Why Sukarno Chose Oei Tjoe Tat as Minister
Oei Tjoe Tat was appointed a minister because of his work in civic organizations. He became close to President Sukarno's family.
On a seemingly ordinary afternoon in late November 1963, the telephone at the headquarters of the Indonesian Party (Partindo) in Jakarta rang. A woman by the name of Rika, identified as Kwee Loan Nio's wife in the source, answered the call. She delivered unsettling news; her husband, Oei Tjoe Tat, had been summoned to meet President Sukarno at the Bogor Palace the following day.
Oei Tjoe Tat, a man who had never held a private meeting with Sukarno and could count his encounters with the President on one hand, was utterly perplexed by the sudden invitation. He sought counsel from his mother, Desita Atma Brunier, better known as Oei Ling Siem, who happened to be residing in France at the time of the story's publication on July 15, 2026. Desita recounted the events to Tempo, expressing her shock upon learning of the invitation from her husband.
The news brought Partindo's daily meeting to an abrupt halt, with everyone present feeling stunned and apprehensive. They feared the summons might be a hoax or a trap set by opponents of Partindo. Consequently, the decision was made to accompany Oei Tjoe Tat to Bogor Palace, involving several other party leaders such as Sardjono and Sumarsono.
Before making the journey to Bogor, Oei Tjoe Tat attempted to discern the reason behind his summons by consulting trusted individuals close to the President. These included Siauw Giok Tjhan, Chair of the Indonesian Citizenship Consultative Body (Baperki), as well as Partindo Chair and former Minister of State Anak Marhaen Hanafi. However, despite their inquiries, none of them could fathom the reason behind the unexpected summons to the Bogor Palace.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
