| Sultan Hamid II | |
|---|---|
| Syarif Abdul Hamid Alkadrie | |
 Sultan Hamid II of West Borneo in the uniform of a General Major of the KNIL | |
| 7thSultan of Pontianak | |
| Reign | 1945–1950 |
| Predecessor | Sultan Syarif Thaha |
| Successor | Sultan Syarif Abubakar |
| Born | 12 July 1913 Pontianak,Pontianak Sultanate,Dutch East Indies |
| Died | 30 March 1978 (aged 64) Jakarta, Indonesia |
| House | Alkadrie dynasty |
| Father | Sultan Syarif Muhammad |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Sultan Hamid II (bornSyarif Abdul Hamid Alkadrie; 12 July 1913 – 30 March 1978) was the 7thSultan of Pontianak and the only President of the State ofWest Kalimantan from 1946 to its disestablishment in 1950. He was the eldest son of Sultan Syarif Muhammad Alkadrie.[1] He was of mixedMalay-Arab ancestry and was raised by two British nationals — Salome Catherine Fox and Edith Maud Curteis.
Syarif Sultan Abdul Hamid Alkadrie was aBa 'AlawiSayyid and his lineage is recorded as follows: He is Abd al-Hamid al-Qadri bin Muhammad, bin Yusuf, bin Hamid, bin Uthman, binAbd al-Rahman, bin Husayn, bin Ahmad, bin Husayn, bin Muhammad al-Qadri, bin Salim, bin Abd Allah, bin Muhammad, bin Salim, bin Ahmad, bin Abd al-Rahman, bin Ali, bin Muhammad Jamal al-Layl, bin Hasan, bin Muhammad Asad Allah, bin Hasan al-Turabi, bin Ali, binMuhammad al-Faqih al-Muqaddam, bin Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Mirbat, bin Ali Khali Qasam, bin Alawi al-Thani, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Sawma'ah, bin Alawi al-Awwal, bin Ubayd Allah, binAhmad al-Muhajir, bin Isa al-Rumi, bin Muhammad al-Naqib, binAli al-Uraydi, binJa'far al-Sadiq, binMuhammad al-Baqir, binAli Zayn al-Abidin, binHusayn, binAli bin Abi Talib andFatimah al-Zahra, the daughter ofMuhammad.
His wife Didie van Delden was a young Dutch woman who bore him two children – both reside inthe Netherlands. During theIndonesian National Revolution, he was sympathetic to the returning Dutch and their attempts to implement a federalRepublic of the United States of Indonesia, viewing theunitaryRepublic of Indonesia as an extension of Javanese domination. He was also acolonel in theRoyal Dutch East Indies Army and designed the Indonesiannational emblem—Garuda Pancasila.
Until the age of 12, Hamid was raised byScottish foster-mother Salome Catherine Fox and fellow British expatriate Edith Maud Curteis.[2] Salome Fox was the sister of the head of a British trading firm based in Singapore. Under their tutelage, Hamid became fluent in English in addition to his native, Malay (standard Indonesian as well as his localPontianak dialect). In 1933, Miss Fox died but he still remained in touch with her companion Curteis.[2]
Syarif was educated at severalEuropeesche Lagere School (European Primary Schools) inSukabumi,Pontianak,Yogyakarta andBandung. He studied for one year at aHogere Burgerschool (Senior High School) in Bandung but did not graduate from THS Bandung. Syarif completed his studies at theKoninklijke Militaire Academie inBreda, Holland; graduating as a lieutenant in theRoyal Dutch East Indies Army.
Following theJapanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies on 10 March 1942, he was interned by the Japanese for three years in aJavanese prison camp due to close ties with the Dutch. Hamid's resentment towards the Japanese occupiers was affected by the murders of 28 relatives and his mentor Miss Curteis.[2] Hamid's father and two of his brothers along with many of the Malay elite of Kalimantan were executed by the Japanese in thePontianak incidents. Following theJapanese surrender and defeat on 15 August 1945, Hamid was liberated by the returning Allied Powers that landed in Indonesia. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of colonel by the returning Dutch.
On 29 October 1945, he succeeded his father as the Sultan of Pontianak, adopting the title Sultan Hamid II. During theIndonesian National Revolution, Sultan Hamid II acquired an important position as a delegate for the State of West Kalimantan and always participated innegotiations at Malino, Denpasar, theFederal Consultative Assembly (BFO) and theDutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference in Indonesia and the Netherlands.[3] As an active leader in the BFO, he was a firm supporter of federalism and opposed PresidentSukarno's concept of aunitary Indonesian Republic due to its domination by theJavanese.[2][3]
Sultan Hamid II quickly ascended to the position of Adjudant in Buitengewone Dienst bij HM de Koningin der Nederlanden (Adjutant in the Extraordinary Service of Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands), which is the highest position as assistant to the Dutch Queen. As a colonel, he was the first Indonesian to acquire a significant military position in the colonial army. Due to international opposition to Dutch attempts to reinstate control over Indonesia in the United Nations, the Dutch were forced to recognise Sukarno's Republic as the de facto government of Java and Sumatra and to grant independence to aRepublic of the United States of Indonesia on 27 December 1949.[4]
On 17 December 1949, Hamid II was appointed by Sukarno to theRUSI Cabinet but held no portfolio. This Cabinet was headed by Prime MinisterMohammad Hatta and included 11 Republicans and five Federalists. This federal government was short-lived due to conflicting differences between the Republicans and the Federalists as well as growing popular support for aunitary state.[4]
Hamid II would subsequently conspire with the former KNIL CaptainRaymond Westerling to organise ananti-Republican coup inBandung andJakarta. On 22 December 1949, Westerling offered the leadership of APRA to Hamid II, this was initially rejected. Although, on 10 January 1950, Hamid II would agree to the position, with three conditions: APRA troops have to be Indonesians, Westerling told him all the location and strength of APRA troops, and Hamid II want to know the funding of APRA.[5] Westerling'sLegion of the Just Ruler (Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil; APRA) comprised elements of the KNIL, the Regiment Special Forces, theRoyal Netherlands Army and several Dutch nationals including two police inspectors. On 23 January 1950, APRA overwhelmed the small RUSI garrison and occupied parts of Bandung until they were driven away by reinforcements under Major General Engels.[1]
On 26 January 1950, elements of Westerling's forces infiltrated Jakarta as part of a coup d'état to overthrow the RUSI Cabinet. They also planned to assassinate several prominent Republican figures including the Defense Minister SultanHamengkubuwono IX, Secretary-General Ali Budiardjo, and APRIS Chief of Staff,TB Simatupang. To hide his involvement, Hamid II would then received gunshot on his leg. Later Hamid II would ask Soekarno and Muhammad Hatta for a new cabinet to be formed, and he would be the new Defence Minister. However, they were intercepted and forced to flee by Indonesian military forces. Meanwhile, Westerling was forced to flee to Singapore and APRA had ceased to function by February 1950.[1][5]
Evidence from arrested co-conspirators led to the incarceration of Hamid II on 5 April. By 19 April, Hamid II had confessed to his involvement in the botched Jakarta coup and to planning an abortive second attack on Parliament scheduled for 15 February. Due to the presence of RUSI troops, the attack was aborted. The role of the Pasundan government in the coup led to its dissolution by 10 February, further undermining the federal structure. By late March 1950, Hamid's West Kalimantan was one of the four remaining federal states in theUnited States of Indonesia.[1]
.jpg)
Hamid's role in the coup led to increased agitation in West Kalimantan for its integration into the Republic of Indonesia. Following a fact-finding mission by the Government Commission, the RUSI House of Representatives voted by fifty votes to one to merge West Kalimantan into the Republic of Indonesia.[6] Following clashes with demobilised KNIL troops inMakassar and the attempted secession of anAmboneseRepublic of South Moluccas, the federal United States of Indonesia was dissolved on 17 August 1950, turning Indonesia into a unitary state dominated by the central government in Jakarta.[6]
Sultan Hamid II's Dutch wife Didie van Delden was styled as Sultana Maharatu Mas Makhota and they had two children, a son and a daughter. Their son was styled as Pangeran (Prince) Syarif Max Yusuf Alkadrie, and died in the Netherlands on 9 August 2018. Sultana Maharatu died on 19 June 2010.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
