Hamid Algadri or Hamid Al-Gadri (, ; 1912-1998) was an Indonesian independence fighter and was meritorious in negotiating the Linggadjati Agreement, Renville Agreement, Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference (, ) and one of the members of parliament in the founding days of the Republic of Indonesia.
Early life
Hamid was born in Pasuruan on July 10, 1912. In the beginning, he had difficulty in securing entry to a Dutch elementary school, Europeesche Lagere School due to his non-Caucasian race and age, succeeding only after his father lied about his age to look two years older and persistence of his grandfather by threatening to return his medal of Netherlands if Hamid was not admitted. His father was an Arab Muwallad named Muhammad, and his paternal grandfather named Alim Algadri, a Hadhrami descent born in Surat, India who married a local Indian woman and later migrated to East Java and was given the position as the Kapitan Arab in Pasuruan, a position in the colonial system solely for Arab Indonesians. He had a younger brother, Ali, a businessman and former diplomat who was born in 1918 and served as an Indonesian ambassador in Myanmar from 1949 until 1950. His grandfather started selling horses before becoming a successful businessman in real-estate. From this mixed family life, Hamid mastered Indonesian, Javanese and Urdu, besides Dutch from his formal education.
He received his basic education from ELS, which he continued to middle school (MULO) 1928 - 1933, and AMS (High school) majoring in Classical Western civilizations from 1933 to 1936. In 1930 Hamid affiliated himself in Jong Islamieten Bond (JIB) in Surabaya, a youth organization initiated by nationalist activists such as Agus Salim. He moved to Batavia in 1936 and became student in the Recht Hoge School (RHS, law school) in Batavia, but was unable to finish because the University was closed during Japanese occupation in 1942. After Indonesian Independence and with the initiative of Prof. Djokosoetono (the first Dean of the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia and co-founder of Indonesian Police Academy), he was able to earn his master in de rechten (MR, Master in Law) in 1952. He was the first Arab-Indonesian who entered the university. At the university, Hamid was active in youth organizations within or outside campus, such as at Perhimpunan Pelajar-Pelajar Indonesia (PPPI, Indonesian Student Association), Indonesia Muda (Young Indonesia), Studenten Islam Studie Club, Unitas Studiosorum Indonesisensis and Baperpi (Badan Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia, Indonesian Student Association Board). His youth career was such as being an editor of USI magazine and as vice president of Baperpi.
While still as student, Hamid joined the Arab Union of Indonesia (Persatuan Arab Indonesia or PAI) which was established in 1934 by AR Baswedan.
Career
Hamid Algadri worked in the Secretariat of the Prime Minister. One day he accompanied Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and his entourage in a special train going from Jakarta to Yogyakarta in the late 1945. Riding in the special train some high-ranking Indonesian officials such as Djokosutono, Tanuwijaya Djojohadikusomo and Didi Kartasasmita. He later moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, later as Secretary of the Ministry of Information as well as a member of the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP).
When Sjahrir became head of KNIP, Hamid who was in Pasuruan was summoned and given the task to work in Jakarta. At that time Soedjatmoko, Soedarpo, Soebadio Sastrosatomo were called de jongens van Sjahrir (the children of Sjahrir). Hamid Algadri was also included in it and became member of the working committee of KNIP. During this period (1945 - 1949) he was also a high ranking official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Executive secretary of the Ministry of Information under Minister Mohammad Natsir, and editor of Sikap, a political magazine of PSI.