Great Indonesia Party

Perindra second congress, Bandung, 1939

The first Parindra was established in December 1935 as a result of a merger between the Budi Utomo political society and the Indonesian National Union (Perserikatan Bangsa Indonesia) with the aim of working with the Dutch to secure Indonesian independence.[1][2] It was led by Raden Soetomo, Mohammad Husni Thamrin, Susanto Tirtoprodjo, Sukarjo Wiryopranoto and Woerjaningrat, and became the most influential Indonesian grouping in the Volksraad, the notionally legislative body established by the Dutch.[3] In May 1939, Thamrin was the main driving force behind the merger of Parindra and seven other nationalist organizations into the Federation of Indonesian Political Parties (Gaboengan Politek Indonesia, GAPI). [4] Parindra had a youth 'scout organization', Surya Wirawan, which used a version of Roman salute, the closest to Nazi salute, with the arm in a straight line. As early as 1937, members began using this salute which was called groot saluut, saluut terhormat or great salute. Newspaper articles from the period 1935-42 remark on Parindra’s bizarre practice, but it was only officially banned in 1941, as colonial authorities became increasingly uneasy about the prospects of a Japanese invasion. In 1941, Mohammad Husni Thamrin was dead of severe illness, five days after he was put under house arrest by the Dutch colonial authorities. As Jan Anne Jonkmann, president of the Volksraad from 1939 until 1942, put it in his memoirs: “Thamrin was buried like a prince. The interest and sympathy of the Indonesians were overwhelming.” During his burial ceremony, with a militaristic style, Soekardjo Wirjopranoto – an influential Parindrist, march through Surya Wirawan youths performing the salute. Although Parindra maintained that the party “did not adopt [the salute] out of a particular sympathy for Hitler and his Nazis.”[5]

The second Parindra was established as a "splinter party" in November 1949 by one of the leaders of the pre-war party, R.P. Soeroso, who subsequently served in several cabinets. Its membership comprised members of the old Parindra that had decided not to join the PNI [6][7][8]