Agus Salim

Agus Salim was born on 8 October 1884 in Koto Gadang, a village in North Sumatra. He was the eldest of nine children in a Batak Muslim family. He studied teaching at a school in Medan and then enrolled at a military academy in Bandung. He became a member of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, but following the Japanese invasion in 1942, he joined the Defenders of the Homeland, a Japanese-sponsored militia. After the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, he enlisted in the fledgling Indonesian armed forces, and fought during the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch colonial forces. He rose to prominence as a charismatic and innovative leader, and in 1946, he was appointed commander of the Siliwangi Division, the guerrilla unit operating in West Java. He became known for his hit-and-run tactics, his loyalty to the republic, and his resistance to communist influence. He also developed the concept of territorial warfare, which involved mobilizing the local population to support the military effort. He was captured by the Dutch in 1949, but was released after the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty in 1950. He then became the chief of staff of the Indonesian Army, and later the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. He was involved in several military and political conflicts, such as the Madiun Affair, the Darul Islam rebellion, the PRRI Permesta rebellion, the West New Guinea dispute, the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, and the 30 September Movement. He survived an assassination attempt during the latter, which was a failed coup attempt by a faction of the army led by communist sympathizers. He lost his position as the defense minister, but remained influential in the military and politics. He supported the rise of General Suharto, who took over the presidency from Sukarno in 1967. He became the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, the highest legislative body in the country, and held the position until 1972. He retired from politics in 1978, and spent his later years writing books and giving lectures. He died of a heart attack on 4 November 1954 in Jakarta, and was buried with full military honors at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Indonesian military and a national hero.