Soekiman Wirjosandjojo

Soekiman Wirjosandjojo (EYD: Sukiman Wiryosanjoyo; 19June 1898 – 23July 1974) was an Indonesian politician and physician who served as prime minister of Indonesia from 1951 until 1952. Additionally, Soekiman served as the first president of the Masyumi Party from 1945 to 1951.

Born into a merchant family in Surakarta, Soekiman was educated as a physician at Batavia's STOVIA medical school and Amsterdam University. Having served as chairman of the ''Perhimpoenan Indonesia'' association while in the Netherlands, he returned to Java and began participating in politics while working as a doctor. He was active within the Islamic political organization Sarekat Islam, later the Indonesian Islamic Union Party, from which he was expelled in 1933 due to a dispute. He then co-founded the Indonesian Islamic Political Party (Partii), which in 1938 became the Indonesian Islamic Party. (PII). During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, he was active within the Pusat Tenaga Rakyat propaganda organization, and in 1945 was appointed a member of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence.

When Masyumi was formed as a political party in November 1945, Soekiman was elected its first chairman. He acted as opposition to various government cabinets during the Indonesian National Revolution, namely those of Prime Ministers Sutan Sjahrir and Amir Sjarifuddin, although he agreed to work with them following the Dutch military offensive of 1947. He was later appointed as Minister of Home Affairs under Mohammad Hatta's cabinet and became part of the Indonesian delegation in the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference. In independent Indonesia, Soekiman was first replaced as Masyumi's chairman by Mohammad Natsir, and in turn, he replaced Natsir as prime minister in April 1951 by forming a coalition with the Indonesian National Party, creating the Soekiman Cabinet.

As prime minister, Soekiman nationalized Bank Indonesia and initiated a holiday bonus program for civil servants. He also arrested thousands of individuals due to a suspected coup attempt, particularly members of the Indonesian Communist Party. In foreign policy, Soekiman's tenure saw an improvement in relations with the Western Bloc and especially with the United States. However, there remained an internal dispute within Masyumi between Soekiman and Natsir, and this coupled with secretive negotiations between foreign minister Achmad Soebardjo and United States ambassador H. Merle Cochran led to the collapse of Soekiman's cabinet. He remained active within Masyumi after his premiership, until he departed from politics following the involvement of Masyumi leaders in the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the advent of Guided Democracy. He died in Yogyakarta in 1974. Provided by Wikipedia