In their essay, John Mansford Prior and Alle Hoekema (2008, 763) regard Amir Sjarifoeddin as a prophetic liberationist decades before the advent of liberation theology. They describe him as an outstanding leader who combined fervent nationalism, romantic socialism and prophetic Christianity. Moreover, his faith was a source of personal empowerment, which equipped him with a future-oriented social solidarity well beyond his Batak ethnic roots and personal Christian commitment; a particularly new thing in pre-independent Indonesia. Amir was regarded as the prototype of a political Christian (Simatupang 1976, 97) in a time when usually Indonesian Christians have to choose between maintaining loyalty to the Dutch colonial government or to join the nationalist movement and suppress their Christian identity (Wellem 2009, xxi). Amir also accused the pietist churches’ leaders of not preaching a socio-political role of the prophets (Prior 2003, 157). Throughout his life, Amir was indeed a significant figure in the nationalist movements, fighting for Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch occupation. Unfortunately, due to his involvement in the Madiun Affair in 1948, where eventually he was executed as a communist, his legacy has not received the credit it deserved, much less in the Indonesian theological discourse.
In this essay, I seek to find how Amir’s life and Christian conviction have fruitfully contributed to the Christian message of liberation from oppressive powers by focusing on his involvement in the effort to claim Indonesia’s independence, up until his actions as Indonesian Prime Minister leading to the Renville Agreement in January 1948. My thesis is that Amir’s life presents an interesting take on Christian freedom in the context of colonialism—namely, not only is freedom a collective goal against oppression, it must also be pursued with a focus on the safety of the people’s lives.
First, an introduction to Amir’s life is warranted here. In Gerry van Klinken’s (2025) apt description, Amir was born in 1907 in a respected Batak Muslim family. He completed his secondary school at a Gymnasium in the Netherlands, before finally returning to Indonesia to study law in Batavia (now Jakarta) in 1927. Here, he was heavily involved in both Kongres Pemuda (Youth Congress), eventually pledging their unity in Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Pledge). In 1931, He was baptized into Christianity, a religion that he had gradually become interested in when he was still in the Netherlands. Imprisoned by the Japanese colonial authorities in 1943 until he was freed after Indonesia’s independence two years later, held ministerial positions in several cabinets and was the prime minister who signed the unpopular Renville Agreement in January 1948. Due to the backlash caused by it, he resigned his position shortly afterward, joined the opposition from the Communist Party, and was ultimately executed in December 1948.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding him in the latter part of his life, it suffices to say that he dedicated his life for the well being of Indonesia; an act that, for him, was deeply rooted in his Christian faith. Amir believed that Indonesian Christians ware an integral part of the nation and, thus, their participation in reclaiming Indonesia’s freedom was equally important. However, he also opined that this participation should have a robust Christian theological foundation. Amir did not find the answer to this question until his death (Wellem 2009, 84). Nevertheless, through his drive and his activities, I argue that his theological vision of freedom, despite lacking any articulated definition, started with active participation against colonialism. He committed himself to this principle as reflected in his non-cooperative political stance from his membership in the Indonesian Party and the Indonesian People’s Movement, his writings published in newspapers, and his controversial political speeches against colonialism. One particularly significant speech was delivered during Indonesia’s first ecumenical Christmas celebration in 1942, amid the Japanese occupation, resulting in his capture two months later. The same spirit remained within him in the post-independence era. Perhaps one of his speeches could help us understand his passionate drive. He proclaimed “Our Constitution demands that each citizen be made free, free from hunger, from poverty, and from ignominy . . . To gain the freedom . . . we will fight with all the passion that is given to us . . . FREEDOM!” (Sjarifoeddin 1946).
Another significant Amir’s perspective on freedom can be seen in his role in negotiating the Renville Agreement. It is widely acknowledged that the agreement’s outcome was more harmful than doing any good to Indonesia. Demonstrators gathered in Jogjakarta and called for Amir’s resignation from the cabinet shortly afterward (Mrázek 2024, 184). However, another important factor behind Amir’s seemingly compliant attitude needed to be noted here. Amir realized that if the agreement was not reached and military exercise followed, the Indonesian National Army did not have the ability to withstand the Dutch forces. This would inevitably lead to numerous Indonesian casualties. At one point in the negotiations, the Dutch representatives threatened that if their demands were not met, they would ask instructions from Den Haag, raising the possibility of military escalation (Wellem 2009, 177). Amir certainly believed and longed for a truly independent Indonesia, but he also understood that if the people were killed, there would eventually be no Indonesia at all. Thus, I argue that in this unpopular course of action, Amir actually sends an important message that freedom needs to be pursued with a strong emphasis placed on the safety of human lives.
Through Amir’s life and what he fought for, I contend that he is truly a liberation theologian avant la lettre. Although he had no robust theological writing on liberation and freedom, he made up for it through his action. In the words of Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, he compensated it with prophetic, life-affirming practice against the colonials (Orobator 2021, 83). In the end, in this description, I wish to promote Amir Sjarifoeddin as a liberationist whose life offers fruitful contributions to Christian theology because he indeed, in Ivan Petrella’s word, allows liberation theology to move beyond theory and discourse (Petrella 2017, 326).
Amir Sjarifoeddin (1907-1948) was a nationalist figure who was involved in Indonesia’s struggle for independence from colonial rule. Baptized into Christianity in 1931, he was an anomaly—his Christian faith motivated his fight for Indonesia’s independence at the time when usually one had to choose one or the other. However, due to the events of the latter part of his life, his legacy has not received the recognition it deserves. In this proposal, I wish to highlight Amir’s contributions to the Christian liberation message by focusing on his involvement within the efforts to claim Indonesia’s independence. My argument is that Amir’s message on Christian freedom is twofold: freedom is a collective goal against oppression, and it is something that needs to be pursued with a strong emphasis on the safety of the people’s lives.