Mohammad Hatta

Who is Mohammad Hatta?

Mohammad Hatta was the first Vice President of Indonesia and, with Sukarno, co-proclaimed the nation's independence in 1945. Born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, he studied economics in the Netherlands at the Rotterdam School of Commerce, where he led the nationalist Perhimpunan Indonesia student association and was arrested and tried by Dutch authorities. A committed advocate of cooperative economics, he is widely honored as the 'father of the Indonesian cooperative movement.' Together the pair were known as the Dwitunggal (the 'two-in-one') duumvirate that led early Indonesia. Hatta served as vice president from 1945 until his resignation in 1956, when he grew disillusioned with Sukarno's concentration of power. Known for personal integrity and simplicity, he wrote extensively on economics, democracy, and Islam. He is regarded as a national hero, and Jakarta's main airport is named jointly for him and Sukarno.

Sources: Mohammad Hatta, Memoir (1979) · Mavis Rose, Indonesia Free: A Political Biography of Mohammad Hatta (1987)