Alimin

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Alimin
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Indonesia
In office 1926 – January 1951
Succeeded by	D. N. Aidit
Personal details
Born	Alimin bin Prawirodirdjo 1889 Surakarta, Dutch East Indies
Died	26 June 1964(1964-06-26) (aged 74–75) Jakarta, Indonesia
Political party	Insulinde PKI
Spouse	Hajjah Mariah
Children	2

Alimin bin Prawirodirdjo (1889 – 26 June 1964)^[1] was an Indonesian independence movement figure and also Indonesian communist.

Since he was a teenager Alimin was active on national movements. He was a member of Budi Utomo, Sarekat Islam, Insulinde, before he joined with the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and eventually he became leader of the organization. He was also founder of Sarekat Buruh Pelabuhan (formerly called Sarekat Pegawai Pelabuhan dan Lautan).

In early 1926, as the leader of the PKI, Alimin went to Singapore to negotiate with Tan Malaka in order to prepare rebellion. But, before Alimin went home, the rebellion broke out on 12 November 1926. Alimin and Musso were arrested by British colonial police.

Alimin was born in Delangu village, Surakarta in 1889. His father was Prawirodirdjo. As a kid, at the age of nine, he was adopted by G. A. J. Hazeu, a Dutch official. He was interested in politics and journalism, defying Hazeu's plan for him to become government official.^[2][3][4]

In his youth, he worked for Djawa Moeda newspaper and was a member of Budi Utomo Jakarta branch at the age of 22.^[3][2] After Sarekat Islam was widely known, he joined the organization believing Budi Utomo only benefited upper class people, not peasants. He lived in HOS Tjokroaminoto's house together with Soekarno, Kartosuwiryo, Musso, and Semaun. He was dubbed "Tjokroaminoto's man" by Shiraishi.^[3][2] He was also a member of Insulinde.^[2] He was also an editor for journal Modjopahit.^[3]

Alimin's first encounter with socialism was because H. J. F. M. Sneevliet, the founder of Indische Sociaal Democratische Vereinging (ISDV; Social Democratic Association), frequently visited Tjokroaminoto's house. Alimin, Musso, and Semaun was interested in the ideology and became ISDV activists.^[3] Later,^[when?] Alimin, Darsono, and Semaun led a faction that was influenced by Marxism and socialism, dubbed SI Merah (Red SI) that was based in Semarang.^[3]

In 1918, Alimin was the head of ISDV Batavia branch and was a member of central leadership of the party.^[5]

Alimin helped Adolf Baars founded Perhimpunan Kaoem Boeroeh dan Tani (Association of Workers and Farmers). He had worked for Mitsui, a Japanese company, branch in Batavia, but later was fired by Mitsui under Dutch government's request.^[3] Sometimes before 1918, together with Sosrokardono, Alimin led Perserikatan Pegawai Pegadaian Boemipoetra (PPPB, Native Pawnshop Workers’ Union), which the latter became the vice chairman.^[3][6]

In May 1919, during a PPPB congress in Bandung, Alimin, together with Sosrokardono, Semaun, and Bergsma, discussed the formation of a federation uniting the labor unions of SI and ISDV, initially considering the name Revolutionary Socialist Federation of Labor Unions. On 25 December 1919, a provisional federation was established in Yogyakarta, bringing together 22 unions with a combined membership of around 72,000 workers. Semaun was chosen as chairman and proposed that the federation's name should include the word "revolutionary" a suggestion even supported by the usually more moderate Agus Salim. However, Alimin opposed the idea, arguing that such a label might discourage white-collar workers. As a compromise, the organization was officially named Persatoean Perserikatan Kaoem Boeroeh (PPKB, or Concentration of Trade Unions, also referred to as Vakcentrale).^[7][8]

There was an incident regarding SI Afdeling B around 1919-1920 that the Dutch government accused the leaders of SI Tjokroaminoto and Sosrokardono of treason resulting in their imprisonment. Alimin and Musso was also imprisoned for three years but for lying to the court.^[9] After the incident, in 1920, the members of SI decreased significantly, they nearly dissolved the organization, prevented only by Alimin's and Tjokroaminoto's efforts.^[10] Alimin, Musso, and Sosrokardono tried to continue the publication of Oetoesan Hindia of SI but it was only short lived.^[11]

In 1920, the PKI members were questioning Alimin's loyalty since they thought he was closer to Insulinde than the party, in addition of his siding with SI in a Yogyakarta-Semarang conflict.^[11]

Alimin travelled from Batavia to Surakarta to give speech representing PKI central leadership in front of members of newly created Sarekat Rakyat Surakarta branch on 22 November 1923.^[12]

In April 1924, Alimin started to grow closer to the Communists by giving speech in a congress of Sarekat Rakyat. Later he attended several meetings of the Communists making SI people wary about his ideologies. Later he travelled to China representing PKI at a conference sponsored by Comintern.^[11]

On a PKI congress in Kotagede, Yogyakarta, on 11-15 December 1924, Alimin was appointed one of commissioners together with Aliarcham, becoming PKI central committee.^[13]

On 19 July 1925 Alimin attended Chinese public demonstration enticing public to support Chinese revolutionary movement.^[14]

Alimin planned to overthrowing Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia by orchestrating rebellion. He traveled to Singapore to seek approval by Tan Malaka and to Moscow to seek approval by Comintern. The plan was not approved in both occurences but he still insisted on carrying it out. On 25 Desember 1925, Alimin organized a meeting with the goal of overthrowing Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia. The meeting was attended by several Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI; Communist Party of Indonesia) leaders such as Sardjono, Budisutjitro, and Musso.^[15]

During the rebellion itself which was happened in late 1926 until early 1927, Alimin was in Russia.^[16] In 1927, Alimin and Musso enrolled at the Lenin school.^[17] He never came back to Indonesia until 1946, while traveling to several countries.^[18]

He became a member of Constitutional Assembly from 9 November 1956 until 5 July 1959 representing PKI.^[19]

Alimin led PKI post-Madiun Uprising 1948. He supported Hatta's premiership, contrasting Musso who opposed the prime minister. He supported diplomacy between Indonesia and the Netherlands to gain full independence.^[20]

After Aidit became chairman of PKI, he ousted old comrades from the party including Alimin for being "weak, elitist and pragmatic".^[20]

Alimin died on June 23, 1964.^[20]

Alimin's mother tongue was Javanese, and he was fluent in French, English, and Dutch, also understood Sundanese.^[4]

On a discourse debating state ideology in his time in Constitutional Assembly, Alimin supported Pancasila, while official PKI position interpreting the "Belief in one God", as "religious tolerance and freedom for being neutral on religion".^[20]

He categorized socialism under utopian socialism, which was led by Robert Owen, Saint Simon, and Fourier, and scientific socialism, which was formed by Karl Marx.^[20] He believed in all means of production to be controlled by the state, proposing Indonesian government to form one or two big corporations as foundation of national economy. He also believed society needs to have a class consciousness, then enduring class struggle in a form of a revolution of workers and proletariat, to have enjoy socialist community.^[21] He supported the formation of temporary dictatorship, to remove private ownership and rid the anti-revolutionaries, then after that happened, the state and PKI would disband, forming classless and stateless society.^[22]

Alimin had strong conviction of international cooperation and community, believing a communist organization that a newly independent country needed to cooperate with Comintern. He believed that the 1926 PKI rebellion sparked revolutions across the Pacific region.^[22]

Alimin's view on nationalism was revolutionary nationalism. He rejected chauvinistic nationalism.^[22]

Alimin's view on socialism differed than his mentor Tjokroaminoto in which the former's basis on socialism was Marxism and the latter was Islamic socialism. But Alimin was still not opposed to Islamic value as proven by his speec on 22 November 1923 in front of Sarekat Rakyat members that muslims still would have place in communist society he imagined.^[23]

Alimin was buried in Taman Makam Pahlawan Kalibata (Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery). Alimin was awarded Indonesian National Hero by Sukarno following Presidential Decree no. 163 year 1964 dated 26 June 1964.^[19]