- Amir Murtono
Amir Murtono (
Kertosono ,East Java ,7 July 1924 ), also spelled Amir Moertono, was anIndonesia n General duringSuharto 's New Order regime who gained prominence as Chairman ofGolkar from 1973 to 1983.Early life
Amir Murtono was born on 7 July 1924 in Kertosono, East Java. He completed his primary and
secondary education by 1945. [ [http://www.pdat.co.id/hg/apasiapa/html/A/ads,20030617-12,A.html Apa dan Siapa - AMIR MOERTONO ] ]Military career
After the
Indonesian Declaration of Independence , Amir, like many his age joined the Military. He began as a Company Commander inSurabaya before being appointed Deputy Secretary of the Army Territorial Staff in the same city. He was then transferred toYogyakarta , the center of theIndonesian National Revolution and appointed Army Staff Personnel Organizer there. It was here that he became acquainted with Suharto. Amir became close enough to Suharto that he lodged at Suharto's house with Suharto's younger brother, Probosutejo [ [http://www.tokohindonesia.com/ensiklopedi/p/probosutedjo/biografi/02.shtml Probosutedjo, Sang Pejuang Cilik Berjiwa Mandiri | Biografi Tokoh Indonesia ] ] . Amir was also transferred to Suharto's Brigade.In 1948, when the Dutch took Yogyakarta, Suharto was forced to go into the woods to fight
guerilla warfare . Suharto entrusted his wife's security to Amir and instructed him to evacuate her if necessary. [ [http://www.soehartocenter.com/ibutien/biografi/index.shtml Biografi Siti Hartinah Soeharto - Ibu Tien | Soeharto Media Center - Soeharto Review ] ] In 1949, Amir took part in the 1st March General Offensives [ [http://www.munindo.brd.de/archiv/hanafi/han_03.html www.munindo.brd.de ] ] and was placed in charge of the troops attacking the city itself. When the Dutch began to consider retreating, Amir was placed in charge of the handling ofprisoners of war . He was also once again appointed a Personnels Officer at the Army headquarters.From this point on, Amir did not take any more field assignments. From 1950 to 1959, he was a legal advisor at the Army Headquarters and also took the opportunity to complete a course at the Military Laws Academy in 1957. In 1960, he was Chairman of the Mass Mobilization for the Liberation of West Irian National Front before being transferred to
KODAM VI/Siliwangi as its judicial officer. He was also Materials Assistant for the Development of Functional Potential at the Army Headquarters. In 1962, he became Chairman of the West Irian War Theater Field Council. The next year, in 1963, Amir graduated from the University of Military Laws and from there, he worked under ABRI Chief of StaffAbdul Haris Nasution as Deputy Secretary for Functional Affairs.New Order
When Suharto became President in 1968, Amir was appointed Director for ABRI's Social Political Development. In 1969, he held a similar position in the Ministry of Defense of Security as the Assistant for Social Political Development. In 1973, Amir was elected as the Chairman of Golkar and re-elected in 1978 before being replaced by
Sudharmono . During his 10 years as Chairman, Amir guided Golkar to victory in the 1977 and 1982 Legislative Elections with 62% and 64% of the votes respectively. [ [http://www.kpu.go.id/Sejarah/pemilu1977.shtml Pemilu 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, dan 1997 ] ] In 1982, Amir was elected Deputy Head of thePeople's Representative Council (DPR)/Vice Chairman of thePeople's Consultative Assembly (MPR). Whilst Deputy Head of DPR/Vice Chairman of MPR, Amir received aDoctorate fromChangsi University inTaiwan [ [http://www.pdat.co.id/hg/apasiapa/html/A/ads,20030617-12,A.html Apa dan Siapa - AMIR MOERTONO ] ]By his own accounts, Amir was deeply involved in Suharto's selection of his Vice Presidents. He was the man who delivered Suharto's message to
Hamengkubuwono IX , he suggestedAdam Malik and was the first man to be told when Suharto intended to pickUmar Wirahadikusumah . [ [http://www.hamline.edu/apakabar/basisdata/1997/03/26/0156.html [INDONESIA-P JWP - Amir Moertono b ] ]Personal life
Amir was married to Naniek Kusmani, with whom he had three children.
References
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