VIVAnews – Sutan Syahrir was born in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra, on 5 March 1909. Eighteen years later, he got involved in the country’s politics after he co-founded Jong Indonesie, a student organization, on 27 February 1927. Later, the organization changed name into Pemuda Indonesia and participated in the first youth conference in 1928.
Upon graduating from high school, Syahrir went to the Netherlands and majored in Law at the University of Amsterdam. It was during this time that the later first prime minister of Indonesia became acquainted with socialism.
He went back to Indonesia in 1931. He along with Mohammad Hatta were exiled to Papua due to their radical political activity in February 1934.
In 1942, soon after the Dutch surrendered to the Japanese, Syahrir was released from prison and led an underground independent movement. He took a non-cooperative course and refused to submit to the new invader.
Syahrir was the one behind the proclamation of independence since he was the one who urged Soekarno and Hatta to proclaim the nation's independence after the Allies victory. Three months after Indonesia's independence, he was appointed prime minister of Indonesia by President Soekarno.
In mid 1947, Syahrir was discharged from his prime minister’s post and served as a special adviser to the president and Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations. A year later, he founded the Indonesian Socialist Party (PSI). The party, however, was unpopular among the people and failed to win any seats in the 1955 elections.
In 1960, Soekarno banned PSI and other opposition parties. Two years later, the government arrested several opposition leaders in the country including Syahrir.
In 1965, after suffering a stroke, Syahrir was released from prison and went to Zurich to get medication. He passed away in Switzerland on 9 April 1966.
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