusion from Government and remaining career
Like many who had supported Suharto to power, Sarwo Edhie grew increasingly dissatisfied with the new President. As the years went on, Suharto began to exclude supporters like Sarwo Edhie from the running of Indonesia, preferring instead to take the advice of colleagues who had gone up the ranks with him such as Ali Murtopo. Being a New Order radical also did not help Sarwo Edhie's case and like Kemal and Dharsono, Suharto grew suspicious of him.
The final straw came in 1970, when Sarwo Edhie made allegations of Government corruption in 1970. From that point on, Sarwo Edhie was given positions that still held stature but kept him away from the politics of the Central Government in Jakarta. Sarwo Edhie then served as ABRI Academy (AKABRI) Governor (1970–1973), Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea (1973–1978), and Inspector General of the Department of Foreign Affairs (1978–1983).
When Suharto established
Death
Sarwo Edhie died on 9 November 1989 from chronic high fever. He was buried in his native region Ngupasan, Pangenjurutengah in Purworejo, Central Java.[14] In 2015, he was declared a "national hero" by Indonesia's national government. The announcement was controversial with the Indonesian public given Sarwo's role in the 1965–1967 bloody coup.[15]
Family and personal life
Sarwo Edhie was married to Sunarti Sri Hadiyah, with whom he had seven children. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is his son-in-law, who was married to Sarwo Edhie's daughter Kristiani "Ani" Herawati until her death in June 2019.
He was the chairman of the Indonesian taekwondo federation.
Notes
- ^ Cooper, Caroline (13 June 2013). "The Act of Seeing The Act of Killing". Guernica. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ Subroto, Lukman Hadi; Indriawati, Tri (29 July 2022). "Biografi Sarwo Edhie Wibowo: Tokoh yang Berperan dalam Penumpasan G30S Halaman all". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ Djarot, Eros; et al. (2006). Siapa Sebenarnya Soeharto: Fakta dan Kesaksian Para Pelaku Sejarah G-30-S PKI (in Indonesian) (1st ed.). Tangerang: PT Agromedia Pustaka. p. 63.
- ^ a b Dake, Antonie C.A (2005). Sukarno File: Kronologi Suatu Keruntuhan (in Indonesian) (4th ed.). Jakarta: Aksara Karunia. p. 111.
- ^ at the time it was at the outskirts of Jakarta and quite remote from the population
- ^ Dake, Antonie C.A (2005). Sukarno File: Kronologi Suatu Keruntuhan (in Indonesian) (4th ed.). Jakarta: Aksara Karunia. p. 194.
- ISBN 981-4068-65-9.
- ^ ISBN 981-4068-65-9.
- ^ : Kolektif Info Coup d'etat 65 :. - Dokumen
- ISBN 0-521-77326-1.
- ISBN 0-521-77326-1.
- ISBN 0-521-77326-1.
- ^ TAPOL, the Indonesian Human Rights Campaign
- ^ "Biografi Sarwo Edhie Wibowo". Archived from the original on 28 January 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
- ^ "Gus Dur, Sarwo to be named national heroes". The Jakarta Post. PT Niskala Media Tenggara. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
External links
- (in Indonesian) Sarwo Edhie Wibowo profile