Ruslan Abdulgani

Ruslan Abdulgani was an Indonesian politician and diplomat who played a significant role in the Indonesian National Revolution and the Sukarno government. He was born on 24 November 1914 in Surabaya, a city in East Java. He came from a middle-class family of Arab descent. His father was a merchant and his mother was a teacher. He studied at the Dutch-language school and later at the medical school in Batavia (now Jakarta). He was active in the Perhimpoenan Indonesia, an association of Indonesian students in Europe, and became its chairman in 1929. He also joined the Sarekat Islam, a mass Islamic organization, and became one of its leaders. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia (1942-1945), he was a member of the Putera and Suishintai organizations, which were established by the Japanese to mobilize the Indonesian people for their war effort. He also served as a member of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK), which drafted the constitution and the principles of the Indonesian state. After the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, he became a close aide to Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia. He was involved in the negotiations with the Dutch and the United Nations, and represented Indonesia in various international forums. He was also a founding member of the Masyumi Party, an Islamic political party that was influential in the early years of the republic. He held several ministerial positions in the Sukarno government, such as Minister of Information, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of State. He was also the secretary-general of the Bandung Conference in 1955, a major meeting of Asian and African countries that formed the basis of the Non-Aligned Movement. He was known for his diplomatic skills and his loyalty to Sukarno. He supported Sukarno's policies of guided democracy and confrontation with Malaysia, and opposed the communist influence in Indonesia. He was also a champion of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism, and advocated for the liberation of Palestine and other oppressed nations. He retired from politics in 1966, after the fall of Sukarno and the rise of Suharto. He spent his later years as a writer and a lecturer, and published several books and articles on Indonesian history, politics, and culture. He also founded the Indonesian Institute of Culture, a research and education institution that aimed to preserve and promote the Indonesian cultural heritage. He died on 29 June 2005 in Jakarta, at the age of 90. He was buried at his residence on Jalan Cikini Raya No. 73. He was survived by his wife, Siti Nuraini, and his five children. He was regarded as one of the founding fathers of Indonesia and a respected figure in the Indonesian society.