Leadership Changes: A Story about PNI-R Part 1
The 1978 Election had just confirmed that the next five years would not be PNI-R as the majority leader and the leader of the nation. Furthermore, for the first time that PNI-R finally succeeded as the runner up. Before, either PNI or Parindra would hold the government since the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia. On this stage, PNI-R suffered on what would be Post-Power Syndrome, a symptom that completely shakes the party to its core.
However, to fully grasp the condition of PNI-R within, one must look again into history, right after Sukarno’s resignation. Immediately after Sukarno’s resignation, PNI held absolute control of the government. Wilopo was then President and Prime Minister. Yet, his party was not ready for any transition of change, since, besides Wilopo, no other politician was popular enough to secure another term when Wilopo would subsequently leave politics after the creation of 1964 Constitution. PNI then was consisted of scholars and intellectuals which was irrelevant during a war-time nation. The second was the scare that PKI would claim the throne of the government. Although post-Sukarno PKI was truly a gift for PNI, Aidit was still a formidable foe, and popularity would restore. Meanwhile, in PNI there was no idol to support for.
Wilopo immediately thought of finding a war-leader as successor, which was no-other than General A.H. Nasution. A war-hero in Independence Revolution, the general would become a two-decade Army Chief of Staff, along with General Gatot Subroto and General Ahmad Yani. Also fighting in Malaya, General Nasution was famous in Java, patronize as war-hero and saviour. In consideration, General A.H. Nasution was the only army personnel at that time that was interested in governance. As a result, with the 1964 Constitution was finally ratified, Nasution would become Candidate-President. Unsurprisingly, with dashing posture and high popularity, Nasution won.
The only disadvantage was PNI needs to ally itself with its more extreme right-wing sister party, Parindra, as Nasution’s colleagues were mostly there. Conveniently, the entrance of Nasution also meant a new leader for Parindra, which most officers reluctant to. For the next few years, everything was fine and dandy. Sadly, things changed because Nasution had a competitor.
Enter then, Lieutenant General Suharto. After his astounding campaign in Papua, Suharto came to his hometown as a popular character. His smiling grace nicknamed him “
The Smiling General”. Suharto is also famous for sophisticate manner and customs, foreseeable reminding that Suharto was Javanese, famous for its polite traditions. Suharto, too, also had ambitions that superimposed with Nasution’s, ruling the country. In 1969, Suharto’s rise was unavoidable that he too was endorsed by Jogjakarta’s crown prince, Bendara Raden Mas Herjuno Darpito. Other notable princedoms have also supported him, such as
Kadipaten Paku Alam and
Praja Mangkunegaraan, the two duchies that Indonesia neglected in Central Java. In the end, Suharto’s power was too strong for Nasution to counter that he eventually gave up and promise him as the successor of PNI-R. In addition to Nasution’s fall post-presidency, most of Nasution supporters switched sides to Suharto.
Despite Suharto’s charming character, some people despised him greatly. Suharto’s family was the main reason. During his rise as Premier, he would expand his business empire into his family, calling as
Cendana Family. He would be responsible for much of the corruption caused during Nasution’s presidency. With that in mind, he later expanded his influence in conglomerates, having them support him for the next election against Subandrio. In 1979, he would succeed Nasution as the fore-runner of PNI-R candidacy next election, well at least until the unthinkable happened.
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23rd April 1980
Suharto was the verge of total control of the government. All of his comrades may at least control the PNI-R leadership one way or another. Retired-General Ahmad Yani has become the incumbent leader after the Catholic leaders had been ousted. More friends, such as D.I Pandjaitan, Pierre Tendean and Soeprapto was also inside the leadership of the party. Suprapto has become the uniting voice for the Golkar Faction, ruling with Suharto as their symbol of victory.
Nonetheless, as pros also have cons, other generals condemned Suharto as ‘too corrupt’ and ‘too greed’. Some of the opposing generals, like Police-General Hoegeng Imam Santoso, Brigadier General Ali Sadikin and Major General Pranoto Reksosamodra. Suharto, in an easing manner, had silenced all of those guys into the small corner of Golkar Faction. Hoegeng and Ali were the most formidable ones, as they were quite well-known in cities around Indonesia.
Suharto is contemplating about Yani’s strategy on how to counter the rising PPP. Although Subandrio’s foreign policy was a whimper from his past, LKY was a strong, fierce and sturdy enemy to fight. Triumph for industrialization, diversity and even prosperity, LKY’s only flaw is his Chinese looks. Yani suggested that we would criticize the government’s weak suppression on Aceh, which during Nasution’s era was the most rebellious territory of the country. Suharto’s idea was quite simple, using discrimination as a tool. For centuries, the Dutch managed to implement
Devide et Impera to implement in Indonesia. One of them being natives against Chinese merchants. He would do it again, for the sake of hopelessness.
His distracted thought immediately focused when he and his bodyguard drove on the wrong street of Jakarta. Desired to enter the PNI-R’s office in Anggrek Deli Murni, Slipi. He instead went on the wrong turn and headed towards the Tamang Anggrek Street, the street just on the other side of Grogol Drain. His car is heading for a U-Turn when a nearing vehicle crash to his car at top speed, throwing the car to the Drain. As it was almost summer, the drain was almost empty, and the car wrecked and rolled to the lowest part of the river.
Suharto only realized that he had an accident when his car already fell to the drain. His mind is slowly fading, and for him, it seems that the world is turning brighter than before. He shortly sees the old house that he lives in his childhood, and his mind went blank.
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In 1980, Suharto died on a car accident just barely coming to PNI-R’s headquarters in Slipi. He struggled inside a rolled-over car at the bottom of the river only to succumb due to heavy bleeding. The Mustang car who crashed the general crashed towards the hard wall on the other side of the road, crushing the front side. The driver, a drunk teenager from the aristocrat complex just south of the road, the Kemanggisan Housing, died instantly after the crash. It happened at 8 in the night, and road-lamps were inadequate on the road.
A public funeral was immediately announced by Subandrio for commemorating the hero of Papua. All political difference seemed to fade away for some time during the funeral. After the crash, Subandrio declared that he would review this lack of lighting. It was reported that during Nasution’s presidency, much of the budget was diverted for constructing roads all around Indonesia. So focused on that topic only that the government mistakenly forgot to place enough lamp-posts on the roads, even in Jakarta.
The aftermath was devastating for the PNI-R, as the supposed unifying figure upcoming the election has fallen by miserable fate. Pro-Suharto’s followers appointed the deceased friend and colleague Brigadier General Umar Wirahadikusumah as the successor. However, Umar was not as strong and authoritative as Suharto, but still hold the destructive traits of corrupt and greedy. Umar was not beloved by most civilians, as his achievements were shadowed by others. After his ascendancy, a trio intends to finish of Suharto’s nepotism in the party. That trio was Ali, Hoegeng, and Pranoto.
A power struggle was happening in the PNI-R, and the one’s benefited from it was the PPP.
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In OTL, the Trio, Nasution and Dharsono were five Generals that was 'silenced' by Suharto during the New Order. As they questioned Suharto's slanted Demokrasi Pancasila, or Democracy under Pandasila, they all would either be isolated in politics and even from public news. Most of them went broke after they couldn't afford money from this containment.
The next chapter would be a side-topic about one thing I haven't grasped ITTL: Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions.