Adam Malik

Adam Malik died on September 5, 1984, at the age of 67, in Bandung, West Java, due to liver cancer. His body was interred in Kalibata Heroes Cemetery.

Adam Malik was born on July 22, 1917, in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, to Abdul Malik Batubara, and Salamah Lubis. He belonged to a Batak Mandailing Muslim family of Batubara clan.

His received his early education from a Dutch primary school and a Muslim religious school. After completing Junior High School, he took up first job as a shopkeeper.

As a teenager, he developed an interest in politics and became the Chairman of the Pematang Siantar branch of Partindo (Indonesia Party) at the age of 17.

He campaigned for the Dutch Colonial Government to grant independence to Indonesia and was consequently imprisoned for disobeying the Colonial Government's ban on political assemblies.

After getting released, he left his homeland for Jakarta and became a journalist. He wrote for Partindo's Party Magazine and Pelita Andalas Newspaper and later founded the Antara press bureau in December 1937.

Between 1940 and 1941, he served as a member of the Executive Board of the Gerindo Party.

Later, he became a part of the Persattien Perdjoeangan (Struggle Front), a movement to maintain Indonesia’s independence, which was declared by the Indonesian nationalists in August 1945.

During the period of the struggle to maintain independence, he also served as the Third Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Central National Committee (KNIP) and as a member of its Daily Executive Board.

In 1946, he became one of the founders of the Partai Rakjat (People's Party) and later formed the Murba Party, in 1948. He used Murba Party as a platform to become a Parliament member and served as its Executive Member until 1964.

In 1967, he played a crucial role in the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The association was successful in building a strong bond between his country and Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.