Hurustiati Subandrio

Hurustiati Subandrio was a prominent Indonesian physician, politician, anthropologist and social activist who held a number of high-profile roles during the Sukarno era, including being head of Public Health education for the Ministry of Health, president of the Indonesian Women's Congress, and vice-chair of the World Health Organization. She was the wife of Subandrio, a close ally of Sukarno who was Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs (1956–1966) and later a political prisoner (1966–1995)¹². Hurustiati was born in around 1918 in Lawang, East Java, Dutch East Indies, not far from the city of Malang¹. She was of an elite Javanese background; she was the daughter of the Regent of Pasururan. She studied in a Dutch-language Hogere Burgerschool in Malang, and later described herself as withdrawn and interested in poetry during that time². She graduated in 1936. She started a medical degree in Jakarta (then called Batavia) in 1938, finishing in 1944. In the medical program in 1938 she met Subandrio, also a Javanese of aristocratic background from East Java, and they were married in 1939 or possibly 1940 ³². He also studied medicine and was an Indonesian nationalist, and had spent time in prison for his anti-Dutch activities; Hurustiati herself was also said to have been a major influence on his political beliefs³⁵ . During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, they operated a nursing clinic together in Semarang until 1946¹⁵. It was during that period that they had their only child, a son named Budojo. After the end of the war, during the Indonesian National Revolution, both she and her husband supported the independence movement and were active in clandestine organizations² . Her husband was very influenced by Sutan Sjahrir, became a member of his Socialist Party of Indonesia and was appointed by him to the fledgling republic's Ministry of Information³. Despite their nationalistic beliefs, Hurustiati and Subandrio spoke Dutch to one another and continued to do so even after Indonesian independence². In 1947, her husband was sent to London as a representative of the Indonesian Republican government and she moved there with him, enrolling in postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics in anthropology¹⁶ . She completed a thesis entitled Javanese peasant life: villages in East Java. While living in London she also wrote and published a book (in Indonesian) about the life of Kartini. In 1954, Subandrio became the Indonesian ambassador to the Soviet Union, and Hurustiati lived there with him¹. They were well-regarded by the Soviet leadership and became personal friends of Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev was famously impressed by Hurustiati's ability to sing Russian songs during social events at the embassy. In 1956, Subandrio was appointed as the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs by Sukarno, and Hurustiati returned to Jakarta with him¹. She became involved in various political and social activities, such as being the head of Public Health education for the Ministry of Health, the president of the Indonesian Women's Congress, and the vice-chair of the World Health Organization¹². She was also a member of the Indonesian National Party and the Indonesian Women's Movement². She advocated for women's suffrage, equal rights, and social welfare². She was known for her intelligence, charisma, and elegance². Hurustiati and Subandrio were loyal supporters of Sukarno and his Guided Democracy, which was increasingly authoritarian and anti-Western¹. They were also close to the Indonesian Communist Party, which was the largest communist party outside the Soviet bloc¹. In 1965, a failed coup attempt by a group of military officers, known as the 30 September Movement, led to a violent anti-communist purge that killed hundreds of thousands of people and toppled Sukarno's regime¹. Subandrio was accused of being involved in the coup and was arrested by the new military government led by Suharto¹. He was sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment¹. Hurustiati was also arrested and detained for several years without trial¹. She was released in 1970, but was under house arrest and surveillance¹. She died in 1974 from kidney failure¹. Subandrio was released in 1995 and died in 2004¹. Hurustiati Subandrio was honored as a national hero of Indonesia in 2003 by President Megawati Sukarnoputri¹. She was recognized for her contributions to the Indonesian independence movement, the development of public health, and the advancement of women's rights¹.