23 Facts About Wikana

Wikana was an Indonesian minister and independence leader.

Wikana was one of the youths who forced Sukarno and Hatta to declare independence immediately after the surrender of the Japanese.

Wikana was the first Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sport.

Wikana's father was Raden Haji Soelaiman, from Demak, and his mother was Nonoh.

Wikana's brother was Winanta, an exile to Boven Digul, according to Soemarsono, one of youth leaders generation '45.

Wikana attended a Dutch-speaking Europeesch Lagere School and continued his study to a Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs school.

Wikana was a member of the Bandung branch of Partai Indonesia.

In 1935, Wikana went to Surabaya to head the Masjarakat Baroe weekly.

Wikana contributed to Menara Merah, an illegal PKI newssheet, and was responsible for the paper's circulation in West Java.

Around September or October 1944, Wikana offered Sjahrir a job as a lecturer at the Asrama Indonesia Merdeka, a school for Indonesian youths who had not graduated from high school.

Wikana then said that the youths had enough power to fight back Japanese physically.

Wikana replied that he and the youths did not want to be responsible for any consequences if the declaration were not made immediately.

Wikana subsequently joined the Angkatan Pemuda Indonesia, later becoming the chairman.

Wikana went with Soemarsono to Yogyakarta to attend the First Youth Congress on 10 November 1945.

Wikana was the State Minister of Youth Affairs during two cabinets led by Sjahrir cabinet and two cabinets led by Amir Sjarifuddin.

One week before the first appointment, though, on behalf of the Persatuan Perjuangan, Wikana stated that he did not want to be in the cabinet.

Under Amir Sjarifuddin, Wikana served from July 1947 to January 1948.

Wikana lived in Yogyakarta during the revolution Indonesia's capital moved to the city.

Wikana was appointed by Hatta as military governor of Surakarta.

On 1 September 1948, Wikana was elected secretary of the youth section of the PKI politbureau.

Wikana remained a member of the Central Committee of the PKI until 7 January 1951 when the new leaders of the party were announced.

Later, in December 1956, Wikana was appointed as secretary of the party fraction in the assembly.

Wikana's family made enquiries with military units, but Wikana was never seen again.