Muhammad Djosan

Sutan
Muhammad Djosan
gelar Sutan Bidjo Radjo
Governor of Maluku
In office
9 February 1955 – 1960
Acting until 6 January 1956
Preceded byJohannes Latuharhary
Succeeded byMuhammad Padang
Personal details
Born(1906-11-08)November 8, 1906
DiedFebruary 20, 1988(1988-02-20) (aged 81)
Political partySocialist Party of Indonesia (before 1955)
Nahdlatul Ulama (after 1955)

Sutan Muhammad Djosan gelar Sutan Bidjo Radjo (8 November 1906 – 20 February 1988) was an Indonesian bureaucrat. He was the Governor of Maluku from 1955 until 1960.

Bureaucratic career

Muhammad Djosan was born on 8 November 1906. He started working as a bureaucrat during the Dutch East Indies era. From the 1920s to the 1930s, Djosan held several offices in the Sumatran West Coast government, such as deputy prosecutor in the Fort de Kock District Court and assistant district chief of Bajang.[1][2]

Following the Indonesian independence, Djosan joined the newly formed Indonesian government and was involved in the bureaucracy. He was appointed as the acting head of the Agam Underdistrict on 8 October 1945, a week after the formation of the West Sumatra Government.[3] A year later, on 17 May 1946, Djosan was appointed as the chief inspector of the civil servant salary council.[4] Aside from his position in the bureaucracy, Djosan was also involved with negotiations between the Indonesian and the Dutch forces in early January 1947.[5]

Djosan was appointed as the Resident of Ambon following the recognition of Indonesian in 1950. During this period, Djosan oversaw interfaith discussion between Muslims and Christians in the region[6] as well as the replacement of the regent of Central Maluku.[7]

Governor of Maluku

Appointment

Djosan was appointed as the acting governor of Maluku on 1 February 1955[8] after the previous governor, Johannes Latuharhary, was removed from his post due to pressures from the Indonesian National Party (PNI) and Masyumi Party.[9] Latuharhary handed over his post to Djosan a few weeks later on 9 February.[10] As a member of the Socialist Party of Indonesia (PSI) during this period, Djosan was nominated as the topmost candidate for the party in Maluku for the Constitutional Assembly, but was not elected.[11]

The selection of a definitive governor were going underway while Djosan served his acting governor. Several names, such as Pieter Andreas de Queljoe, Mohammad Padang, and dr. Rehatta were nominated to become the definitive governor.[12] Masyumi and the Indonesian Christian Party (Parkindo), who emerged victorious in the 1955 elections, made an agreement that the governor should be of Moluccan ethnicity and that if the governor is a Christian, his secretary should be a Muslim and vice versa. Masyumi named Abdullah Soulisa, former regent of Central Maluku, as their candidate, while Parkindo named Martinus Putuhena, Johannes Leimena, and M. A. Pellaupessy.[13]

Djosan, who moved to the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) party after his nomination as governor,[14] stated that the next governor should be unaffiliated to any political party and requested himself to be put in the bottom of the nomination list.[12] The interior minister, a NU member, eventually chose Djosan over other candidates at a cabinet session on 25 November 1955[15][16] and installed Djosan as definitive governor on 6 January 1956.[17] Four years after that, Djosan ended his term as governor in 1960.[18]

Reactions

The appointment of Djosan was criticized by PNI, Parkindo, and Masyumi. PNI refused to recognize Djosan's governorship, while Parkindo and Masyumi considered Djosan as breaking their consensus regarding the ethnicity of the governor. Masyumi's newspaper in Maluku, Tifa, printed statements from various parties in Maluku who disagreed with the appointment of Djosan as governor on the front page and doubted the interior minister's impartiality in the selection process for the governor of Maluku.[14] Parkindo, on the other hand, requested the central government to appoint more native civil servants for the Moluccan government.[19] PSI was the only party alongside NU who supported Djosan's governorship and attempted to convene a meeting in order to rally support for Djosan, but the meeting ended with no meaningful result. Djosan also initiated the establishment of NU branch in Ambon, the capital of Maluku, which provoked further resentment from Masyumi and Parkindo.[20]

In response to the criticism, the interior minister stated that Djosan was "upright, competent and experienced in administrative matters" and "dare to act and take the initiative". The minister also explained his reason as to not appointing the other candidates offered. He said that Queljoe had no experience in government matters, while Putuhena and Rehatta refused to held office.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Mutaties". Sumatra-bode. 29 June 1929. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  2. ^ "KITLV A569 - V.l.n.r.: N.F. Spier van Zwicht, commissaris Handelsvereeniging te Padang, E.G.A. Lapré, controleur van Alahanpandjang, onbekende en de assistent-demang van Bajang, Soetan Mohamad Djosan, tijdens een hertenjacht te Pantoeng-Tebal in de buu... | Digital Collections". digitalcollections.universiteitleiden.nl. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. ^ "Sumpah Setia Kepala Luhak dan "SKPD" Pertama Sumatra Barat Pascamerdeka". Langgam.id (in Indonesian). 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  4. ^ Ministry of Information (1959). Propinsi Sumatera Tengah. Padang: Ministry of Information. p. 130.
  5. ^ Ministry of Information (1959). Propinsi Sumatera Tengah. Padang: Ministry of Information. p. 146.
  6. ^ "Bijeenkomst godsdienstige groeperingen in Ambon". Java-bode. 28 November 1955. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Het bestuur over de Midden-Molukken". Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra. 13 August 1954. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Fungerend gouverneur van Molukken". Java-bode. 9 February 1955.
  9. ^ Nanulaitta, I. O. (1982). Mr. Johanes Latuharhary: Hasil Karya dan Pengabdiannya (PDF) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Ministry of Education and Culture. p. 150. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Overdracht van gouverneurschap". Algemeen Indisch dagblad. 12 February 1955. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  11. ^ Kumpulan peraturan-peraturan untuk pemilihan Konstituante. Kementerian Penerangan R.I. 1956. p. 287.
  12. ^ a b "Wie wordt gouverneur van Maluku ?". De nieuwsgier. 26 April 1955. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Partijen hadden andere wensen Djosan geïnstalleerd als gouverneur der Molukken". Java-bode. 19 January 1956. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Reakties van benoeming op gouverneur Djosan". De locomotief. 12 December 1955. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Minister mr. Sunarjo over mutaties gouverneurs". Indische courant voor Nederland. 28 November 1955. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Kabinetsbesluiten: Djosan, goeverneur der Molukken". Java-bode. 28 November 1955. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Mr Sunarjo naar Maluku". De nieuwsgier. 6 January 1956. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  18. ^ Pattikayhatu, John (1977). Sejarah Daerah Maluku. Department of Education and Culture. p. 92.
  19. ^ "Parkindo over gouverneur Djosan". Java-bode. 4 January 1956. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  20. ^ "De nieuwe goeverneur der Molukkén: Brengt de gemoederen op Ambon sterk in beweging". De nieuwsgier. 20 January 1956. Retrieved 5 January 2022.