ABSTRACT
After Tan Malaka and some of his supporters were arrested and the Persatuan Perdjuangan was disbanded, peace appeared to have been restored in the Republic. Sjahrir’s policies nonetheless remained controversial and a new struggle for power soon emerged, this time with the army playing a leading role. 1 It became a complex showdown that illustrated the way in which the revolutionary drive in the Republic often led to an individual or individuals taking action. The kidnapping of Sukarno and Hatta in August 1945 and of Tan Malaka and his supporters in March 1946 were examples of this. The desire for decisive action often clashed with the endeavour to operate methodically, making the revolution an unpredictable process with unforeseeable outcomes.
