Indonesia: Sukarno (1901 – 1970), the first president of Indonesia

Sukarno was born on 6 June 1901 in Blitar, eastern Java, to a Javanese schoolteacher and a Balinese mother. His name was Kusno Sosrodihardjo, but he was renamed, as per Javanese custom, after surviving a childhood illness. His name is frequently spelled Soekarno after the Dutch spelling.

Graduating with a degree in engineering in 1926, Sukarno became an accomplished architect in Bandung, western Java. His peers considered him modern and highly intelligent—reputedly endowed with a photographic memory—and he was fluent in nine languages. On 4 July, 1927, Sukarno and some friends founded the Partai Nasional Indonesia (PNI) with a view to fighting for Indonesian independence. Sentenced as a political prisoner in 1930, Sukarno's cause was widely reported in the Dutch East Indies and abroad, and, as a result, he was freed in 1931.

Forever a thorn in the Dutch side, Sukarno continued to agitate. In 1942, the invading Japanese drove the Europeans from the islands, and turned to Sukarno and other former nationalists. Two days after the Japanese surrender to the Allies, on August 17, 1945, Sukarno declared Indonesian independence. Although the Dutch returned to reclaim their colony and Sukarno was arrested, Indonesian independence was ultimately recognised.

Sukarno established a parliamentary democracy, but maintained strong personal control. He courted relations with the West, the Soviets and China. He was appointed President for Life in 1963, and his latter years were marked by a rule of personality cult. Sukarno was ousted from office by Gen Suharto in 1967 and held under house arrest until his death on 21 June 1970.

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