Mohammad Hatta

Mohammad Hatta was a leader of the Indonesian independence movement who served as the country's first vice president. Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, fought for the independence of Indonesia from the Dutch. Hatta was born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, on 12 August 1902 to a prominent and devout Muslim family. He received a Dutch education and became interested in politics and nationalism at a young age. He joined the Perhimpunan Indonesia (Indonesian Union), a progressive, nationalist political group founded by overseas Indonesian students, while he was studying economics in the Netherlands from 1922 to 1932. He was also influenced by the ideas of socialism and Islam. He returned to the Dutch East Indies in 1932 and became involved in various nationalist organizations, such as the Indonesian National Party (PNI) and the Indonesian Islamic Association Party (PSII). He was arrested by the Dutch colonial authorities in 1934 for his political activities and sent to the Boven Digoel concentration camp in West Papua. He was later exiled to the island of Banda Neira, where he remained until the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in 1942. During the Japanese occupation, Hatta collaborated with Sukarno and other nationalists to prepare for the independence of Indonesia. He helped to organize the Japanese-sponsored home defense corps, the first Indonesian armed force. He also participated in the Committee for the Preparation of Indonesian Independence (BPUPKI) and the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI). On 17 August 1945, two days after the Japanese surrender, Hatta and Sukarno proclaimed the independence of Indonesia and became the vice president and president, respectively. Hatta played a crucial role in the Indonesian National Revolution, which lasted from 1945 to 1949, against the Dutch attempts to reestablish their colonial rule. He led the Indonesian delegation in several negotiations with the Dutch, such as the Linggadjati Agreement, the Renville Agreement, and the Roem–Van Roijen Agreement. He also served as the prime minister from 1948 to 1950 and the minister of defense from 1949 to 1950. He was instrumental in the suppression of the communist rebellion in Madiun in 1948 and the establishment of the unitary state of Indonesia in 1950. He resigned from his vice presidency in 1956, due to his disagreement with Sukarno's increasingly authoritarian and populist policies. He opposed Sukarno's concept of Guided Democracy and his alliance with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). He also criticized Sukarno's confrontation with Malaysia and his involvement in the 30 September Movement, which led to a failed coup attempt by the PKI in 1965. Hatta retired from politics and devoted himself to education and social work. He also wrote several books and essays on various topics, such as economics, politics, history, and religion. He died of heart failure in Jakarta on 14 March 1980. He was buried in the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery with full military honors. He was posthumously declared a National Hero of Indonesia in 1986. He is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of Indonesia and a symbol of integrity and statesmanship.