Family Details

Name :

Fatmawati

Kinship :

Wife

Brief History :

Fatmawati is a daughter from a couple namely Hasan Din and Chadijah born on 5 February, 1923. A name of Fatmawati means Lotus flower. The little Fatmawati used to call with �Ma�, instead of Fat just like in the future day she called. The was an interseting incident when Fatmawati was four years old, a famous fortune teller from India read the hand fate of Hasan Din. The famous fortune teller said that someday if she grown up, she will marry with a man has the highest position in this country. Hasan Din was not just trusted on the fortune-teller, as in that time the highest position held by a dutchman while the local person have their highest position as the district chief. When she was six years old, Fatmawati had her school at the Gedang (a public school) but in 1930 she moved to a school with the dutch language (HIS). When she was the third grade, Fatmawati again moved by her father to HIS Muhammadiyah and because of that Hasan Din should left his job at Borsumij.
Hasan Din experienced with economic problems which were quite hard and to lighter her parents burdens, Fatmawati helped her parents sold peanuts fried by her mother or watched over a small stall in front of her house. Finally Din Hasan's family eventually moved to Palembang and tried to open a printing business, while Fatmawati continued her grade 4 and grade 5 in HIS Muhammadiyah Palembang. One day Fatmawati invited by his father to get in touch with a movement prominent figure exiled to Bengkulu, he is Ir. Sukarno. The first impression of Fatmawati against Sukarno at the time was a modest figure, has a bright eye shine, firm body and broad smiling. Sukarno family relationship with Hasan Din family had been interwoven with a similar thought to promote and change the life of a nation that is increasingly oppressed. With Sukarno�s support Fatmawati also took her school at RK Vakschool even though she stuck with the requirements to complete the first HIS school. Fatmawati has been considered close to the families of Sukarno, asked for Sukarno's opinion regarding the marriage proposal from a young man, son of the chief disctrict. When she said that, she looked on Sukarno�s face that sudently changed and finally in a low and weight voice Sukarno expressed his feeling. Fatmawati very surprised when she found out that actually Sukarno had fallen in love with her at the first sight but he did not express his feeling as Fatmawati was still too young. Fatmawati very nervous, as a woman she did not want to betray her womanhood because Sukarno was a married man thus finally said her restlessness to her father. Not long after that came news that Soekarno�s marriage with Inggit Garnasih has been ended. Fatmawati and Bung Karno were separated because of the rapid transition from the Dutch colonial to the Japanese army, but through his friends Bung Karno gave her news and set for a marriage. Fatmawati married with Sukarno when she was 20 years in July 1942. After the wedding, Fatmawati left Bengkulu accompanied by both parents to Jakarta. Fatmawati relationship with her husband is very harmonious, Sukarno opened his views about the struggle of the Indonesian nation and always give attention. In 1944 she birth her first son named with Muhammad Guntur Soekarno Putra.
The Japanese officials having close relationship with Bung Karno also welcomed his birth, even General Yamamoto named Muhammad Guntur with a name of Osamu, Around mid-August 1945 Japan defeated by the Allied forces. Fatmawati faced such a hard problem as Bung Karno and Bung Hatta were accused as the henchmen of Japan, but Fatmawati remains convinced that her husband might not betrayed the struggle of the Indonesian nation. On 17 August 1945, Fatmawati saw many people gathered at his house and called Bung Karno to get out from the house and taking action. In the same morning, about nine o'clock located at jalan Pegangsaan Timur Jakarta, the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence read. After reading the Proclamation, Jakarta increasingly under terrible situation so that on September 19, Bung Karno apoke before thousands of people in the Ikada yard Jakarta.
In accompanying Bung Karno as President, the appearance Fatmawati kept modest, she gave good example for Indonesian women both in attitude, behavior and dressing as well. Wherever go, Fatmawati always wore a purdash that became her trademark and Bung Karno always praised. Fatmawati also accompanied Bung Karno when he was forced to migrate to Yogyakarta and then they had their second child, named Megawati Soekarno Putri. The birth of her second child was just in time of Maghrib on January 23, 1946 and marked by very heavy rain accompanied by the sound of thunder. The most incident made her sad was when she demanded to be independent because of Bung Karno and Bung Hatta should be exiled to the island of Bangka, while his family was not allowed to participate. When the war ended, Soekarno - Hatta back to Yogyakarta Airport and later sworn in as the President and Vice President of the United Republic of Indonesia and then they moved to Jakarta. On 27 September 1951 another daughter of Fatmawati named Dyah Permana Rachmawati was born. Following the fourth child named Dyah Mutiara Sukmawati. Fatmawati desired to have another boy and knock on touch wood with the birth of Muhammad Guntur Irianto Sukarno Putra on January 13, 1953. After the birth of Guntur, Sukarno asked permission to marry again with Hartini and Fatmawati asked Sukarno to send her back to her parents and settled their problems as soon as possible. Fatmawati remained in her principle on disagreement with polygamy which disregard to the women�s dignity and she choosed to divorce with her husband. Fatmawati died on May 14, 1980, after taking small pilgrimage because of heart attack when her plane stoped in Kuala Lumpur in her flight to Jakarta from Mecca. She was burried at the public cemetery Karet Jakarta.
Source: Indonesian Mother in Memories by Nurinwa Ki S. Hendrowinoto, et al.
Publiched by Gramedian Script Bank in cooperation with the Indonesian Biography Foundation, 2004

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