Page 86 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

FROM VOLKSRAAD TO THE CENTRAL INDONESIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
(1917–1949)

dent. The regional heads usually descended from kings of the concerned The observers paid attention
th
area prior to RI’s founding and still held control over the area. With the DI on the fifth (5 ) KNIP’s Plenary
Session, 1947.
formation, a king or sultan could continue to govern the area, although he (Source: ANRI-IPPHOS, No. 446
still must answer to the president and listen to the DPRD. This arrange- February-March 1947)
ment reflected the Indonesian government’s respect for the rights of tra-
ditional regional heads and BP KNIP’s acknowledgment of their struggle
in the Indonesian revolution.

The Dutch Military Aggression II, which began on December 19, 1948,
crippled the Indonesian government in Yogyakarta. The Dutch detained
Indonesian officials in Yogyakarta, including President Soekarno, Vice
President and PM Hatta, and the Chairman of BP KNIP Mr. Assaat. To
continue the government, RI sent a telegram to Indonesian officials in
Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra, to run an Emergency Government of the Re-
public of Indonesia (PDRI) under the leadership of Indonesian Minister of
Prosperity Syafruddin Prawiranegara.

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