List of Prime Ministers of Indonesia
Encyclopedia
Indonesia
had the position of Prime Minister from 1945 until 1966. During this period, the Prime Minister was in charge of the Cabinet of Indonesia
, one of the three branches of government along with the Central Indonesian National Committee
and the President
. Following his 1959 decree
, President Sukarno
assumed the role and powers of Prime Minister until his resignation in 1966.
states that Indonesia is built around a presidential system
; as such, there were no constitutional provisions for a Prime Minister. Nevertheless, beginning in 1945 a Prime Minister was chosen to head the Cabinet. The position of Prime Minister was subsequently guaranteed by Article 52 of the Provisional Constitution of 1950
.
The Prime Minister, chosen by the President, was tasked with handling routine government business and being in charge of the Cabinet, responsible to the President and Vice President
.
In practice, the Prime Minister was responsible to the Working Body of the Central Indonesian National Committee and had to consult the President before making any major decisions. If the Prime Minister came into conflict with the KNIP or President, another could be chosen.
Due to the instability of the coalition Cabinets, Prime Ministers often faced votes of no confidence. Every major policy change had a chance to be opposed, either by the government or opposition
. As such, some Cabinets lasted only a few months.
On 5 July 1959, Sukarno
issued a Presidential Decree
declaring that, due to the inability of the KNIP to reach a two-thirds majority, the 1945 Constitution would be reinstated; this removed the constitutional foundation for the office of Prime Minister. However, on 9 July of that same year, Sukarno took on the title of Prime Minister in addition to the Presidency; later using the phrase "I am President and Prime Minister" as a dominant message in his speeches. After the abortive coup against the government
in 1965 and the release of a document
transferring all political power to Suharto, Sukarno lost the title of Prime Minister together with the Presidency.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
had the position of Prime Minister from 1945 until 1966. During this period, the Prime Minister was in charge of the Cabinet of Indonesia
Cabinet of Indonesia
The cabinet of Indonesia is the council of ministers appointed by the president. Indonesia has seen dozens of cabinets since independence in 1945, although during the New Order most cabinets retained unchanged for five years at a time...
, one of the three branches of government along with the Central Indonesian National Committee
Central Indonesian National Committee
The Central Indonesian National Committee or KNIP, was a body appointed to assist the president of the newly independent Indonesia. Originally purely advisory, it later gained assumed legislative functions...
and the President
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia is the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia.The first president was Sukarno and the current president is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.- Sukarno era :...
. Following his 1959 decree
President Sukarno's 1959 Decree
The Presidential Decree of 5 July 1959 was issued by President Sukarno in the face of the inability of the Constitutional Assembly of Indonesia to achieve the two-thirds majority to reimpose the 1945 Constitution...
, President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
assumed the role and powers of Prime Minister until his resignation in 1966.
Background
The 1945 Constitution of IndonesiaConstitution of Indonesia
The Constitution of Indonesia is the basis for the government of the Indonesia.The constitution was written in June, July and August 1945, when Indonesia was emerging from Japanese control at the end of World War II...
states that Indonesia is built around a presidential system
Presidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
; as such, there were no constitutional provisions for a Prime Minister. Nevertheless, beginning in 1945 a Prime Minister was chosen to head the Cabinet. The position of Prime Minister was subsequently guaranteed by Article 52 of the Provisional Constitution of 1950
Provisional Constitution of 1950
The 1950 Provisional Constitution replaced the Federal Constitution of 1949 when Indonesia unilaterally withdrew from the union with the Netherlands agreed at the Round Table Conference and returned to being a unitary state. It came into force on August 17, 1950...
.
The Prime Minister, chosen by the President, was tasked with handling routine government business and being in charge of the Cabinet, responsible to the President and Vice President
Vice President of Indonesia
The Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia is the first in the line of succession in the Republic of Indonesia.-History of the office:The Indonesian Vice Presidency was established during the formulation of the 1945 constitution by the Researching Body for the Preparation of the Indonesian...
.
In practice, the Prime Minister was responsible to the Working Body of the Central Indonesian National Committee and had to consult the President before making any major decisions. If the Prime Minister came into conflict with the KNIP or President, another could be chosen.
Due to the instability of the coalition Cabinets, Prime Ministers often faced votes of no confidence. Every major policy change had a chance to be opposed, either by the government or opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
. As such, some Cabinets lasted only a few months.
On 5 July 1959, Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
issued a Presidential Decree
President Sukarno's 1959 Decree
The Presidential Decree of 5 July 1959 was issued by President Sukarno in the face of the inability of the Constitutional Assembly of Indonesia to achieve the two-thirds majority to reimpose the 1945 Constitution...
declaring that, due to the inability of the KNIP to reach a two-thirds majority, the 1945 Constitution would be reinstated; this removed the constitutional foundation for the office of Prime Minister. However, on 9 July of that same year, Sukarno took on the title of Prime Minister in addition to the Presidency; later using the phrase "I am President and Prime Minister" as a dominant message in his speeches. After the abortive coup against the government
30 September Movement
The Thirtieth of September Movement ) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian National Armed Forces members who, in the early hours of 1 October 1965, assassinated six Indonesian Army generals in an abortive coup d'état. Later that morning, the organization declared that it was in control...
in 1965 and the release of a document
Supersemar
The Supersemar, the Indonesian abbreviation for Surat Perintah Sebelas Maret was a document signed by the Indonesian President Sukarno on March 11, 1966, giving the Army commander Lt. Gen. Suharto authority to take whatever measures he "deemed necessary" to restore order to the chaotic situation...
transferring all political power to Suharto, Sukarno lost the title of Prime Minister together with the Presidency.
List
Adapted from two sources.| # | Name | Portrait | Term of Office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sutan Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir , an avant garde and idealistic Indonesian intellectual, was a revolutionary independence leader... |
14 November 1945 – 20 June 1947 | Socialist Party | |
| 2 | Amir Sjarifoeddin |  |
3 July 1947 – 29 January 1948 | Socialist Party |
| 3 | Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta was born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Dutch East Indies . He was Indonesia's first vice president, later also serving as the country's Prime Minister. Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, fought for the independence of... |
 |
29 January 1948–16 January 1950 (Dutch prisoner from 19 December 1948 – 13 July 1949) |
non-partisan |
| 4 | Abdul Halim Abdul Halim (Indonesia) -Family and education:Abdul Halim was born On December 27, 1911, in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, to Achmad St. Mangkuto and Hj. Darama. At the age of 7, Abdullah, his mother's cousin, who at that time was one of the leaders of Bataafsche Petroleum Maatscappij took him to Jakarta in order to obtain a... |
16 January 1950 – 5 September 1950 | non-partisan | |
| 5 | Muhammad Natsir Muhammad Natsir Mohammad Natsir was a Islamic scholar and politician. He was Indonesia's fifth prime minister.After moving to Bandung from his hometown Solok, West Sumatra for senior high school, Natsir studied Islamic doctrine extensively. His first articles were published in 1929, and during the 1930s he wrote... |
5 September 1950 – 26 April 1951 | Masyumi Party Masyumi Party Masyumi Party was a major Islamic political party in Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia. It was banned in 1960 by President Sukarno for supporting the PRRI rebellion.-History:... |
|
| 6 | Sukiman Wirjosandjojo | 26 April 1951 – 1 April 1952 | Masyumi Party Masyumi Party Masyumi Party was a major Islamic political party in Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia. It was banned in 1960 by President Sukarno for supporting the PRRI rebellion.-History:... |
|
| 7 | Wilopo Wilopo Wilopo was an Indonesian politician and member of the Indonesian National Party. He served as prime minister of Indonesia from April 1952 to June 1953.-References:... |
1 April 1952 – 30 July 1953 | Indonesian National Party Indonesian National Party The Indonesian National Party is the same used by several political parties in Indonesia from 1927 until the present day.-Pre-independence:... |
|
| 8 | Ali Sastroamidjojo Ali Sastroamidjojo Ali Sastroamidjojo, was the 8th and 10th Prime Minister of Indonesia. He was born in Grabag, Central Java on May 21, 1903 and died in Jakarta, March 13, 1976.-References:... |
 |
30 July 1953 – 11 August 1955 (1st time) | Indonesian National Party Indonesian National Party The Indonesian National Party is the same used by several political parties in Indonesia from 1927 until the present day.-Pre-independence:... |
| 9 | Burhanuddin Harahap Burhanuddin Harahap Burhanuddin Harahap was the ninth Prime Minister of Indonesia. A member of the Masyumi Party, he held the office from 11 August 1955 to 20 March 1956.-See also:*List of Prime Ministers of Indonesia... |
11 August 1955 – 20 March 1956 | Masyumi Party Masyumi Party Masyumi Party was a major Islamic political party in Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia. It was banned in 1960 by President Sukarno for supporting the PRRI rebellion.-History:... |
|
| (8) | Ali Sastroamidjojo Ali Sastroamidjojo Ali Sastroamidjojo, was the 8th and 10th Prime Minister of Indonesia. He was born in Grabag, Central Java on May 21, 1903 and died in Jakarta, March 13, 1976.-References:... |
|
20 March 1956 – 9 April 1957 (2nd time) | Indonesian National Party Indonesian National Party The Indonesian National Party is the same used by several political parties in Indonesia from 1927 until the present day.-Pre-independence:... |
| 10 | Raden Djuanda Kartawidjaja |  |
9 April 1957 – 9 July 1959 | non-partisan |
| 11 | Sukarno Sukarno Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967... |
9 July 1959 – 11 March 1966 (by declaration; also as President) | non-partisan |
See also
- List of Presidents of Indonesia
- List of Vice Presidents of Indonesia
- Elections in IndonesiaElections in IndonesiaElections in Indonesia have taken place since 1955. At a national level, Indonesian people elect a head of state – the president – and a legislature...
- Politics of IndonesiaPolitics of IndonesiaPolitics of Indonesia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Indonesia is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both...