Proclamation of

Indonesian
Independence

The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (Indonesian: Proklamasi Kemerdekaan

Indonesia, or simply Proklamasi) was read at 10:00 am on Friday, 17 August 1945.[1] The
declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian
National Revolution, fighting against the forces of the Netherlands and pro-Dutch
civilians, until the latter officially acknowledged Indonesia's independence in 1949.[2] The
document was signed by Sukarno (who signed his name "Soekarno" using the Van
Ophuijsen orthography) and Mohammad Hatta, who were appointed president and vice-
president respectively the following day.[3][4]
 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence

Part of the Indonesian War of Independence

Sukarno, accompanied by Mohammad Hatta (right), proclaiming the independence of

Indonesia.

Native name Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia

English name Proclamation of Indonesian Independence

Date 17 August 1945

Venue Sukarno's house at Jalan Pegangsaan 56,

(Now Taman Proklamasi).

Location Jakarta, Japanese occupied Dutch East

Indies → Republic of Indonesia

Participants Signatories:
Sukarno
Mohammad Hatta
And members of the:
PPKI

This event marked the history of the Republic of Indonesia and celebrated as a ceremony.

The date of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence was made a public holiday by
a government decree issued on 18 June 1946.[5]

Background

The beginnings of the independence movement

…
In 1918, the Dutch authorities in the Dutch East Indies established a partly-elected
People's Council, the Volksraad, which for the first time gave Indonesian nationalists a
voice. Meanwhile, Indonesian students studying in the Netherlands formed the
Perhimpoenan Indonesia, or Indonesian Association. Among its leaders were future
Indonesian vice-president Mohammad Hatta and future prime minister Sutan Sjahrir. In
September 1927, Hatta and other members were arrested for inciting resistance to Dutch
authority in the East Indies, but thanks to a rousing defense speech by Hatta, they were
acquitted.[6][7] Back in the East Indies, in 1927, nationalist and future Indonesian president
Sukarno turned his study club into the Indonesian Nationalist Association, which in May
1928 became the Indonesian National Party (PNI). The party aimed to achieve Indonesian
independence through mass-based non-cooperation with the authorities. In October
1928, the representatives at a Youth Congress held in Batavia, the capital, adopted the
ideals of one motherland, Indonesia; one nation, the nation of Indonesia; and one
language, the Indonesian language. This expression of national unity was a reaction to
the older generation, which tended to identify with their region or ethnicity, and
subsequently became known as the Youth Pledge.[8][9][10]

The pre-war period

…
The PNI grew rapidly, causing concern for the authorities, who arrested Sukarno and
seven party leaders in December 1929. They were put on trial for being a threat to public
order and in September 1930 received sentences of one to four years - Sukarno
received the longest sentence. The PNI dissolved itself in 1931, and in the same year,
Sjahrir returned from the Netherlands and established a party called the New PNI which
rather than focussing on mass action and being dependent on one leader, aimed to
create a group of leaders who could ensure continuity if any were arrested. In 1931,
Sukarno was released and joined the small Indonesia Party (Partindo), while in August
1932, Hatta returned from the Netherlands and assumed the leadership of the rival New
PNI, which had a more Marxist and revolutionary platform than Partindo. Sukarno was
arrested again in August 1933 and exiled him first to Flores, then to Bencoolen, while
Hatta and Sjahrir were arrested and exiled to the Boven Digul detention camp in western
New Guinea.[11][12][13]

The detention of these nationalist figures effectively ended the non-cooperation

movement, and in December 1935 the moderate Indonesian National Union and Budi
Utomo merged to form the Great Indonesia Party (Parindra), which aimed to work with
the Dutch to achieve Indonesian independence. When in 1936, Volksraad member
Soetardjo submitted a petition asking for a conference to be held that would lead to
Indonesian self-government as part of a Dutch-Indonesian union over a decade,
Parindra was lukewarm, resenting the possibility of Soetardjo succeeding where the
other nationalist organizations had failed.[14] The petition was passed by a majority of the
Volksraad, but rejected by the Dutch in November 1938. In May 1937, Parindra, the
Indonesian People's Movement (Gerindo), was established by younger Marxists
including Amir Sjarifuddin, another future prime minister, to campaign for the formation
of an Indonesian parliament in cooperation with the Dutch, which was the same aim of
the Indonesian Political Federation (GAPI), formed two years later from a merger of
almost all the nationalist organizations. However, the outbreak of the Second World War
resulted in the occupation of the Netherlands, and the Dutch government in exile was in
no position to respond to GAPI's request for a Dutch-Indonesian union and an elected
legislature, although Dutch Queen Wilhelmina made a speech in London in May 1941
promising unspecified changes to the relationship with the East Indies after the war.[15][16]

On 23 January 1942, three years before the 1945 proclamation, an independence activist
Nani Wartabone declared "Indonesian independence" after he and his people won in a
revolt in Gorontalo against the Dutch who were afraid of Japanese invasion of Celebes.
He was later imprisoned by the Japanese after they had invaded the area.[17]

The Japanese occupation

…
Early years
…
With the outbreak of the war in the Far East, and the initial successes of Japan, in early
1942, the Dutch authorities gave Amir Sjarifuddin money to establish an underground
resistance movement and sent Hatta and Sjahrir back to Java. In January 1942, the
Japanese invaded the Dutch East indies, and rapidly overran the archipelago. The Dutch
surrendered on 8 March. The Japanese banned the use of the Dutch language as well as
the Indonesian flag and anthem, and the Japanese calendar was imposed.[18][19] The
archipelago was administered as three separate regions: Sumatra by the Twenty-Fifth
Army, Java and Madura by the Sixteenth Army and Kalimantan and the resource-rich
eastern islands by the Imperial Japanese Navy. As the area controlled by the Navy was
the source of essential supplies, including food, to the other areas, rear-admiral Tadashi
Maeda was appointed to the liaison office of the naval attaché in Batavia to expedite
deliveries and to ensure the maintenance of good relations with the Army. [20][21][22]

In April 1943, the Japanese established the Triple-A mass movement. Its name was
taken from the Japanese propaganda slogan portraying Japan as the leader, protector
and light of Asia. However it failed to gain support as no significant Indonesian
nationalists were involved, and the propaganda was too heavy-handed. The Japanese
then decided that it would be more effective to use pre-war nationalists to mobilize the
population in support of their war aims. In July, the 25th Army freed Sukarno from exile
in Sumatra, and he joined Hatta and Sjahrir in Jakarta, as Batavia had been renamed.
They agreed that Sjahrir would work underground, while Sukarno and Hatta would
cooperate with the Japanese, still with the ultimate goal of Indonesian
independence.[23][24] The two men urged the Japanese to establish a popular political
organization that they would lead, and this came about in March 1943 with the formation
of Putera, the Centre of People's Power. Although it was controlled by the Japanese, it
was led by Sukarno, Hatta, Hajar Dewantara and pre-war Islamic figure Mas Mansoer.
Like the Triple A, it achieved very little. [25]

Japanese support for Indonesian nationalism

…
As the tide turned against Japan and its territorial expansion halted, Japan started to talk
of greater Indonesian involvement in the governance of Java, where the 16th Army was
much more in favor of such participation than the 25th Army or the Navy in other parts of
the archipelago. A Central Advisory Council was established, again headed by Sukarno,
and more Indonesians were appointed as advisors to the Japanese. In October 1943, the
Japanese formed the Defenders of the Homeland (PETA) volunteer army intended to
help fight off an allied invasion of the East Indies, and also established the Council of
Indonesian Muslim Associations (Masjumi) as an umbrella group for Muslims. In 1944,
Putera was dissolved and replaced by the Java Service Association (Jawa Hokokai),
with Sukarno and Hatta given key positions in it, albeit answering to the military
governor. Although intended to mobilise the masses for Japanese interests, Sukarno in
particular took advantage of his role to tour the archipelago making speeches.[26]

On 7 September 1944, Japanese Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso promised independence

for the 'East Indies' "later on" (di kemudian hari). The authorities in Java then allowed the
flying of the Indonesian flag at Jawa Hokokai buildings. Rear-admiral Maeda provided
official funds for tours around the archipelago by Sukarno and Hatta, and in October
1944, established a Free Indonesia Dormitory to prepare youth leaders for an
independent Indonesia. With the war situation becoming increasingly dire, in March 1945
the Japanese announced the formation of an Investigating Committee for Preparatory
Work for Independence (BPUPK), comprising members of the older political generation,
including Sukarno and Hatta. Chaired by Rajiman Wediodiningrat, in two sessions in
May and June, it decided on the basis for an independent nation and produced a draft
constitution. Meanwhile, the younger activists, known as the pemuda, wanted much
more overt moves towards independence than the older generation were willing to risk,
resulting in a split between the generations.[27][28][29]

Japanese plan for independence

…
Following the call from the allies for Japan to surrender, the Japanese decided to grant
Indonesian independence to create problems for the Dutch when they reoccupied their
colony. At a meeting in Singapore at the end of July, it was decided that Java would
become independent at the end of September, followed by other areas. On 6 and 9
August, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On 7 August, the
Japanese announced the formation of a Preparatory Committee for Indonesian
Independence (PPKI) to accelerate preparations for establishing an Indonesian
government for the whole of the East Indies, not just Java. Two days later, Sukarno,
Hatta and Rajiman Wediodiningrat were flown by the Japanese to Dalat, near Saigon, to
meet with Field Marshall Hisaichi Terauchi, the Japanese commander of the Southern
Expeditionary Army Group, who promised independence for the territory of the former
Dutch East Indies and formally appointed Sukarno and Hatta as chairman and vice-
chairman of the PPKI.[30][31] On 15 August, Japan surrendered, and the Japanese
authorities in the East Indies were ordered to maintain the status quo pending the arrival
of allied forces. However there was no official confirmation from the Japanese of the
surrender. Again there was disagreement between the older generation, including
Sukarno and Hatta, who were uncertain how to proceed, and the pemuda, including
Sjahrir, who urged Sukarno to declare independence without the involvement of the PPKI
to avoid accusations from the Allies that independence was sponsored by Japan. In the
afternoon of 15 August, Sukarno, Hatta and BPUPK member and future foreign minister
Achmad Soebardjo called on Maeda to ask about the surrender rumours, and received
unofficial confirmation that they were true. Hatta then asked Soebardjo to arrange a
meeting of the PPKI for the following day and went home to draft a proclamation.[32][33]
Meanwhile, various pemuda groups had heard the surrender rumors and held a meeting.
Those present included D. N. Aidit, Chairul Saleh and Wikana. They decided to send a
deputation led by Wikana to meet Sukarno at his home and demand an immediate
proclamation of independence in person, rather than through the PPKI, which they saw
as having no credibility, and in which any case had no pemuda members. In an angry
exchange, Sukarno refused to do so as besides the need to discuss matters with the
PPKI, he did not want to provoke the Japanese. Hatta subsequently arrived and took the
same stance as Sukarno, and pointed out that there was still no official confirmation of
the Japanese surrender. He then invited the pemuda to go ahead with a proclamation
themselves. Wikana in turn demanded a declaration the following day, 16 August, and
the delegation left.[34]

Wikana felt humiliated by the challenge from Hatta as he knew that only Sukarno and
Hatta had the authority to make a credible declaration of independence. Spurred on by
this humiliation and the desire to demonstrate the commitment of the pemuda, a
decision was taken by a group including Chairul Saleh and Wikana to take action. In the
early hours of the morning of 16 August, they took Sukarno and Hatta to the town of
Rengasdengklok (today in Karawang Regency, West Java), ostensibly to protect them
from an uprising by Peta troops, but in fact to force them to declare independence.
However, the two men still refused to make such a proclamation without assurances
from the Japanese. Later that morning, Maeda learned that Sukarno and Hatta had
disappeared. An Army investigation led to Wikana, who was pressured to return the two
men to Jakarta. Following a guarantee of safety and cooperation from Maeda, as well
as the use of his house for discussions, Subardjo went to Rengasdengklok and brought
Sukarno and Hatta back to Jakarta. They obtained an assurance from the Japanese
military that there would be no interference in a declaration of independence as long as it
was not associated with the Japanese, as this would be a breach of the surrender terms.
Sukarno and Hatta then went to Maeda's house, now the Formulation of Proclamation
Text Museum, where members of the PPKI were waiting, having been told to go there by
Subardjo.[35]

The writing of the proclamation

The original Indonesian proclamation of Independence

Earlier that day, the pemuda led by Sjahrir had produced a declaration worded as
follows:[36]

The Indonesian people hereby declares its independence. All

existing governmental organs shall be seized by the people from the
foreigners who still control them.

Sukarno and Hatta rejected this wording, believing that it had the potential to spark
violence and would cause problems for the Japanese as it implied a transfer of
sovereignty in violation of the terms of the surrender. Sukarno drafted the final version,
which read as follows:[37]

We the people of Indonesia hereby declare the independence of

Indonesia. Matters concerning the transfer of power and other
matters will be executed in an orderly manner and in the shortest
possible time.

This final version contained the phrase "transfer of power", which was acceptable to the
Japanese as the Japanese language translation of the phrase implied transfer of
administrative control, rather than of sovereignty, which could have been seen as a
violation by the Japanese of the ceasefire commitment to preserve the status quo. It was
also acceptable to the Indonesians, who could interpret this transfer in a wider sense.
Meanwhile, the phrase "in an orderly manner" reassured the older nationalists as it
implied no action by the pemuda, and "in the shortest possible time" was taken by the
Indonesians to mean before the Allied forces arrived. Chairul Saleh and other pemuda
figures protested ineffectually about the changes, but the majority of the PPKI agreed
with the wording. After some debate as to who would sign the proclamation, it was
agreed that in order to disassociate the document from the Japanese-formed PPKI, only
Sukarno and Hatta would sign it. The meeting broke up at 5am.[38]

The ceremony

Sukarno praying before proclaiming the independence of Indonesia

Sukarno reading the proclamation. This recording was made in 1950 or 1951, not 1945.[39]
The monument commemorating the Indonesian proclamation of Independence

The original plan was for the proclamation to be read in public before a crowd at the
square in the center of Jakarta, now Merdeka Square. However, the Japanese
authorities, fearing disorder, deployed soldiers to the area, and as a result, the
proclamation was made at Sukarno's house at Jalan Pegangsaan 56.[40]

The ceremony was very simple. Firstly, the preamble to the draft constitution, which had
been written by the BPUPK, was read, then Sukarno, with Hatta by his side, read the
proclamation:[4][41]

PROKLAMAS I

Kami, bangsa Indonesia, dengan ini menjatakan kemerdekaan

Indonesia.

Hal-hal jang mengenai pemindahan kekoeasaan d.l.l.,

diselenggarakan dengan tjara saksama dan dalam tempo jang
sesingkat-singkatnja.

Djakarta, hari 17 boelan 8 tahoen 05

Atas nama bangsa Indonesia,

Soekarno/Hatta.

PETA officer Latief Hendraningat raised the red and white Flag of Indonesia and the
attendees sung the Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya.[42]

English translation
…
An English translation published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of October 1948
included the entire speech as read by Sukarno. It incorporated remarks made
immediately prior to and after the actual proclamation. George McTurnan Kahin, a
historian on Indonesia, believed that they were omitted from publication in Indonesia
either due to Japanese control of media outlets or fear of provoking a harsh Japanese
response.[43]

Proclamation

We the people of Indonesia do hereby declare the independence of

Indonesia. Matters concerning the transfer of power and other
matters will be executed in an orderly manner and in the shortest
possible time.

Djakarta, 17 August 05

In the name of the people of Indonesia

Soekarno/Hatta

The date of the declaration, "05" refers to "Japanese imperial year (皇紀, kōki) 2605".[44]

Aftermath

Indonesian youths spread news of the proclamation across Java almost immediately
using Japanese news and telegraph facilities, and in Bandung the news was broadcast
by radio. However many ordinary Indonesians either did not believe the reports or saw
them as a Japanese deception. In Sumatra, only the republican elite in major cities knew
about the proclamation by the middle of September.[45]

The day after the proclamation, the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian
Independence met and elected Sukarno as president and Hatta as vice-president. It also
ratified the Constitution of Indonesia.[46] The Dutch, as the former colonial power,
viewed the republicans as collaborators with the Japanese, and desired to restore their
colonial rule, as they still had political and economic interests in the former Dutch East
Indies. The result was a four-year war for Indonesian independence.[47][3] Indonesian
youths had played an important role in the proclamation, and they played a central role
in the Indonesian National Revolution.[48] One of the other changes that had also taken
place during the Japanese occupation included the population in Indonesia undertaking
military training. Conflict occurred not only with the Dutch, but also when the Japanese
tried to re-establish control in October 1945 in Bandung,[49] and furthermore when the
British tried to establish control.[50] After a long struggle for independence, the freedom
of Indonesia from the Dutch was gained in 1949 as a part of a period of decolonization in
Asia.[51]

Notes

1. Gouda 2002, p. 119.

2. Gouda 2002, p. 36.

3. Ricklefs 2008, p. 344.

4. Anderson 1972, p. 83.

5. Osman 1953, pp. 621–622.

6. Reid 1974, pp. 7.

7. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 307.

8. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 308–309.

9. Reid 1974, pp. 7–8.

10. Kahin 1952, p. 90.

11. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 306, 312–313.

12. Kahin 1952, pp. 90–94.

13. Reid 1974, p. 8.

14. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 316–317.

15. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 317–320.

16. Kahin 1952, pp. 95–99.

17. Prastiwi 2019.

18. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 322, 328–330.

19. Reid 1974, pp. 10–12.

20. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 324–325.

21. Anderson 1961, p. 3.

22. Reid 1974, p. 13.

23. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 330–332.

24. Kahin 1952, pp. 103–104.

25. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 333–333.

26. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 334–336.

27. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 334–339.

28. Reid 1974, p. 14.

29. Elson 2009, p. 108.

30. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 339–340.

31. Anderson 1972, pp. 62–63.

32. Ricklefs 2008, pp. 340–341.

33. Anderson 1972, pp. 66–69.

34. Anderson 1972, pp. 70–72.

35. Anderson 1972, pp. 73–80.

36. Anderson 1961, pp. 84.

37. Anderson 1972, pp. 82.

38. Anderson 1972, pp. 82–83.

39. Mela Arnani 2020.

40. Anderson 1961, p. 86.

41. Kahin 2000, p. 2.

42. Anderson 1972, p. 84.

43. Kahin 2000, p. 3.

44. Jakarta Post 2015.

45. Reid 1974, pp. 31, 37.

46. Kahin 1952, p. 138.

47. Homan 1990, p. 124.

48. Anderson 1972, p. 1.

49. Anderson 1972, p. 140.

50. Vickers 2013, p. 102.

51. Vickers 2013, p. 3.

References

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occupation, 1944-1945 (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924006545622&
view=1up&seq=3) . Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University.

Anderson, Benedict (1972). Java in a Time of Revolution: Occupation and Resistance,

1944–1946 (https://archive.org/details/javaintimeofrevo0000ande) . Ithaca, N.Y.:
Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-0687-0.

Elson, R. E. (2009). "Another Look at the Jakarta Charter Controversy of 1945" (http
s://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/54483/INDO_88_0_1255982649_1
05_130.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) (PDF). Indonesia. 88 (88): 105–130.

Feith, Herbert (2006) [1962]. The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia (h

ttps://archive.org/details/bub_gb_VAH0W9uxoqoC) . Singapore: Equinox
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Friend, Theodore (2014). The blue-eyed enemy: Japan against the West in Java and
Luzon, 1942-1945. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Gouda, Frances (2002). American visions of the Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia:

US foreign policy and Indonesian nationalism,1920-1949. Amsterdam: Amsterdam
University Press.

Poulgrain, Greg (20 August 2015). "Intriguing days ahead of independence" (https://w
ww.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/08/20/intriguing-days-ahead-independence.ht
ml) . The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 24 September 2020.

Homan, Gerlof D (1990). "The Netherlands, the United States and the Indonesian
Question,1948". Journal of Contemporary History. 25 (1): 124.
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 Kahin, George McT. (2000). "Sukarno's Proclamation of Indonesian Independence" (ht
tps://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/54189/1/INDO_69_0_1106943303_1_4.
pdf) (PDF). Indonesia. 69 (69): 1–3. doi:10.2307/3351273 (https://doi.org/10.2307%
2F3351273) . hdl:1813/54189 (https://hdl.handle.net/1813%2F54189) . ISSN 0019-
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Proklamasi Indonesia?" (https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2020/08/17/170500765/
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l) [When did Soekarno record the Reading of the Indonesian Proclamation Text?],
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Prastiwi, Devira (2019). "Nani Wartabone dan Proklamasi Kemerdekaan 23 Januari

1942" (https://www.liputan6.com/news/read/3877256/nani-wartanobe-dan-proklam
asi-kemerdekaan-23-januari-1942) . Liputan6.com. Retrieved 16 March 2021.

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dan Perdjuangan Negara Republik Indonesia (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Bulain-Bintag.

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Vickers, Adrian (2013). A history of modern Indonesia. New York: Cambridge

University Press. p. 84. ISBN 9781139447614.

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