Episode 74: The People's Prime Minister — A Profile of Sutan Sjahrir

Dialogika Podcast

In this episode, we talk about one of the lesser-known founding fathers of Indonesia, our first ever Prime Minister, Sutan Sjahrir! Dubbed the ‘Smiling Diplomat,’ Sjahrir is one of our nation’s greatest intellectuals and patriots, and was a key figure in the independence movement — from his time with Mohammad Hatta in the Netherlands organizing the Indonesian youth there, to negotiating the beginning of the new Indonesian Republic with the Dutch when he was the Prime Minister, and even to the last of his days when he was unfairly imprisoned without trial under alleged conspiracy charges for disagreeing with Sukarno’s regime. Sjahrir’s life story is a truly inspiring one, and as one of the foundational individuals behind Indonesia’s parliamentary democracy, we wanted to dedicate this episode to him and his ideas — especially in light of the increasing threats from all sides to our fragile democracy.