National Identity, “Revolution”, and Development

It is one of the controversial events in the contemporary history of Indonesia. It took place on 17 October 1952 at the Merdeka Palace. Thousands of demonstrators, who had on their way almost ransacked the parliament building, were rallying in front of the Merdeka Palace. President Sukarno received five representatives of the demonstrators and asked them what they were after. He strongly advised them to disperse. In the meantime, the army's artillery troop was on a combat ready mode in front of the palace. Were the soldiers threatening the President — as Sukarno seemed to believe — or protecting him — as the former commander of the troop claimed? Soon after that, a group of high ranking army officers, led by the Chief-of-Staff of the Army, Colonel A.H. Nasution, and the Chief-of-Staff of the Armed Forces, Colonel T.B. Simatupang, accompanied by the Minister of Defence, Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, came to see the President. The officers supported the demands of the demonstrators. They requested President Sukarno to dissolve the Provisional Parliament and to take complete power in his hands temporarily. They were very much annoyed and offended by the alleged interference of the civilian politicians, particularly those from the PNI (Nationalist Party) faction in the parliament, in the army's internal affairs. They saw the interference as the stumbling block to the modernization process of the revolutionary army. In the heated debate that took place between President Sukarno, who was by that time already accompanied by Vice-President Hatta and several ministers, and the high ranking officers, their demands were rejected.

Respecting Sukarno, the President/the Supreme Commander, the officers allowed him to address the cheering crowd, who were actually mobilized by certain elements in the army to stage such a demonstration. Flanked by the high officers and high officials, President Sukarno addressed the crowd. It was a great extemporaneous speech. He refused to dissolve the parliament and told the crowd to disperse. Although the speech was unrecorded, Sukarno uttered an unforgettable sentence, “I don't want to be a dictator.” That was one of Sukarno's brightest moments as the prominent national leader.