Page 140 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

EFFORT TO REUNITE THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
(1950 – 1960)

emergence of regional upheaval due to the dis-
parity between the central and regional govern-
ments; and the issue of reclaiming West Irian,
which previous cabinets also had not been able The Council of
to resolve.
Struggle declared

The PRRI-Permesta rebellion, which occurred the establishment of
during the Juanda Cabinet, could not be sepa-
rated from several opposition groups from Ma- the Revolutionary
syumi and PSI that began to push for their posi- Government of the
tion in the central government. Some of these
parties’ political elites even chose to join the Republic of Indonesia
Council of Struggle formed by the military com- (PRRI) on February
mander in the troubled areas. Together with the
dissident commanders, these political elites de- 15, 1958 in Bukittinggi.
manded broad regional autonomy in the eco- PRRI was supported
nomic sector.
by Permesta in North
On this basis, they then put forward the “Charter Sulawesi, making this
of the Struggle to Save the Country”, the content
of which was to propose that Mohammad Hatta rebellion be better
and Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX become known as PRRI-
cabinet formateurs to replace the Juanda Cabi- Permesta.
net, who was deemed unable to overcome politi-
cal tensions.

If their proposal was not accepted, the Struggle
Council threatened to take their policies and
consider themselves “free from the obligation to
obey Sukarno as Head of State”. The proposal was
submitted to President Soekarno, Prime Minister Juanda, Mohammad
Hatta, Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, and the chair of parliament. But
Juanda rejected the proposal.

This refusal then provoked a reaction from the rebels, who established
a rival government. The Council of Struggle declared the establishment
of the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PRRI)
on February 15, 1958 in Bukittinggi. PRRI was supported by Permesta
in North Sulawesi, making this rebellion be better known as PRRI-Per-
mesta.

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