Tan Malaka, Forgotten Founding Father

HE was the first important figure who conceived of and wrote about the Republic of Indonesia. Muhammad Yamin called him, “Father of the Republic of Indonesia.” Following the declaration of independence he mobilized the youth for a mass rally at the Ikada Square on September 19, 1945. Tan Malaka could be called Indonesia’s most mysterious independence figure. He lived on the run in 11 countries.