Ali Sastroamidjojo

Ali Sastroamidjojo (EYD: Ali Sastroamijoyo; 21 May 1903 – 13 March 1975) was an Indonesian politician and diplomat.

He served in various political and diplomatic roles during the presidency of Sukarno, most notably as a cabinet minister, prime minister, chairman of the Indonesian National Party (PNI), and permanent representative to the United Nations.

Ali was born in Grabag, Purworejo, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), to an aristocratic family from Magelang and studied at Leiden University.

During his studies, he was active in several youth organizations, including the Jong Java and the Perhimpoenan Indonesia associations.

In 1918, he continued his education at the Hogere Burgerschool (HBS).

There, he became acquainted with Western culture, especially Dutch culture.

During this time, he also studied French, German, and English literature.

Including writers such as Bernard Shaw, William Shakespeare, and Willem Kloos.

In 1922, Ali completed his education at HBS, and after graduating, he met Titi Roelia who would later become his wife.

Like several other young men of nobility in the Dutch East Indies, Ali managed to obtain a scholarship to study in the Netherlands, due in part to help from Hendriks Kraemer, a Bachelor of Eastern Literature and Eastern Culture and an acquaintance of his older brother.

While in the Netherlands, he lived in Leiden to enter the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy of the University of Leiden but was rejected because his HBS diploma did not meet the requirements.

He was briefly arrested by the Dutch in 1927 but was released shortly thereafter.

In 1928, he began practicing as a lawyer and began publishing the Djanget magazine in Surakarta.

During this time, he became involved in the struggle for independence, joining the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI).

However, when the PNI was dissolved by Dutch authorities, he moved to Gerindo (Indonesian People's Movement).

Following the proclamation of Indonesian Independence in 1945, he continued his activities in politics and government, becoming deputy minister of education in the first Indonesian cabinet.

He would go on to serve as Minister of Education in the Amir Syarifuddin Cabinet and the Hatta Cabinet.

He then served as deputy chairman of the delegation of the Republic of Indonesia in negotiations with the Netherlands and became a member of the delegation of the Republic of Indonesia in the negotiations of the Round Table Conference.

After the recognition of the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia, he was appointed the first Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, from 1950 until 1955.

In addition, he was also appointed chairman of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung.

On 1 August 1953, Ali became Prime Minister of Indonesia, leading the First Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet.

After the cabinet fell in 1955, Ali Sastroamidjojo again became Prime Minister of Indonesia for the second time on March 26, 1956.

He again led his cabinet, though it lasted less than a year.

He was also a key figure in the negotiations of the Sino-Indonesian Dual Nationality Treaty.

In July 1960, at the ninth annual congress of the PNI, Sastroamidjojo was elected party chairman.

In 1967, following the fall of Sukarno, Sastroamidjojo was arrested but later released without having been tried.

He died in Jakarta, on 13 March 1975, he is buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery.

Raden Ali Sastroamidjojo was born in Grabag, Central Java, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).

He came from an aristocratic family of the Magelang Regency, belonging to the Indonesian elite.

He was the 11th child of 12 children.

His father was R. Ng.

Sastroamidjojo, who was a Wedana in Jetis, Temanggung, while his mother was named Kustiah, who was a relative of the Regent of Magelang.

Both of his parents were persistent in defending Javanese customs.

He spent his childhood years in the local town, playing with his friends from peasant families.

In hoping to find a proper environment for the development of their children, the Sastroamidjojo family moved to the city, where he was sent to receive a European education.

Though he also regularly studied the Javanese language.

The Sastroamidjojo family was devoted to advocating the importance of Western education.

He officially began his education when he took Dutch lessons to be accepted in the second class of the Europeesche Lagere School (ELS), but he only lasted a year there due to bullying.

His father then transferred Ali to another class, but was rejected, because he couldn't speak Dutch very well.

He was eventually accepted after some convincing by his father.