Omar Dhani

Omar Dhani was an Indonesian air force officer and politician, who served as the commander of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) from 1962 to 1965. He was a prominent leftist figure in Indonesia during the Sukarno era. He was born in Surakarta, the son of a civil servant. He worked in various fields, such as radio broadcasting, information ministry, and banking, before joining the air force academy in 1950. He received training in the United States and the United Kingdom, and rose through the ranks to become the Minister and Commander of the Air Force in 1962. He was involved in several military operations, such as the PRRI Rebellion, the Permesta Rebellion, the Operation Trikora, and the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. He was also a close ally of President Sukarno, and supported his policies of anti-imperialism, socialism, and national revolution. He was one of the main proponents of the Guided Democracy system, and advocated for a more radical and revolutionary stance. He was also active in the cultural and educational fields, promoting the development of Indonesian literature, arts, and sciences. He was a prolific writer and speaker, and published many books and articles on various topics. He was also known for his slogan "Marhaenism for the whole world", which expressed his vision of a global solidarity of the oppressed peoples. Omar Dhani was one of the most influential and controversial figures in Indonesian history. He was admired by many as a charismatic and visionary leader, but also feared and hated by others as a ruthless and dangerous communist. He was accused of being behind the 30 September Movement, a failed coup attempt in 1965 that resulted in the murder of six army generals. Although the exact role of Dhani and the PKI in the coup remains unclear, the incident triggered a violent anti-communist purge that killed hundreds of thousands of people, including Dhani himself. He was captured and executed by the army in Boyolali, Central Java, on 22 November 1965. His body was never returned to his family, and his grave remains unknown. He was posthumously declared a traitor and an enemy of the state by the New Order regime, which banned the PKI and any mention of its history. His legacy and reputation have been subject to debate and revision in recent years, as Indonesia has undergone a process of democratization and reconciliation.