Mohammad Roem

Mohammad Roem (EYD: Mohammad Rum; 16 May 1908 – 24 September 1983) was an Indonesian politician and diplomat. He served in various positions during his career in government, including as Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Prime Minister of Indonesia. He played a central role in negotiating the Roem–Van Roijen Agreement during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949), which laid the groundwork for the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference wherein the Dutch finally recognized the sovereignty of Indonesia. Born into a Javanese family, Roem studied law at the Rechts Hogeschool in Batavia (now Jakarta), during which time he had become politically active in the nationalist movement. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer during the Japanese occupation period (1942–1945). Following the proclamation of independence in 1945, Roem joined the newly formed Republican government where he emerged as an able diplomat and became the Republic's principal negotiator with the Dutch. After the handover of sovereignty in 1949, Roem remained active in politics and the Masyumi Party. Opposed to President Sukarno's Guided Democracy, he was arrested and jailed in 1961. Following his release in 1966, after Sukarno fell from power, he was elected chairman of the Parmusi Party (Masyumi's successor). However, he was prevented from taking office by the new regime. He devoted most of his remaining years to studying and writing. He died in 1983.