Tan Malaka
Tan Malaka
Father of the Republic of Indonesia, the Marxist who fused communism with Islam
“If you think you can direct the Indonesian revolution from Moscow, you are no different from the colonialists.” — to Alimin, who came to Manila seeking approval for the 1926 uprising
Chairman of the Indonesian Communist Party and author of 'Towards the Republic of Indonesia.' He argued Marxism and Pan-Islamism must unite, broke with the Comintern, and after 1945 shook the fledgling republic with his demand for uncompromised independence.
Career timeline
- 1913Graduates from Kweekschool at Fort de Kock; receives high adat title of datuk
- 1913–1919Studies in the Netherlands; radicalised by the October Revolution and turns to Marxism
- 1919–1920Teaches children of tea-plantation coolies in Deli, Sumatra; writes 'Land of Paupers'
- 1921.6Founds 'Sarekat Islam Schools' (Tan Malaka Schools) in Semarang; spreads to Bandung
- 1921.12Elected chairman of the PKI at the Semarang congress, succeeding Semaun
- 1922Arrested by Dutch authorities; exiled to the Netherlands; stands as CPN parliamentary candidate
- 1922–1923Attends the Fourth Comintern Congress in Moscow; advocates communism–Pan-Islamism alliance
- 1923–1925Comintern Eastern Bureau agent; writes 'Towards the Republic of Indonesia' in Canton
- 1925–1927Based in Manila; opposes the PKI's 1926 uprising but fails to stop it
- 1927Founds the Indonesian Republic Party (PARI) in Bangkok, breaking with the Comintern
- 1927–1942Underground across China, Singapore, and the Philippines under aliases; writes 'Madilog'
- 1945–1946Returns to Indonesia; founds the Struggle Union (Persatuan Perjuangan); forces Sjahrir cabinet's temporary fall
- 1946–1948Arrested and imprisoned by Republican government; writes autobiography 'From Jail to Jail'
- 1949.2.21Captured and executed by Republican forces at Blimbing, East Java