Ahmad Yani

Ahmad Yani was born on 19 June 1922 in Jenar, a village in Central Java. He was the eldest of nine children in a Muslim family. He attended a Dutch-run school and then a teacher training college in Jakarta. He joined the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in 1940, but switched sides after the Japanese invasion in 1942. He became a member of the Japanese-sponsored militia, PETA, and received military training in Magelang and Bogor. After the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, he joined the Indonesian armed forces and fought against the Dutch colonial forces during the Indonesian National Revolution. He distinguished himself as a skilled and brave commander, leading the Siliwangi Division in West Java. 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.