Maharani Wisma Susana Siregar
Indonesian-Dutch independence activist (born 1925)
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Maharani Wisma Susana Siregar (born 5 June 1925) was the fifth wife of Sukarno, the first President of Indonesia, from 1958 until 1962.
Indonesia
- Independence activist
Early life
Siregar was born on 5 June 1925 in Liverpool, England, the daughter of Nuriah Sabiah Nasution and Hasan Basari Siregar, a civil servant.[1] She took ballet and voice, and studied in the Soviet Union.[1]
Personal life
Siregar was introduced to President Sukarno, a friend of her father's as a child.[1] Her parents rejected his marriage proposal because they did not want her to be in a polygamous marriage.[1] Siregar later married Firdaus Harahap, an East Nusa Tenggara police chief, and they had three daughters: Roswita, Linda, and Mona.[1] Sukarno later moved his family to Jakarta and sent Hoegeng Iman Santoso, Sutan Sjahrir, and Hamengkubuwono IX to persuade Harahap to divorce Siregar.[1] Sukarno was 23 years her senior, and already had a daughter, Siti Aisyah Margaret Rose, who became a banker.[1] They spent their time jogging at Bogor Palace and ate sunny side eggs cooked by her.[2] When Sukarno married Naoko Nemoto in 1962, Siregar divorced him.[1] She later remarried Harahap and gave birth to another daughter, Meli.[1]
Indonesian independence movement
In opposition to Dutch colonialism, she tore up the Dutch flag and replaced it with an Indonesian flag, which earned her an award.[1] After that she maintained a low profile life.[1]
In an interview in 2010, Siregar stated that she felt sad seeing the poor condition of the Indonesian people, which motivated her to adopt a simple life.[2] She gave Sukarno's inheritance to her own children and orphan children, and wished to be buried next to him when she died.[2]