Ahmad Yani

General Ahmad Yani (19 June 1922 - 1 October 1965) was the commander of the Indonesian Army, and was killed by members of the 30 September Movement during an attempt to kidnap him from his house.

Early life

Ahmad Yani was born in Jenar, Purworejo, Central Java on 19th June 1922 to the Wongsoredjo family, a family that worked at a sugar factory ran by a Dutch owner [cite book |last= Yani |first= Amelia |title= Achmad Yani: Tumbal Revolusi |origyear= 2007 |Galang Press |location= Jakarta |language= Indonesian |id=ISBN 978-979-23-9992-9 |pages= p.42] . In 1927, Yani moved with his family to Batavia where his father now worked for a Dutch General. At Batavia, Yani worked his way through primary and secondary education. In 1940, Yani left high school to undergo compulsory military service in the army of the Dutch East Indies colonial government. He studied military topography in Malang, East Java, but this education was interrupted by the arrival of the invading Japanese in 1942. At the same time, Yani and his family moved back to Central Java.

In 1943, he joined the Japanese sponsored Peta (Defenders of the Motherland) army, and underwent further training in Magelang. After completing this training, Yani enlisted himself to be trained as a Peta platoon commander and was transferred to Bogor, West Java to receive his training. Upon completion, he was sent back to Magelang as an instructor.

Career with the Indonesian Military

After Independence Yani joined the army of the fledgling republic and fought against the Dutch. During the first months after the Declaration of Independence, Yani formed a battalion with himself as Commander and led it to victory against the British at Magelang [cite book |last= Yani |first= Amelia |title= Achmad Yani: Tumbal Revolusi |origyear= 2007 |Galang Press |location= Jakarta |language= Indonesian |id=ISBN 978-979-23-9992-9 |pages= p.62] . Yani then followed this up by successfully defending Magelang against the Dutch when it tried to take over the city, earning him the nickname of the "Savior of Magelang". Another notable highlight of Yani's career during this time period was the series of guerilla offensives he launched in early 1949 to distract the Dutch whilst Lieutenant Colonel Suharto prepared for the 1st March General Offensive which was to be directed at Yogyakarta.

After Indonesia's Independence was recognized by the Dutch, Yani was transferred to Tegal. In 1952, he was called back into action to fight the Darul Islam; a group of rebels seeking to establish a theocracy in Indonesia. To take care of this rebel group, Yani formed a special forces group called the "Banteng Raiders". The decision to call in Yani paid dividends and over the next 3 years, Darul Islam forces in Central Java suffered one defeat after another [cite book |last= Yani |first= Amelia |title= Achmad Yani: Tumbal Revolusi |origyear= 2007 |Galang Press |location= Jakarta |language= Indonesian |id=ISBN 978-979-23-9992-9 |pages= p.68] .

In December 1955, Yani left for the United States to study at the Command and General staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Texas. Returning in 1956, Yani was transferred to the Army Headquarters in Jakarta where he became a staff member for General Abdul Haris Nasution. At the Army Headquarters, Yani served as Logistics Assistant to the Army Chief of Staff before becoming Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Organization and Personnel.

In August 1958, he commanded "Operation August 17" against the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia rebels in West Sumatra. His troops managed to recapture Padang and Bukittinggi, and this success led to his being promoted to 2nd deputy Army chief of staff on 1 September 1962, and then Army chief of staff on 13 November 1963 (automatically becoming a member of the cabinet), replacing General Nasution.

Final Years

As President Sukarno moved closer to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in the early 60s, Yani, who was strongly anti-communist, became very wary of the PKI, especially after the party declared its support for the establishment of a "fifth force" (in addition to the four armed services and the police) and Sukarno tried to impose his "Nasakom" (Nationalism-Religion-Communism) doctrine on the military. Both Yani and Nasution procrastinated when ordered by Sukarno on 31 May 1965 to prepare plans to arm the people.

In the early hours of 1 October 1965, the 30 September Movement attempted to kidnap seven members of the Army general staff. When the kidnappers came to Yani's home and told him that he was to be brought before the president, he asked for time to bathe and change his clothes. When this was refused he became angry, slapped one of the kidnapper soldiers, and tried to shut the front door of his house. One of the kidnappers then opened fire, killing the general. His body was taken to Lubang Buaya on the outskirts of Jakarta and, together with those of the other murdered generals, was hidden in a disused well.

Yani's body, and those of the other victims, was recovered on 4 October, and all were given a state funeral the next day, before being buried at the Hero's Cemetery at Kalibata. On the same day, Yani and his colleagues were officially declared "Heroes of the Revolution" by the Presidential Decision No. 111/KOTI/1965.

Today, many Indonesian cities have roads named after Yani, and his former house, at Jalan Latuhahary No. 6, Menteng, Jakarta is a museum.

Notes

References

* Bachtiar, Harsja W. (1988), "Siapa Dia?: Perwira Tinggi Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (Who is S/He?: Senior Officers of the Indonesian Army)", Penerbit Djambatan, Jakarta, ISBN 979-428-100-X
* Mutiara Sumber Widya (publisher) (1999) "Album Pahlawan Bangsa (Albam of National Heroes)", Jakarta
* Riklefs (1982), "A History of Modern Indonesia", Macmillan Southeast Asian reprint, ISBN 0-333-24380-3
* Sekretariat Negara Republik Indonesia (1975) "30 Tahun Indonesia Merdeka: Jilid 3 (1965-1973) (30 Years of Indonesian Independence: Volume 3 (1965-1973)"
* Secretariat Negara Republik Indonesia (1994) "Gerakan 30 September Pemberontakan Partai Komunis Indonesia: Latar Belakang, Aksi dan Penumpasannya (The 30 September Movement/Communist Party of Indoneisa: Bankgrounds, Actions and its Annihilation)" ISBN 979-08300-025
* Simanjuntak, P.H.H (2003) "Kabinet-Kabinet Republik Indonesia: Dari Awal Kemerdekaan Sampai Reformasi (Cabinets of the Republic of Indonesia: From the Start of Independence to the Reform Era", Penerbit Djambatan, Jakarta, ISBN 979-428-499-8
* Sudarmanto, Y.B. (1996) "Jejak-Jejak Pahlawan dari Sultan Agung hingga Syekh Yusuf (The Footsteps of Heroes from Sultan Agung to Syekh Yusuf"), Penerbit Grasindo, Jakarta ISBN 979-553-111-5