Lt. Col. Ahmad Husein spoke in front of the crowd (James Burke/LIFE)
After the departure of the Dutch from Indonesia at the end of 1949, various security and political unrest took place. One of them was the formation of the Bull Council which later became the forerunner of the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PRRI).
Lt. Col. Ahmad Husein spoke with other military officers (James Burke/LIFE)
These photos were taken during the declaration of the formation of the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia in Padang in 1958.
Lt. Col. Ahmad Husein led PRRI along with other military officers who were dissatisfied with the imbalance in development carried out by the central government in Jakarta. They want wider regional autonomy so that they can determine their own destiny, without having to wait for the initiative of the central government.
Lt. Col. Ahmad Husein (James Burke/LIFE)
The central government in Jakarta then responded to the declaration by staging the largest military operation in the republic's history.
PRRI finally surrendered in 1961. Afterward, the Minangkabau people seemed to have experienced deep trauma to military personnel. PRRI's failure also encouraged Minangkabau youth to migrate to leave West Sumatra and tried to eliminate their Minang traces by giving strange names to children.