Siti Hartinah

Raden Ayu Siti Hartinah (23 August 1923 – 28 April 1996) was the wife of the second Indonesian president, Suharto and former First Lady of Indonesia from 1967 until 1996. She is usually known as Ibu Tien to Indonesians, but is also known as Siti Hartinah Soeharto (the difference in spelling is due to Dutch Colonial era spelling).

R. Ay. Hj.

Siti Hartinah
1990s official Presidential Portrait
2nd First Lady of Indonesia
In role
12 March 1967 – 28 April 1996
Preceded byFatmawati
Succeeded bySiti Hardiyanti Rukmana (acting)
Hasri Ainun Habibie
Personal details
Born(1923-08-23)23 August 1923
Surakarta, Surakarta Sunanate
Died28 April 1996(1996-04-28) (aged 72)
Jakarta, Indonesia
Resting placeAstana Giribangun
Spouse(s)
Suharto (m. 1947)
Children6, including Tutut,[1] Titiek, and Tommy
Signature

Madame Suharto was also widely acknowledged to be a close confidant and political advisor to Suharto.[2]

Biography

Siti Hartinah was distantly related to the Mangkunegaran Royal household.[3] Some commentators state that her honorific title of Raden Ayu was reserved only for faithful commoner courtiers or servants (abdi dalem) of the Mangkunegaran court.

She married Suharto on 26 December 1947 in Surakarta using a traditional Javanese ceremony. The Javanese custom was for the bride's family to pay the bulk of the wedding costs. Suharto apparently drove there in a battered De Soto sedan. Suharto stated that the marriage was initially not one of romantic love, but they did eventually grow to love each other devotedly, a type of marriage that was very common for many Javanese of that era.[3] Three days after their marriage, Siti Hartinah was taken by Suharto to live in his Yogyakarta house at Jalan Merbabu 2.[3]

Her marriage was initiated by Suharto's foster mother at the time, Ibu (Mrs) Prawirowiharjo, who sought an audience with her mother. Ibu Prawirowiharjo cultivated a close relationship with her mother, a family in Suharto's own words as "well regarded and respected in the city of Solo"[4]

Siti Hartinah became to be known in Indonesia as "Madame Tien". Many Javanese saw her as one of the major causes of Suharto's own power.

Siti Hartinah is interred beside her husband in the Astana Giribangun mausoleum complex in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java.[2]

Family
Siti Hartinah and Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld in 1971

Suharto and Siti Hartinah had six children, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (Tutut), Sigit Harjojudanto (Sigit), Bambang Trihatmodjo (Bambang), Siti Hediati (Titiek), Hutomo Mandala Putra (Tommy) and Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih (Mamiek), and 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Notes
  1. Berger, Marilyn (January 28, 2008). "Suharto Dies at 86; Indonesian Dictator Brought Order and Bloodshed". New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  2. Budiardjo, Carmel (April 29, 1996)"Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: unfit url (link) . hamline.edu
  3. Elson, 23
  4. Elson, 22

References
  • Suharto: A Political Biography. Robert Edward Elson. Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-521-77326-1
  • Siti Hartinah Soeharto : First Lady of Indonesia. Abdul Gafur. PT. Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada, 1992. ISBN unknown
  • Who's Who in Indonesia. Mahiddin Mahmud. Gunung Agung, 1990. ISBN unknown
Political offices
Preceded by
Fatmawati		 First Lady of Indonesia
12 March 1967 – 28 April 1996		 Succeeded by
Vacant
Hasri Ainun Habibie (1998)
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