| Prime Minister of the Republic of Indonesia | |
|---|---|
| Perdana Menteri Republik Indonesia | |
 | |
 | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Member of | |
| Residence | Pancasila Building |
| Seat | Jakarta |
| Appointer | President |
| Constituting instrument | |
| Inaugural holder | Sutan Sjahrir |
| Formation | 14 November 1945 |
| Final holder |
|
| Abolished |
|
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister |
ThePrime Minister of the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian:Perdana Menteri Republik Indonesia) was a political office inIndonesia which existed from 1945 until 1966. During this period, the prime minister was in charge of thecabinet of Indonesia, one of the three branches of government along with theHouse of Representatives and thepresident. Following his1959 decree, PresidentSukarno assumed the role and powers of prime minister untilhis resignation in 1966.
On 18 August 1945, a day after theProclamation of Indonesian Independence,Sukarno was appointed president and the 1945Constitution of Indonesia came into force, which stated that Indonesia was built around apresidential system; as such, there were no constitutional provisions for a prime minister, and thecabinet was directly responsible to the president. However followingVice-Presidential Edict No.X, on 11 November the cabinet was made responsible to the provisional legislature, theCentral Indonesian National Committee (Indonesian:Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat (KNIP)), effectively suspending the constitution. The cabinet was dismissed, andSutan Sjahrir was asked to become the first prime minister. He agreed to do so on the condition he was allowed to select his own cabinet. Thenew cabinet was announced on 14 November with the understanding that although the prime minister was responsible to the Working Committee of the KNIP, he had to consult the president before making any major decisions. If the prime minister came into conflict with the KNIP or the president, another could be chosen.[1][2][3][4]
Internal political disputes prompted Sjahrir to resign on 28 March, but he was asked to form the next cabinet. This fell in October, but yet again, Sjahrir agreed to continue as prime minister in the new cabinet.[5] He finally resigned on 27 June, after being fatally weakened by concessions he had made to the Dutch following the signing of theLinggadjati Agreement. He was replaced byAmir Sjarifuddin, and Sjahrir became Indonesian representative at theUnited Nations.[6][7] Sjariffuddin in turn resigned in turn following withdrawal of political support in the aftermath of theRenville Agreement. Sukarno then appointed vice-presidentMohammad Hatta, asking him to form an emergency cabinet answerable to him rather than to the KNIP.[8][9]
On 27 December 1949, the Netherlands transferred sovereignty to a federalUnited States of Indonesia (RUSI), of which theRepublic of Indonesia was one state. TheFederal Constitution provided for a prime minister, and Hatta became the only prime minister of the RUSI. As this caused a vacuum of power in the Republican administration,Susanto Tirtoprodjo, justice minister in the previous cabinet, was appointed acting prime minister at the head of a transitional cabinet. On 22 January 1950, the new prime minister, announced his cabinet. The terms of both Hatta and Halim ended when the RUSI was dissolved and Indonesia became a unitary state on 17 August 1950 .[10][11]
Under theconstitution of the unitary state, the cabinet was once again responsible to parliament, with the prime minister appointed by the president.[12][13] Due to the instability of the coalition cabinets, prime ministers often facedvotes of no confidence. Every major policy change had a chance to be opposed, either by the government oropposition. As such, some cabinets lasted only a few months.[14]
On 5 July 1959,Sukarno issued apresidential decree declaring that, due to the inability of theConstitutional Assembly of Indonesia to decide on a new constitution, the 1945 Constitution would be reinstated. This removed the constitutional foundation for the office of Prime Minister. However, on 9 July of that same year, Sukarno took on the title of prime minister in addition to the presidency;[15] later using the phrase "I am president and prime minister" as a dominant message in his speeches.[16] After theabortive coup against the government in 1965 and the release of adocument transferring all political power toSuharto in 1967, Sukarno lost the title of prime minister together with the presidency.[17][18]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Lifespan) | Term of office[19] | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949) | ||||||
| 1 | %2c_p160.jpg) | Sutan Sjahrir (1909–1966) | 14 November 1945 | 3 July 1947 | 1 year, 225 days | PSI |
| 2 |  | Amir Sjarifuddin (1907–1948) | 3 July 1947 | 29 January 1948 | 210 days | PSI |
| 3 |  | Mohammad Hatta (1902–1980)[a] | 29 January 1948 | 20 December 1949 | 1 year, 325 days | Independent |
| United States of Indonesia (1949–1950) | ||||||
| 3 |  | Mohammad Hatta (1902–1980) | 20 December 1949 | 6 September 1950 | 260 days | Independent |
| Republic of Indonesia (1949–1950) | ||||||
| — | _in_het_kabinet_Sjahrir_%25E2%2580%25A6%2c_Bestanddeelnr_11864.jpg) | Susanto Tirtoprodjo (1900–1969) Acting Prime Minister | 20 December 1949 | 21 January 1950 | 32 days | PNI |
| 4 |  | Abdul Halim (1911–1988) | 21 January 1950 | 6 September 1950 | 228 days | Independent |
| Liberal Democracy period (1950–1959) | ||||||
| 5 |  | Mohammad Natsir (1908–1993) | 6 September 1950 | 27 April 1951 | 233 days | Masyumi |
| 6 |  | Soekiman Wirjosandjojo (1898–1974) | 27 April 1951 | 3 April 1952 | 342 days | Masyumi |
| 7 |  | Wilopo (1908–1981) | 3 April 1952 | 30 July 1953 | 1 year, 120 days | PNI |
| 8 |  | Ali Sastroamidjojo (1903–1976) | 30 July 1953 | 12 August 1955 | 2 years, 11 days | PNI |
| 9 |  | Burhanuddin Harahap (1917–1987) | 12 August 1955 | 24 March 1956 | 227 days | Masyumi |
| 10 (8) | | Ali Sastroamidjojo (1903–1976) | 24 March 1956 | 9 April 1957 | 1 year, 14 days | PNI |
| 11 |  | Djuanda Kartawidjaja (1911–1963) | 9 April 1957 | 9 July 1959 | 2 years, 91 days | Independent |
| Guided Democracy period (1959–1966) | ||||||
| 12 |  | Sukarno (1901–1970)[b] | 9 July 1959 | 25 July 1966 | 7 years, 16 days | Independent |
