Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja Family, Founder of the United Development Party (PPP)

Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja (17 February 1921 – 20 October 1984) was an Indonesian politician and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the United Development Party, serving as its first chairman from 1973 until 1978.^[2]A leader of Parmusi and several organizations, including the Muslim Students' Association (Indonesia) and Muhammadiyah.^[3]

Born into a Muhammadiyah family, he studied at the Faculty of Law at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and the Faculty of Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of Indonesia. As a young man, he was active in Islamic Education Movement. Along with several other people, he founded the Muslim Students' Association (Indonesia) based in Yogyakarta. He became the second chairman of HMI after Lafran Pane. He was also active in the Student Regiment, a civilian force trained and military prepared to defend the NKRI. During his time in the Student Regiment, he assisted the Indonesian National Armed Forces in fighting the Dutch Politionele acties and crushing the Communist Party of Indonesia rebellion in Madiun.^[4]

After being appointed as the chairman of the Indonesian Muslims' Party by President Suharto as part of the government's efforts to regulate the turbulent in Parmusi. During his leadership, Parmusi participated in the 1971 elections. At that time, the party received 2,930,746 votes (5.36%) and 24 seats in the House of Representatives (Indonesia), the third largest after Golkar and Nahdlatul Ulama.^[5]He remained as its leader until the party merged on 5 January 1973, Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja founded the United Development Party together with Idham Chalid, Anwar Tjokroaminoto, Rusli Halil, and Masjkur which was the result of a merger of four Islamic-based parties, namely Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesian Muslims' Party, Indonesian Islamic Union Party, and Islamic Education MovementWith the combined results of the major Islamic-based parties, Ka'bah Partyproclaimed itself as the Great House of the Islamic People.^[6]

In popular culture

Until the end of the Indonesian National Revolution in 1949, very few Muslimstudents were able to enter university. One of them was Mintaredja, who attended the Faculty of Law at Gajah Mada University. This education influenced his subsequent organizational experiences.

Throughout his life, Mintaredja wrote several books. The books, listed by year of publication, include:

• 1968: Government and the Formation of the Indonesian Muslims' Party. Djakarta.
• 1968: The Struggle of the Muslim Community Experiences a 25-Year Setback. Djakarta.
• 1971: Reflections on the Renewal of Thought: Islamic Society and Politics in Indonesia. Jakarta: Permata.
• 1974: A Reflection and Revision of Ideas: Islam and Politics. Islam and State in Indonesia. Siliwangi.
• 1975: Rationalism versus Faith: Faith, Knowledge, and Deeds. Jakarta: Septenarius.
• 1976: Islam and Politics, Islam and the State in Indonesia: A Reflection and Renewal of Thought. Jakarta: Septenarius.
• 1977: The Young Generation from Age to Age. Jakarta: Septenarius.
• 1977: Married Life and the Hajj. Tunas Jaya.

In his books, Mintaredja's moderate views on Islam are evident. He was an early critic of the desire to establish an Islamic state.This was not only because the Indonesian nation is diverse, but also because, according to him, there is no strong basis in the Qur'an and Hadith for establishing such a state. Mintaredja also criticized the Masyumi which placed too much emphasis on ideological issues and ignored economic and welfare issues which were actually equally important.^[7] Apparently, this view was what enabled Mintaredja to enter the inner circle of the New Order (Indonesia)government, at least in its early periods.^[8]

Political career

Mintaredja has held leadership positions in various organizations and political parties, and has also held several governmentpositions. The following is a list of the organizations he has led and the positions he held, listed chronologically.^[9]

Muslim Students' Association (HMI)

Main article: Muslim Students' Association (Indonesia)

Mintaredja became the chairman of HMI starting on August 22 1947 or 6 months after HMI was founded February 5 1947.^[10] At that time, one of the founders and previous chairman of HMI, Lafran Pane, refreshed the HMI leadership. He chose Mintaredja to replace him as chairman, while he himself became vice chairman. At the time of his election, Mintaredja was a student at BPT Gajah Mada (now Gajah Mada University). By electing a student from a public university, rather than an Islamic one, HMI expanded its reach. It also avoided the impression that the organization belonged solely to students at the Islamic College, where the previous chairman had studied.

Subsequently, at the Second HMI Congress, Mintaredja was re-appointed as Chairman of the Central Executive Board (PB HMI) for the period 1947 to 1951. However, in December 1948, the Second Dutch Military Aggression occurred. Yogyakarta was occupied by the Dutch, scattering the HMI leadership. At that time, Mintaredja was on duty outside Yogyakarta, so the leadership of HMI was handed back to Lafran Pane.

Minister of State for Relations between the Government and the MPR, DPR-GR, and DPA

Mintaredja's first cabinet position was when he was appointed Minister of State for Government Relations with the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR/DPR-GR) and the Supreme Council (DPA) in the First Development Cabinet. The cabinet was formed on June 6, 1968, and inaugurated on June 10, 1968. On September 9, 1971, or 66 days after the 1971 Indonesian legislative election, a cabinet reshuffle was held. Several ministers were dismissed or reassigned. Mintaredja was also among those reassigned, as his previous field of work was eliminated after the reshuffle.^[11] He assumed a new position as Minister of Social Affairs, replacing the previous official, Albert Mangaratua Tambunan.

Indonesian Muslim's Party (Parmusi)

Mintaredja became Chairman of Parmusi when the party was experiencing a sharp conflict within its ranks.^[12] At that time, there was a conflict between the Djarnawi Hadikusumo group and the Djaelani Naro group. In such a situation, both conflicting parties handed over the leadership of the party entirely to President Suharto. ^[13] The President then intervened and resolved the problem by giving a party position to Mintaredja, ^[14] a Muhammadiyah figure who was serving as a state minister at the time.

The government saw that both parties agreed with the policies taken by the president at that time. ^[13] However, some consider that the events experienced by Parmusi were actually a form of intervention and engineering carried out by the New Order government against political parties, especially parties that carry religious aspirations (Islam), to control the life of the party. ^[12][15] Mintaredja's appointment as chairman was also seen as making Parmusi merely an accommodator of government policies, a stark contrast to the ideals of its founders, who hoped Parmusi would become a critical reincarnation of the Masyumi Party.^[16]However, Mintaredja remained the party's leader until the party merged in 1973.

During Mintaredja's leadership, Parmusi participated in the 1971 Indonesian legislative election. At that time, the party received 2,930,746 votes (5.36%) and won 24 seats in the DPR, or the third largest after Golkar and Nahdlatul Ulama Party.^[17]

Minister of Social Affairs

Mintaredja's first term as Minister of Social Affairs was from September 9, 1971, to March 28, 1973, in the post-reshuffle First Development Cabinet. At that time, he was still serving as the leader of Parmusi ^[18]

He held the position again in the Second Development Cabinet, from March 28, 1973, to March 29, 1978. One of the Ministry of Social Affairs' controversial initiatives during that period, specifically in 1974, was the introduction of a gambling system called "forecasting." The government even felt the need to send a team to England, where the system was first introduced, to study the gambling system. After two years of review, the Department of Social Affairs concluded that the forecast system is very simple and does not give the impression of mere gambling.^[19][20] However, the implementation of this idea, in the form of Porkas Football Prize Coupons, was only officially launched, distributed, and sold eleven years later, on December 28, 1985, when Mrs. Nani Soedarsono was the Minister of Social Affairs.

United Development Party (PPP)

Main article: United Development Party

Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja, as chairman of the Indonesian Muslims' Party (PARMUSI), was one of five PPP declarants on January 5 1973.^[21] The other four declarants were:

• Idham Chalid, Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Party (NU)
• Anwar Tjokroaminoto, Chairman of the Indonesian Islamic Union Party (PSII)
• Rusli Halil, Chairman of the Islamic Education Movement (PERTI)
• Masjkur, Chairman of the United Development Party in the House of Representatives (DPR) faction.

Subsequently, Idham Chalid, from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the most dominant group within the United Development Party (PPP), was appointed party president. This position was quite prestigious but less influential than Mintaredja's position as Chairman of the Central Executive Board (DPP). ^[22] President Suharto also approved the newly formed PPP leadership and expressed his gratitude because the fusion of former Islamic parties had fulfilled the MPR's decree^[23] and was implemented effectively democratic.^[24]

However, in its subsequent journey, the PPP encountered several clashes with the government during DPR sessions. One vocal and decisive figure within the party was Kiai Haji Bisri Syansuri, who served as president of the Consultative Assembly and came from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Conflicts arose, for example, when the Marriage Bill was brought to the DPR in 1973.^[22] The PPP rejected the bill because it contained provisions that contradicted Islamic law. Despite this, Mintaredja, along with Mukti Ali, the Minister of Religious Affairs at the time, was among the group that approved the bill. Mintaredja even stated that the bill was the product of the best thinking and did not conflict with Islam. However, 20 years later, in an interview, Mukti Ali revealed that their approval at the time was due to pressure.

The next confrontation occurred during the 1977 Indonesian legislative election. At that time, there was coercion on the people by the military and civilian authorities to vote for Golkar, accompanied by violence against PPP campaigners. ^[22] However, the election results were quite satisfactory because the PPP won 29 seats,^[25] meaning there were 5 additional seats compared to the previous election from parties that later merged into the United Development Party (PPP). The party even achieved a psychologically significant victory by defeating Golkar in the Special Capital Region of Jakarta and even securing an absolute majority in Aceh (formerly a stronghold of the Islamic Education Association). ^[22]

Another, more serious confrontation arose during the discussion of the General Guidelines of State Policy (GBHN) in the 1978 General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). The PPP strongly opposed the GBHN item, which equated belief systems with religions, to the point that they walked out of the session during the vote, thus insulting the government with their ideology. ^[22] As a result, Mintaredja was removed from his position as Chairman of the PPP Central Executive Board through political manipulation by Ali Murtopo. Without an invitation to a board meeting, let alone a congress, Djaelani Naro, a close associate of Ali Murtopo, announced himself as the new chairman. This was a leadership change that clearly violated the party's charter.

Ambassador of Indonesia to Turkey

Although many oppose the notion that the ambassador is a "throwaway position" for those who no longer serve as ministers,^[26]Mintaredja's last position in government after he was not re-elected as a minister in the Third Development Cabinet. The country where he served as ambassador until 1983 was Turkey. ^[27]

Personal life

Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja had several children. His first child, Evac Syafruddin Mintaredja, decided not to follow in his father's footsteps and chose to start his career from the bottom. He became Head of the Media Bureau at the Ministry of State Secretariat under Vice President Jusuf Kalla.^[28] Evac's son, Arie Syafriandi Mintaredja, also chose to become an entrepreneur, down to the fourth generation, Alvaro Rafi Syafaat Mintaredja or better known as Alvaro Mintaredja who was seen returning to actively represent the family in the PPP since 2025 after the party founded by his great-grandfather, Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja, failed to qualify for the House of Representatives (DPR) in the 2024 Indonesian Legislative Election for the first time in history. He was also seen with President Jokowi at the wedding of President Abdurrahman Wahid's nephew who is a close relative of the Mintaredja Family. Gus Dur or Abdurrahman Wahid is also known as the founder of the National Awakening Party (PKB). and hopes that with Alvaro Mintaredja and the active role of the Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja Family, the United Development Party (PPP) can return to occupy Senayan (DPR) in 2029. Sandiaga Uno, who is a new PPP cadre, also expressed his concern and apologized for this incident and invited all PPP cadres to remain enthusiastic.

Family

Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja is married to a woman named Siti Romlah. Their first child, Evac Syafruddin Mintaredja, is married to Sri Widiarsih, daughter of Raden Danoe Soegito, and they have a son, Arie Syafriandi Mintaredja, who is married to Fanny Eldiana and has a son, Alvaro Rafi Syafaat Mintaredja. 

Children: 

1. Evac Syafruddin Mintaredja, married to Sri Widiarsih, daughter of Raden Danoe Soegito 

Grandchildren: 

1. Arie Syafriandi Mintaredja, married to Fanny Eldiana
2. Lia Siti Syafruliana, married to Novie Kresna Surosaputra
3. Siti Halimah Syafrimilawardani, married to Michael Tjandrajaya

Great-grandchildren:

1. Alvaro Rafi Syafaat Mintaredja
2. Jemima Nesha Syafrilatifah
3. Amanda Kanaela Surosaputra
4. Anindia Refa Syafina
5. Rachel Nathania Syafitri

Honours

As a tribute to Mintaredja's services, The Cimahi City Government, starting on November 10, 2006, named one of its streets after him "Jalan H.M.S. Mintaredja, S.H." (Haji Mohammad Syafaat Mintaredja Bachelor Of Laws Street)^[29] Cimahi is also nicknamed the Army City because of its long history of a military education center and headquarters for various army units in Indonesia, and is also nicknamed the Green City because of its natural beauty.^[30] The sign is located not far from Mintaredja's residence on H. Haris Street The 1.5 km long road connects Baros Street, Baros Toll Gate, and Mahar Martanegara Street.