Kaharuddin Nasution

Kaharuddin Nasution (23 July 192525 September 1990) was an Indonesian military officer, politician, and diplomat. He served as the governor of Riau from 1960 to 1966 and later as the governor of North Sumatra from 1983 to 1988. He was also appointed ambassador to South Korea.

Early life Kaharuddin Nasution was born on 23 July 1925 in Medan, Dutch East Indies. He began his education at the Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (an elementary school for native children) in 1930, and graduated from the school in 1937. He continued his studies at the Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (junior high school) in Medan and graduated from the school in 1940.

After graduating from the school, he was sent by his parents to the Indonesisch-Nederlandsche School in Kayutanam, West Sumatra, which was owned by Inyiek Mohammad Syafei, the future Minister of Education. He did not graduate from the school and returned to Medan in 1941.

In the Imperial Japanese Navy During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, a recruitment drive for Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) officers was held in Medan. Nasution joined the recruitment program and underwent naval education in Bandung and Kyoto. He was finally given the rank of lieutenant and became the steersman in the Haraokamaru ship in 1944. He participated in the Pacific Theater and fought against the US forces in the Solomon Islands campaign and the Philippines campaign. During a naval battle in the Philippines, his ship was hit and caught fire. Nasution was injured and almost died.

After the surrender of Japan, all IJN ships were ordered to return to Japan. When his ship anchored in Tokyo, Nasution heard a radio broadcast about the proclamation of Indonesian Independence. Nasution deserted his ship and secretly boarded a cargo ship heading for Southeast Asia. After the ship arrived in Singapore, Nasution got on board another ship that was bound for Jakarta.

In the Indonesian Army

Indonesian National Revolution After arriving in Jakarta, Nasution joined the fledgling Indonesian Army. He was given the rank of second lieutenant and became the commander of the Mobile Battalion Company. As the commander of the mobile battalion, he was tasked to safeguard the demarcation line between the Indonesian army and the Dutch forces in West Java, Central Java, and East Java.

In 1948, he was promoted to first lieutenant and was put as the commander of the Siliwangi War Battalion. During this period, he took part in crushing the Madiun Affair in Solo, Wonogiri, Ponorogo, and Madiun, and faced the Dutch forces during the politionele acties and the Legion of the Just Ruler during the APRA coup d'état.

Post-revolution After the Indonesian National Revolution ended, he was promoted to captain in 1950 but still held the same command. In 1953, Nasution was transferred to the Jakarta Military Command as the Commander of the 1st BASIS Battalion. He became the acting commander of the Jakarta Military Command after the previous commander, Akil Prawiradiredja, was put on house arrest.

Commander of the RPKAD

In 1956, Nasution was appointed as the Commander of the Special Forces Regiment of the Indonesian Army (RPKAD), after his predecessor, Mayor Djailani, was put in prison following the Lubis Affair. Under his command, the regiment took part in putting down the possible mutiny of a garrison in Manado.

Later on, Nasution was put as the commander of the Tegas Joint Operation, an operation to crush the PRRI (Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia)'s forces in Riau. Nasution appointed Commander Lieutenant Colonel Wiriadinata from the Air Force and Mayor Indra Subagyo from the Navy as his deputy. The operation consisted of one RPKAD company, two PGT (Pasukan Gerak Tjepat, Quick Reaction Force), and an infantry battalion from Central Java that were planned to be airdropped into Pekanbaru. Another seaborne task force would later be deployed on the shores of Riau. This seaborne task force consisted of one KKO (Indonesian Marine Corps) company, a company of infantry from East Java, and two RPKAD companies. Besides that, several BRIMOB (Mobile Brigade Corps) units also joined the operation under the command of Police Commissary Sutjipto Danukusumo.

The operation began at the dawn of 12 March 1958, when the Kangaroo Command, consisting of one RPKAD company and two PGT (Pasukan Gerak Tjepat, Quick Reaction Force) companies, was parachuted to capture the Simpangtiga Airfield and the city of Pekanbaru. The operation was a success, as by 7 AM the Simpangtiga Airfield was fully occupied by the RPKAD forces.

Due to his reluctance to show support to the student movements, on 24 May 1966, associations of Riau students in Java sent a letter to Basuki Rahmat, the Minister of Internal Affairs at that time. The students demanded Rachmat to remove Kaharuddin Nasution from his office. The students also stated that Nasution formed a government system that oppress the people of Riau and that he did not took any actions to clean the government apparatus from communists and vested interests. He would hold the office until 30 January 1982.

Governor of North Sumatra On 13 June 1983, Nasution was officially inaugurated as the Governor of North Sumatra by the Ministry of Internal Affairs Soepardjo Roestam. He replaced the previous governor, Edward Waldemar Pahala Tambunan.

During his term, Nasution ordered all of the civil servants in North Sumatra to wear white uniforms.

The economic operation began with a survey of the regencies since the beginning of 1986. Initially, the scope of the economic operation only covered the North, South, and Central Tapanuli, but a presidential decree added Dairi and Nias into the scope of the economic operation. Finally, on 16 October 1986, the operation officially began with the formal opening by Minister of Agriculture in the Sileang Village, Dolok Sanggul, North Tapanuli.

To socialize the Maduma economic operation to the populace in the five regencies, a song about the Maduma economic operation was composed by musician Nortier Simanungkalit.

As the incumbent governor in North Sumatra, Nasution was nominated by the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party as the Governor of North Sumatra for the 1988–1993 term. He lost the gubernatorial elections to Raja Inal Siregar, former commander of the Siliwangi Regional Military Command. Raja Inal Siregar was officially inaugurated as the Governor of North Sumatra on 13 June 1988.

Death On 25 September 1990, Kaharuddin Nasution died in his house in Jakarta. He was buried at the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery on 26 September 1990, and was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.

Dates of rank