Indonesia’s initial federal constitution of 1949 was replaced in 1950 by a unitary but provisional constitution. The president held an essential figurehead role in this parliamentary system. Indonesia had inherited a multiparty system from the revolutionary period. All Indonesian political parties claimed to follow some form of socialism in the 1950s. The first general election in independent Indonesia took place on September 29, 1955. Almost 38 million people participated in the election. Sukarno’s PNI won a slim majority with 22.3 percent of the votes and fifty-seven seats in the House of Representatives.
Vice President Hatta stepped down in 1956, and Sukarno announced his plan for Indonesia’s government in February 1957. Criticizing Western liberal democracy as inappropriate for Indonesia, he called for a “government with guidance” system based on indigenous procedures. Almost continuous crises marked the next two years. Following the resignation of the second Ali government, a “state of war and siege” was declared, and a nonpartisan government was formed under Djuanda Kartawidjaja.
Below are some vintage photos that show everyday life in Indonesia in 1952.
