Siti Hartinah

Raden Ayu Siti Hartinah
Ibu Tien with President Suharto
2nd First Lady of Indonesia
In office March 12, 1967 – April 28, 1996
Preceded by	Fatmawati
Succeeded by	Hasri Ainun
Personal details
Born	August 23, 1923 Jaten village, Surakarta, Central Java
Died	April 28, 1996(1996-04-28) (aged 72) Jakarta
Spouse(s)	Suharto
Children	Siti Hardiyanti Hastuti[1] Sigit Harjojudanto Bambang Trihatmodjo Siti Hediyati Hariyadi Hutomo Mandala Putra Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih
Religion	Islam

Raden Ayu Siti Hartinah (August 23, 1923 – April 28, 1996) was the wife of the second Indonesian president, Suharto. She is usually known as Ibu Tien to Indonesians, but is also known as Siti Hartinah Soeharto (the difference in spelling is due to Dutch Colonial era spelling).

Mrs Suharto was also widely acknowledged to be a close confidant and political advisor to Suharto.^[2]

Life and marriage

Siti Hartinah was distantly related to the Mangkunegaran Royal household.^[3] Some commentators state that her honorific title of Raden Ayu was reserved only for faithful commoner courtiers or servants (abdi dalem) of the Mangkunegaran court.

She was married to Suharto on the December 26, 1947 in Surakarta in a traditional Javanese ceremony. The Javanese custom was for the bride's family to pay the bulk of the wedding costs. Suharto apparently drove there in a battered De Soto sedan. Suharto stated that the marriage was initially not one of romantic love, but they did eventually grow to love each other devotedly, a type of marriage that was very common for many Javanese of that era.^[3] Three days after their marriage, Siti Hartinah was taken by Suharto to live in his Yogyakarta house at Jalan Merbabu 2.^[3]

Her marriage to Suharto was initiated by Suharto's foster mother at the time, Ibu (Mrs) Prawirowiharjo, who sought an audience with her mother. Ibu Prawirowiharjo cultivated a close relationship with her mother, a family in Suharto's own words as "well regarded and respected in the city of Solo"^[4]

Siti Hartinah became to be known in Indonesia as "Madame Tien". Many Javanese saw her as one of the major causes of Suharto's own power. Ong Hok Ham, a prominent Indonesian social historian, said in an interview “When Suharto rose to power, people believed that the wife had the wahyu, the flaming womb, and whoever united with her would get the wahyu. After her death, people began to sense the wahyu was gone.”^[5]

Siti Hartinah is interred in the Astana Giribangun Suharto mausoleum complex, in Karananyar Regency, Central Java beside her husband, former president Suharto.^[2]

Family

Suharto and Siti Hartinah had six children, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (Tutut), Sigit Harjojudanto (Sigit), Bambang Trihatmodjo (Bambang), Siti Hediati (Titiek), Hutomo Mandala Putra (Tommy) and Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih (Mamiek), and 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Notes

1. ^ Berger, Marilyn (January 28, 2008). "Suharto Dies at 86; Indonesian Dictator Brought Order and Bloodshed". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/world/asia/28suharto.html. Retrieved January 30, 2008. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Ibu Tien Buried Today
3. ^ ^{a b c} Elson, 23
4. ^ Elson, 22
5. ^ The Jakarta Post – RI economy may face inflation peril: UN survey

References

• Suharto: A Political Biography. Robert Edward Elson. Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-521-77326-1
• Siti Hartinah Soeharto : First Lady of Indonesia. Abdul Gafur. PT. Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada, 1992. ISBN- unknown
• Who's Who in Indonesia. Mahiddin Mahmud. Gunung Agung, 1990. ISBN- unknown

External links

• (Indonesian) Biography on TokohIndonesia.com
• 1996 news:Madame Ten was buried

Political offices
Preceded by Fatmawati	First Lady of Indonesia 12 Maret 1967-28 April 1996	Succeeded by Hasri Ainun

Persondata
Name	Hartinah, Siti
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 23, 1923
Place of birth	Jaten village, Surakarta, Central Java
Date of death	April 28, 1996
Place of death	Jakarta