The Jakarta Charter () was a document drawn up by members of the Indonesian Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK) on 22 June 1945 in Jakarta that later formed the basis of the preamble to the Constitution of Indonesia. The document contained the five principles of the Pancasila ideology, but it also included an obligation for Muslims to abide by Shariah law. This obligation, which was also known as the "Seven Words" (tujuh kata), was eventually deleted from the enacted constitution after the Indonesian declaration of independence on 18 August 1945. Following the deletion of the "Seven Words" efforts by Islamic parties continued to seek its inclusion, most notably in 1959, when the 1945 constitution was suspended; in 1968, during the Transition to the New Order; and in 2002, following the end of the New Order and the beginning of the Reformasi era.
Background
Founding of the BPUPK
Prime Minister of Japan, Kuniaki Koiso, realising Japan was losing the war, promised on 7 September 1944, in a session of the Japanese parliament, that independence for the Dutch East Indies would be achieved "later on". In February 1945, partly in response to the Koiso's declaration, the 16th Army decided to establish a committee to investigate Indonesian independence, known as the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK). This was intended as a concession to Indonesian nationalists, and the Japanese hoped it would redirect nationalist enthusiasm towards harmless arguments between factions. The BPUPK was announced by the Japanese administration on 1 March 1945 to work on "preparations for independence in the region of the government of this island of Java."
First BPUPK session
The committee, which was supposed to lay the foundations for the national identity of Indonesia by drafting a constitution, consisted of 62 Indonesian members, 47 of whom belonged to the secular nationalists and 15 to the Islamists. Members of the Islamist camp wanted a new state which was based on sharia law, as opposed to a secular state. From 29 May to 1 June 1945, the BPUPK came to Jakarta for its first conference. At this conference, Sukarno gave his famous speech in which he introduced the principles of the Pancasila.
Committee of Nine
In the recess between the two BPUPK sessions, at the urging of future president Sukarno, the delegates set up an eight-person Small Commission (Panitia Kecil), which was headed by Sukarno and had the task of collecting and discussing the proposals submitted by the other delegates. To reduce tensions between the national and Islamic groups, Sukarno formed a Committee of Nine on 18 June 1945. Over the course of the afternoon of 22 June, the nine men produced a preamble for the constitution that included Sukarno's Pancasila philosophy, but added the seven words in Indonesian (dengan kewajiban menjalankan syariat Islam bagi pemeluknya) that placed an obligation on Muslims to abide by Islamic law. Mohammad Yamin, who played a dominant role in the wording, named the preamble the Jakarta Charter. The committee chaired by Sukarno was tasked with formulating the preamble to the Indonesian constitution that was acceptable to both parties. These members, and their affiliations were:
Members
Secular Muslim nationalists
Sukarno
Mohammad Hatta
Mohammad Yamin
Achmad Soebardjo
Muslim nationalists
Abikoesno Tjokrosoejoso
Abdoel Kahar Moezakir
Agus Salim
Wahid Hasjim
Secular Christian nationalists
A.A. Maramis
Compromise
Results of the committee
The results of the Committee of Nine were as follows:
In the Jakarta Charter, the principle of "belief in one god" is used as the first principle, which differs from the formulation of Pancasila which was put forward by Sukarno in his speech on 1 June 1945, "belief in one god" is the fifth principle. In the Jakarta Charter, the existence of the phrase "with the obligation to carry out Islamic law for its adherents" (which became known as the "Seven Words"), recognizes Sharia law for Muslims, this greatly differs from the formulation of Pancasila which was put forward by Sukarno in his speech on 1 June 1945. The "Seven Words" itself was considered ambiguous and it is not known whether it imposes the obligation to carry out Islamic law individually or by the government.
