Anarchism in Indonesia

=== Transition to the New Order ===

=== Transition to the New Order ===

[[File:Pesan - by Soe Hok Gie.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A poem by Indonesian student and Anarchist, [[Soe Hok Gie]].]]

During Sukarno's [[Guided Democracy in Indonesia|Guided Democracy era]], Indonesia was governed under a political system introduced in 1959, when Sukarno ended the unstable parliamentary order and restored the [[Constitution of Indonesia|1945 Constitution]], which greatly strengthened the presidency. In practice it meant a much more centralized and authoritarian state, with Sukarno holding a dominant position above all parties and parliament. Sukarno's [[Guided democracy|Guided Democracy]] would later be toppled by Suharto's [[New Order (Indonesia)|New Order]]. Amidst the milieu of two authoritarian regimes, student movements became rife for the calls of reformation. Notably amongst the student movement was that of [[Soe Hok Gie]], who became famous in the 1960s for his sharp criticism of power.{{Cite journal |last=Maxwell |first=John R. |date=1997 |title=Soe Hok-Gie : a biography of a young Indonesian intellectual |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1885/109694 |journal=Australian National University |language=en}} [[Ben Anderson (journalist)|Ben Anderson]] described Soe Hok Gie as "[...] uncomfortable when associated with authority, instinctively seeing power as the last enemy of morality."{{cite journal |last=Anderson |first=Ben |date=April 1970 |title=In Memoriam: Soe Hok-Gie |url=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/c91d5f66-ca1d-4fec-a871-2e364dbddfaf/content |journal=Indonesia |issue=9 |pages=225–227 |access-date=19 April 2026}} Soe Hok Gie once knew historical praxis and writing over pre-independence socialism, especially ''Di Bawah Lentera Merah,'' where he examined the radical left within the [[Sarekat Islam]] in [[Semarang]] for his thesis. Writing that "Sosialisme ala [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon|Proudhoun]]" appeared without criticism and that nihilist tendencies were visible, with admiring accounts of [[Russian nihilist movement|Russian nihilists]] and "heroisme ala [[Mikhail Bakunin|Bakunin]]."{{Cite book |last=Soe |first=Hok Gie |url=https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Di_bawah_lentera_merah.html?id=CnJwAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y |title=Di bawah lentera merah: riwayat Sarekat Islam Semarang, 1917-1920 |date=1999 |publisher=Yayasan Bentang Budaya |page= |pages=34, 88 |language=id}} Arguing that Marxist tendencies in Indonesia was attributed to the nihilist movement.{{Cite web |title=Bakunins Ghost and the 1926 Indonesia Communist Uprising {{!}} Southeast Asian Anarchist Library |url=https://sea.theanarchistlibrary.org/library/bima-satria-putra-bakunins-ghost-and-the-1926-indonesia-communist-uprising-en |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=sea.theanarchistlibrary.org}}

During Sukarno's [[Guided Democracy in Indonesia|Guided Democracy era]], Indonesia was governed under a political system introduced in 1959, when Sukarno ended the unstable parliamentary order and restored the [[Constitution of Indonesia|1945 Constitution]], which greatly strengthened the presidency. In practice it meant a much more centralized and authoritarian state, with Sukarno holding a dominant position above all parties and parliament. Sukarno's [[Guided democracy|Guided Democracy]] would later be toppled by Suharto's [[New Order (Indonesia)|New Order]]. Amidst the milieu of two authoritarian regimes, student movements became rife for the calls of reformation. Notably amongst the student movement was that of [[Soe Hok Gie]], who became famous in the 1960s for his sharp criticism of power.{{Cite journal |last=Maxwell |first=John R. |date=1997 |title=Soe Hok-Gie : a biography of a young Indonesian intellectual |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1885/109694 |journal=Australian National University |language=en}} [[Ben Anderson (journalist)|Ben Anderson]] described Soe Hok Gie as "[...] uncomfortable when associated with authority, instinctively seeing power as the last enemy of morality."{{cite journal |last=Anderson |first=Ben |date=April 1970 |title=In Memoriam: Soe Hok-Gie |url=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/c91d5f66-ca1d-4fec-a871-2e364dbddfaf/content |journal=Indonesia |issue=9 |pages=225–227 |access-date=19 April 2026}} Soe Hok Gie once knew historical praxis and writing over pre-independence socialism, especially ''Di Bawah Lentera Merah,'' where he examined the radical left within the [[Sarekat Islam]] in [[Semarang]] for his thesis. Writing that "Sosialisme ala [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon|Proudhoun]]" appeared without criticism and that nihilist tendencies were visible, with admiring accounts of [[Russian nihilist movement|Russian nihilists]] and "heroisme ala [[Mikhail Bakunin|Bakunin]]."{{Cite book |last=Soe |first=Hok Gie |url=https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Di_bawah_lentera_merah.html?id=CnJwAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y |title=Di bawah lentera merah: riwayat Sarekat Islam Semarang, 1917-1920 |date=1999 |publisher=Yayasan Bentang Budaya |page= |pages=34, 88 |language=id}} Arguing that Marxist tendencies in Indonesia was attributed to the nihilist movement.{{Cite web |title=Bakunins Ghost and the 1926 Indonesia Communist Uprising {{!}} Southeast Asian Anarchist Library |url=https://sea.theanarchistlibrary.org/library/bima-satria-putra-bakunins-ghost-and-the-1926-indonesia-communist-uprising-en |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=sea.theanarchistlibrary.org}}