The Cikini Incident or Cikini Affair (Indonesian: Peristiwa Cikini), also known in Indonesia as the Cikini Tragedy (Indonesian: Tragedi Cikini), was an assassination attempt against President Sukarno of Indonesia. On 30 November 1957, Sukarno attended the fifteenth anniversary celebrations of the Cikini School in Cikini, Jakarta, with his son Guntur and daughter Megawati. While his children entered the school to watch a film, Sukarno walked towards his limousine as a crowd gathered around him. When he was approximately halfway to the vehicle, five grenades were thrown from individuals hidden within the crowd. Sukarno was initially thrown to the ground by his aide Sudarto, who then worked with two bodyguards to rush him into a building across the street.
Although Sukarno escaped the attack unscathed, delivering a brief speech to the nation shortly afterwards, the grenades killed several bystanders and wounded dozens more, with most of the casualties being children. The Indonesian military arrested more than seventy individuals by the end of December, and unsuccessfully pursued former intelligence chief Zulkifli Lubis as the potential mastermind. Four attackers—Saadon bin Mohammed, Tasrif bin Hussein, Jusuf Ismail, and Moh. Tasim bin Abubakar—were found guilty at trial in 1958; three were sentenced to death and one to twenty years' imprisonment. All were members of the Anti-Communist Movement led by Lubis; a number were also affiliated with the Islamic party Masyumi. Fallout from the attack led several Masyumi leaders to flee Jakarta for Sumatra, ended government negotiations with dissident groups, and exacerbated anti-Dutch sentiment. Sukarno, who ruled Indonesia until 1967 and survived several further attacks, later came to believe that the Central Intelligence Agency had orchestrated attempts on his life.
Background
Sukarno became the President of Indonesia on 17 August 1945, the day he proclaimed the nation's independence. He led the country through a four-year national revolution against returning Dutch colonial forces, which ended in December 1949 with formal recognition of Indonesian sovereignty. The new country implemented a parliamentary system and in 1955 Indonesia held its first legislative election. Sukarno remained the country's president, though his critics accused him of lacking a coherent political vision and focusing excessively on personal pleasures.
At the same time, his government faced several challenges to its rule. Groups such as the Dewan Banteng (lit. 'Bull Council') and Dewan Gajah ('Elephant Council') in Sumatra, decried the national government's treatment of less developed areas outside Java. Meanwhile, the Darul Islam rebellion clashed with government forces through the 1950s in its efforts to establish an Islamic state. To control unrest, Sukarno attempted to reach compromises with dissident groups, though he also had plans for "Guided Democracy" that would unite feuding political parties under his singular rule.
Attack
On 30 November 1957, President Sukarno attended the fifteenth anniversary celebration of the Cikini School at 76 Cikini Street in Cikini, Jakarta, a combined primary and junior secondary school popular with the city's elites. Speaking with Cindy Adams in the 1960s, he recalled that more than five hundred guests were in attendance, as well as teachers, children, and thousands of spectators. The school celebrations included numerous forms of entertainment, including games and stage performances, and Sukarno spent time with his children Guntur and Megawati, both students of the school. A third child, Rachmawati, was enrolled at Cikini but not in attendance because she was sick.
After Sukarno delivered a speech, Guntur and Megawati reentered the school building to watch a film. Sukarno left, surrounded by a crowd. He headed across the schoolyard for his limousine, a Chrysler Imperial known as Indonesia 1. At 20:55 Java Time, Sukarno was about halfway to his car. Soon after the commander of his escort called "Attention!", the sound of a gunshot was heard. A grenade soon followed, the first of five thrown by individuals concealed in the crowd. Amidst the ensuing panic, exacerbated by numerous students exiting the school building, Sukarno was grabbed by his escort, Adjunct Police Inspector Sudio.
A second grenade was thrown at Sukarno from close range. The president was then thrown to the ground and covered by his aide, Major Sudarto. With two bodyguards, Sudarto grabbed Sukarno and pulled him past Indonesia 1, shortly before a third explosion destroyed its interior and wounded Sudarto. Fourth and fifth grenades followed, with the latter injuring one of the bodyguards. Speaking with the newspaper Sin Min after the incident, Sudarto recalled, "I realized that there was no other way to save the President's life from the danger other than sacrifice myself. ... We—Adjunct Police Inspector Sudio, Officer Oding [Suhendar], and myself—were the last line of defence."
Sukarno was brought across the street, initially seeking shelter in the home of a Dutch-Indonesian. Sukarno later recalled, "Lest the President of Indonesia meet his maker on Dutch territory, I scurried out and into another shelter." As Sukarno hid, Sudarto ordered the others to shoot anyone who approached. Because the telephone lines were down, they were unable to call for help. Nonetheless, a reserve car arrived to retrieve Sukarno at approximately 22:00 Java Time. Unable to go directly to Merdeka Palace due to closed railway gates, the president and his aides circled Jakarta's streets. Guntur and Megawati, meanwhile, were able to be brought from the school directly to the palace, where they awaited news from Sukarno.
Aftermath
Casualties
Sukarno was uninjured, as were his children. Initial reports indicated 7 fatalities among bystanders, with another 47 wounded. Among those killed were two members of the Presidential Guard, a pregnant woman, and several children. Sumaji, the director of the Cikini School, had been walking alongside Sukarno and was heavily wounded. Oding's thigh was ripped open, while Sudarto was hospitalized for an injury to his leg; Sudarto later received a promotion for his actions.
By midnight, more than seventy people had been hospitalized at the Central Hospital (now Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital) and the Cikini Hospital. The Indonesian government called for available doctors to immediately attend to victims, with responding physicians included Minister of Health Abdul Azis Saleh. The Indonesian Red Cross called for blood donations to support the wounded, with similar calls also being issued by the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). Further medical support was provided by the Soviet embassy.
Casualty figures increased to 9 deaths by 1 December, with casualties being mostly children. Fifty people remained in hospital. Subsequent casualty reports varied, with the number of fatalities ranging from nine to eleven. Reports of non-fatal wounds, meanwhile, ranged from at least 30 to 167.
Government response
Hours after the attack, Sukarno delivered a radio address on Radio Republik Indonesia, interrupting a wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) broadcast. In his brief speech, he praised God for his escape, called for calm and sympathy for the victims, and urged continued Indonesian unity. Representatives of diverse Indonesian political parties, including the Islamic political party Masyumi and the PKI, expressed their sympathies for Sukarno and the victims of the attack. Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting on 3 December 1957, former vice-president Mohammad Hatta expressed disbelief that such an attack could have been perpetrated in a nation that believed in God and humanitarian values, saying "If we love democracy, we must endeavour to the best of our abilities to eradicate such fascist methods from our sacred land." International leaders, including Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Marshal Kliment Voroshilov of the Soviet Union, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States, sent telegrams expressing their condolences for the casualties and congratulations for Sukarno's escape.
Security was increased for Hatta and members of Sukarno's cabinet, with additional guards deployed at government offices and other potentially vulnerable sites. Elsewhere, traffic leaving Jakarta was subject to search. The Indonesian military cancelled all leave and required its members to return to their posts. Minister of Education Prijono mandated that all schools fly their flags at half-mast on 2 December 1957 as a part of a day of mourning. The Cikini School remained closed in the immediate aftermath, with its grounds closely guarded.
Sukarno did not make a public appearance until 4 December, when he visited the wounded in hospital, and he postponed a planned trip to Latin America. Sukarno was deeply shaken by the assassination attempt, being described by Prime Minister Djuanda Kartawidjaja as "physically and mentally tired" and uncharacteristically losing his train of thought mid-sentence. He took a month-long sabbatical, beginning late December. During this period, Sartono served as acting president, leading to later-debunked rumours that Sukarno had been overthrown.
Investigation
Although no suspects were initially reported, the Indonesian military initiated an expansive search and launched multiple raids. By 2 December, they announced that two individuals had been arrested in connection to the attack, with another wave of arrests the following day. By the end of December 1957, the Indonesian military reported 71 detentions, including several foreign citizens. Many of those arrested were accused of participating in other, unrealized plots, including attacks against Prime Minister Djuanda and General Abdul Haris Nasution.
The Indonesian government identified Zulkifli Lubis as the mastermind behind the attack. Previously serving as the first director of the State Intelligence Agency, Lubis had established the Anti-Communist Movement (Gerakan Anti-Komunis, GAK) in 1957 and promoted anti-government viewpoints. Based on testimonies from captured members of the movement, he was accused of working with the Darul Islam movement, and an arrest warrant was issued on 22 January 1958. An associate of Lubis's, Saleh Ibrahim, was also sought. Neither man was arrested, and they both fled to West Sumatra.
Four youths had been identified as the attackers and arrested by 5 December 1957. Two of them, Jusuf Ismail and Tasrif bin Hussein, were teachers, while the youngest was a student named Saadon bin Mohammed. The fourth was an unemployed man named Moh. Tasim bin Abubakar. These attackers, most of whom came from Bima or Sumbawa, were found staying in a dormitory near the school. All were members of GAK, and suspected by investigators to have been influenced by Darul Islam. During interrogation, the youths stated that they had begun preparations several months in advance. Initially expecting Sukarno to seek shelter in his limousine, they had targeted the vehicle and been slow to react to the emerging situation. As their motivation, the youths cited Sukarno's continued support for the PKI, which they identified as detrimental to Muslim groups. They identified Lubis as having shaped their anti-government views and Ibrahim as giving the command to execute the attack.
Trial
On 11 December 1957, the Indonesian military announced that the four youths would be tried by military tribunal consisting of three officers. Trials began in April 1958, with Lieutenant Colonel Hadi Purnomo, Major Amir Murtomo, and Major Sucipto presiding. Prosecution was handled by Major Surosejono, with the defence provided by an army captain. The trials were covered extensively in the Indonesian press, with testimonies printed verbatim.
In his testimony, Tasrif denounced Sukarno as a "mere orator" and kafir (unbeliever) who "had to be eliminated". Jusuf, who was identified in court as having planned the attack, described Sukarno as the "chief protector of the Communists". Co-defendant Saadon argued that violence would achieve his goals more quickly than waiting for parliament. The youths also stated that they had already perpetrated several previous attacks to advance an Islamic state and to have planned further attacks on other national leaders. The American historian Audrey Kahin writes that their testimony in court was likely prompted by the government.
All defendants pled guilty, and the prosecution sought death penalties for Saadon, Tasrif, and Jusuf, and twenty years' imprisonment for Tasim. The application of the death penalty was widely supported by the Indonesian public, and before the verdict was returned anonymous notices were posted on nearby buildings calling for the executions of all four defendants. Thousands of Indonesians attended the court on 13 August 1958 to hear the judges return their verdict: guilty. Saadon, Tasrif, and Jusuf were sentenced to death. After their appeal was denied, they were executed by firing squad on 28 May 1960 in what The New York Times described as likely the first time the death sentence had been implemented in independent Indonesia. Tasim was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment.