Solihin G. P.
Official portrait of Solihin
Official portrait, 2001
8th Governor of West Java
In office
14 February 1970 – 14 February 1975
Preceded byMashudi
Succeeded byAang Kunaefi
Personal details
Born (1926-07-21) 21 July 1926
Tasikmalaya, Preanger Regencies Residency, Dutch East Indies
Military service
AllegianceIndonesia
Branch/serviceIndonesian Army
Years of service1948–1968
RankLieutenant general
Battles/wars

Solihin Gautama Purwanegara (born 21 July 1926) is an Indonesian former military officer and politician who served as governor of West Java from 1970 to 1975. As a student, he joined the Indonesian Army during the national revolution. Following the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty in 1949, he served mostly within the Siliwangi Military Region before joining the Hasanuddin Military Region and later becoming its commander. He was appointed as West Java's governor in 1970, but due to disagreements on policy with the central government he served only a single term. He remained active in politics after his governorship, serving as advisor to President Suharto until 1993. He also briefly joined PDI-P after Suharto's downfall, and was involved in the presidential campaigns of Joko Widodo.

Early life and education

Solihin Gautama Purwanegara was born on 21 July 1926, in Tasikmalaya, Preanger Regencies Residency, Dutch East Indies (now West Java, Indonesia). He was the son of Abdulgani Poerwanegara, a civil servant in the colonial government who had worked in Bandung and Garut, and Siti Ningrum. He studied at a colonial elementary school (Europeesche Lagere School) and for two years at a Dutch middle school (Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs).[1][2]

Military career

The Indonesian National Revolution broke out while he was in high school, and he joined the Indonesian Armed Forces; he took his final exams in combat uniform. He also fought against the Indonesian Communist Party following the Madiun Affair in 1948.[3] Later on, he took part in operations against the Darul Islam rebellion in West Java.[4] Early on, he was assigned to the Siliwangi Military Region in West Java, with an assignment in Bangka as a battalion commander from 1951 to 1953. He studied at the Army Staff and Command School between 1953 and 1954, taught there between 1954 and 1956, and then took a one-year course in the United States.[2]

After his further studies, he returned to Siliwangi and served there until 1964. He then moved to the Hasanuddin Military Region in South Sulawesi, taking part in operations against Abdul Kahar Muzakkar's Darul Islam branch. He became Hasanuddin's commander in 1965. In an anecdote given in his predecessor Mohammad Jusuf's biography, Solihin was asleep at a ceremony when Jusuf unexpectedly named Solihin as his successor, with Solihin's adjutant having to wake him up to inform him of the announcement.[2][5] He was then appointed as governor of the army section of the Indonesian Armed Forces Academy (AKABRI Bagian Darat) on 15 July 1968.[6] His final rank in the military was lieutenant general.[5]

Solihin as Governor of AKABRI Bagian Darat, 1968

Governor

Solihin was sworn in as governor of West Java in 1970. His deputy was Nasuhi who used to be his direct superior in the armed forces during the revolution – Nasuhi was a battalion commander and Solihin was a company commander in the battalion.[7] By Solihin's account, he was shortly thereafter invited to Jakarta by the capital's governor Ali Sadikin. During Solihin's visit there, Ali noted how the regions of West Java bordering Jakarta were underdeveloped, and remarked that the province should cede the border regions to Jakarta so that they could be better developed. Solihin noted that he took offense to this, and thus focused his attention on said regions – particularly Tangerang, Bekasi and Puncak being developed for the textile, cement, and tourist industries, respectively.[8]

Unlike standard government practice in Indonesia at the time to directly select lower-ranked executive officials, Solihin permitted significant local leeway in the selection of regents during his tenure, in addition to allowing local governments more control over tax revenues. He also privatized loss-making public companies and assets, such as fallow agricultural land.[9] Due to disagreements on these policies with Minister of Home Affairs Amir Machmud, Solihin did not continue for a second term in office, and his governorship expired in 1975.[10]

Later career

Solihin speaking in a protest against the Mayor of Bandung, 2013

After his gubernatorial career, Solihin briefly retired into a rural agricultural estate,[11] until he was appointed as Presidential Secretary for Development Operations Control in 1977.[12] He served in this capacity until 1993, and then joined the Supreme Advisory Council and became a president commissioner at a joint venture firm between two state-owned companies.[13] He joined PDI-P shortly after the fall of Suharto, and became a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) as a regional delegate, but left PDI-P due to disagreements regarding amendments to the Constitution of Indonesia.[14] As a MPR member, he also opposed the formation of a special commission to audit the personal wealth of government officials, claiming that the body would be ineffective and a waste of funds. The commission itself reported Solihin to the police due to his refusal to submit an assessment of his personal assets.[15] Between 2000 and 2004, Solihin also campaigned against a normalization project of the Ci Tanduy river bank, along with later minister Susi Pudjiastuti.[16][17]

Solihin continued to receive visits from high-profile politicians after his retirement, including Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo prior to their presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2014.[18] Solihin openly endorsed Widodo's successful runs as president in both the 2014 and 2019 elections, and was an advisor to Widodo's campaign team in 2019.[19][20] Solihin suffered from a light stroke in 2017 and was hospitalized, with Widodo visiting him.[21] Widodo paid him another visit in 2018.[22] Solihin was further infected with COVID-19 in 2021, and a hoax spread on social media reporting his death.[23]

References

  1. ↑ The Trouble Shooter: 80 Tahun Solihin G.P. (in Indonesian). Forum Diskusi Wartawan Bandung & Dewan Pemerhati Kehutanan dan Lingkungan Tatar Sunda. 2006. pp. 2–5.
  2. 1 2 3 Riwayat hidup anggota-anggota Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat hasil pemilihan umum 1971 (in Indonesian). General Elections Commission. 1973. p. 699.
  3. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, p. 6.
  4. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, pp. 7–8.
  5. 1 2 "Kisah Lucu Kolonel Solihin GP, Tidur Ngorok di Depan Panglima Malah Ditunjuk Jadi Pangdam". SINDOnews.com (in Indonesian). 10 July 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  6. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, p. 9.
  7. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, p. 10.
  8. ↑ Solihin Gautama Poerwanagara – Perjalanan Empat Zaman Si Anak Menak (in Indonesian). Tempo Publishing. pp. 31–34. ISBN 978-623-339-600-4.
  9. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, p. 25.
  10. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, pp. 23–24.
  11. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, pp. 26–28.
  12. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, p. 29.
  13. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, pp. 33–34.
  14. ↑ FDWB & DPKLTS 2006, pp. 41–42.
  15. ↑ "Solihin GP: KPKPN Hanya Buang Duit". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). 27 September 2002. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Susi Pudjiastuti, Solihin GP & para tokoh Jawa Barat menolak Proyek ADB Sodetan Citanduy tahun 2003" (in Indonesian). YouTube. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Benarkah Menteri Susi Pudjiastuti Istri Keenam Solihin GP?". Tempo (in Indonesian). 27 February 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  18. ↑ Satria, Pandu (10 May 2022). "Mantan Gubernur Jabar Doakan Erick Thohir Sukses Laksanakan Tugas Negara". rilis.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Solihin GP Dukung Jokowi-JK". Republika (in Indonesian). 29 May 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "Solihin GP Beberkan Resep Memenangkan Jokowi di Jabar". Bisnis.com (in Indonesian). 28 September 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  21. ↑ Stefanie, Christie (24 June 2017). "Presiden Jokowi Jenguk Solihin GP". CNN Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  22. ↑ Chairunnisa, Ninis (23 February 2018). "Di Bandung, Solihin GP Beri Wejangan ini untuk Jokowi". Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  23. ↑ Putra, Wisma (1 August 2021). "Solihin GP Diisukan Meninggal, Pihak Keluarga: Hoax". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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