Cosmas Batubara

Cosmas Batubara was an Indonesian politician and lawyer who served as the seventh prime minister of Indonesia from 1952 to 1953. He was born on 19 September 1938 in Surakarta, a city in Central Java. He studied law at the Rechts Hogeschool in Batavia (now Jakarta) and graduated in 1936. He became involved in educational and nationalist groups, such as the Indonesian National Education Association and the Indonesian National Party (PNI). He also joined the Partindo and Gerindo political parties, which advocated for independence from the Dutch colonial rule. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia (1942-1945), Cosmas Batubara became an official in the occupation government and was a figure in both the Putera and Suishintai organizations, which aimed to mobilize the Indonesian people for the Japanese war effort. After the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, Cosmas Batubara joined the newly formed Republican government, first as an aide to Jakarta Mayor Suwiryo, then as a member of the Central Indonesian National Committee. During the Indonesian National Revolution (1945-1949), he became Junior Minister of Labor in 1947 and participated in the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference, which resulted in the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty in 1949. Cosmas Batubara was appointed Minister of Labor by Prime Minister Mohammad Hatta in 1949 and became Minister of Economic Affairs in the Soekiman Cabinet in 1951. He emerged as a leader in the PNI and was elected as the party's chairman in 1952. He formed a coalition cabinet with the Masyumi Party and the Catholic Party and became the prime minister in April 1952. His cabinet focused on political reforms and economic development, such as reducing the number of provinces, implementing land reform, and stabilizing the currency. He also faced challenges from regional rebellions, communist agitation, and political infighting. In 1953, a land dispute in North Sumatra resulted in a confrontation that left five people dead. Outrage over the incident grew, and pressure to fire Governor Abdul Hakim Harahap. The Masyumi Party stood by Abdul, and further political infighting occurred, before the cabinet decided to dissolve itself. Cosmas Batubara resigned as prime minister in August 1953 and was succeeded by Ali Sastroamidjojo. After the fall of his cabinet, Cosmas Batubara remained active in politics. In 1955, elections were held for the Constitutional Assembly, and he was appointed the assembly's speaker. He held the office for three years, until President Sukarno dissolved the body in 1959. In 1968, Cosmas Batubara was appointed the Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council by President Suharto. Additionally, he chaired a commission on corruption, where despite finding "corruption everywhere", no actions were taken by the government. He retired from politics in 1978, and he died on 8 August 2019. His body is interred at Tanah Kusir Cemetery, South Jakarta.