Sjahrir, Sutan

Sjahrir, Sutan

(born March 5, 1909, Padangpandjang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies—died April 9, 1966, Zürich, Switz.) Indonesian nationalist and prime minister. He received a Dutch education and returned to Indonesia, where he helped found a nationalist party in the 1930s. His party, which favoured adopting Western constitutional democracy, opposed that of Sukarno. He became prime minister after World War II, stripping power from then-president Sukarno, whose collaboration with the Japanese he feared would hurt the republic's image internationally. Sjahrir negotiated an agreement with the Dutch that established Indonesia's authority in Sumatra and Java. Twice forced to resign (1946, 1947), he then formed a socialist party (1948) that failed to win popular support. Sukarno banned it in 1960, and Sjahrir was arrested and imprisoned; He was allowed to travel to Switzerland shortly before his death.

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Sjahrir, Sutan 

Born Mar. 5, 1909, in Sumatra; died 1966, in Switzerland. Indonesian political figure, right-wing socialist leader.

The son of a feudal lord, Sjahrir received his education in Indonesia and the Netherlands. One of the leaders of the Socialist Party of Indonesia, he served several times as prime minister between 1945 and 1947. In 1948 he headed the group of right-wing socialists that split from the SPI to form the Indonesian Socialist Party (Partai Sosialis Indonesia). Sjahrir was known for his anti-Communist views. He supported the separatist rebellions in Indonesia in the late 1950’s. In 1962, Sjahrir was imprisoned, but he was soon freed and permitted to go to Europe.