| 17 October affair | |
|---|---|
| Part of the liberal democracy period in Indonesia | |
 Situation at the Merdeka Palace during the affair | |
| Date | 17 October 1952 |
| Location | Jakarta, Indonesia |
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The 17 October affair (Indonesian: Peristiwa 17 Oktober, lit. '17 October event') was an event during which Indonesian soldiers pressured the president to disband the Provisional People's Representative Council, at the behest of the administration's chief of staff, along with the commander of the armed forces. The demand was made of President Sukarno while the Merdeka Palace was surrounded.
Due to tensions regarding potential army reorganization to conserve budgets, the Indonesian Army's high command disputed with the parliament regarding excessive civilian meddling in military affairs. After the dismissal of a pro-government officer in July 1952, the parliament began demanding a significant restructuring of armed forces leadership. After three months, tensions culminated in thousands of demonstrators mobilized by the army in Jakarta. Sukarno managed to temper the demonstrators and assure the army officers but refused to concede to any demands. Soon after the incident, a significant proportion of the army's high command was replaced, including Nasution and Simatupang.