Sjafruddin Prawiranegara

Sjafruddin Prawiranegara
Sjafruddin in 1947
Prime Minister of the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia
In office
15 February 1958 – 25 August 1961
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Chairman of the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia
In office
22 December 1948 – 13 July 1949[i]
Preceded by
Succeeded by
  • Sukarno (as President)
  • Mohammad Hatta (as Prime Minister)
3rd Deputy Prime Minister of Indonesia
In office
4 August 1949 – 14 December 1949
PresidentSukarno
Prime MinisterMohammad Hatta
Preceded by
Succeeded byAbdul Hakim Harahap
1st Governor of Bank Indonesia
In office
1 July 1953 – 1 February 1958
PresidentSukarno
Preceded byHimself (as President of De Javasche Bank)
Succeeded byLukman Hakim
17th President of De Javasche Bank
In office
15 July 1951 – 1 July 1953
PresidentSukarno
Preceded byAndre Houwink
Succeeded byHimself (as Governor of Bank Indonesia)
4th Minister of Welfare
In office
29 January 1948 – 19 December 1948
PresidentSukarno
Prime MinisterMohammad Hatta
Preceded byAdnan Kapau Gani
Succeeded byIgnatius Joseph Kasimo Hendrowahyono
5th Minister of Finance
In office
20 December 1949 – 27 April 1951[a]
PresidentSukarno
Prime Minister
Preceded byLukman Hakim
Succeeded byJusuf Wibisono
In office
2 October 1946 – 26 June 1947
PresidentSukarno
Prime MinisterSutan Sjahrir
Preceded bySurachman Tjokroadisurjo
Succeeded byAlexander Andries Maramis
1st Vice Minister of Finance
In office
12 March 1946 – 2 October 1946
PresidentSukarno
Prime MinisterSutan Sjahrir
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byLukman Hakim
Personal details
Born(1911-02-28)28 February 1911
Serang, Dutch East Indies
Died15 February 1989(1989-02-15) (aged 77)
Jakarta, Indonesia
Resting placeTanah Kusir Cemetery [id]
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations
Masyumi (1946–1960)
SpouseHalimah Syehabuddin
Alma materRechts Hogeschool (Mr.)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • economist
Signature
  1. ^ also as Minister of Defense and Information.[1]

Sjafruddin Prawiranegara (EYD: Syafruddin Prawiranegara; 28 February 1911 – 15 February 1989) was an Indonesian statesman and economist. He served in various roles during his career, including as head of government in the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (acting president of Indonesia), as Minister of Finance in several cabinets, and as the first Governor of Bank Indonesia. Sjafruddin later became the prime minister of the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia, a shadow government set up in opposition to the country's central government.

Originating from Banten with Minangkabau ancestry, Sjafruddin became active in politics after his education in law. By 1940, he was working at a tax office, and joined the nationalist movements during the Japanese occupation period (1942–1945). Due to his closeness to the revolutionary leader Sutan Sjahrir, he was appointed finance minister in the Republican government during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949). In this capacity, he lobbied for and distributed the Oeang Republik Indonesia, a predecessor currency to the Indonesian rupiah. Despite his socialist views, he joined the Islamic Masyumi party. In December 1948, a Dutch offensive captured the Indonesian revolutionary leaders including President Sukarno, resulting in Sjafruddin activating contingency plans and forming the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia on 22 December. For seven months in West Sumatra, he became the head of government of Indonesia, allowing the government to continue functioning and ensuring continued resistance.

Following the Roem–Van Roijen Agreement – which he had opposed – Sjafruddin returned his governing mandate to Sukarno in July 1949. With Indonesia now independent, he was first appointed deputy prime minister, then reappointed as finance minister until 1951. One of the party's leaders and its most prominent economic policymaker, he maintained a conservative approach to government budgets and established a foreign exchange certificate system. In order to reduce the money supply and curb inflation, he formulated the "Sjafruddin Cut" policy which involves physically cutting Dutch-issued banknotes in half. He then became the first governor of Bank Indonesia, where his general accommodative approach to foreign capital and opposition to nationalization caused tensions with the Sukarno government and economists such as Sumitro Djojohadikusumo.

A pragmatic policymaker, he espoused religious socialism and based his views on a liberal Islamic interpretation and was a staunch opponent of communism. His opposition to Sukarno's Guided Democracy along with Dutch–Indonesian tensions caused a significant split between Sjafruddin and the Sukarno government. Escaping to Sumatra, he made contacts with dissident army officers and began openly criticizing the government. While initially reluctant to spark a civil war, in February 1958 he became leader of the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia in West Sumatra. The rebellion was soon defeated, and after three years of guerrilla warfare Sjafruddin surrendered to the government in 1961. Imprisoned until 1966, once released he became a vocal critic of the New Order government for its corruption and imposition of the principle of Pancasila to religious and social organizations until his death in 1989. Despite opposition from the armed forces, he was declared a National Hero of Indonesia in 2011.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference penerangan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Ministry of Finance 1991, p. 43.


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