After the independence of Indonesia, Setiadi Reksoprodjo still maintained his job at the West Java Transportation and Irrigation Bureau. He was also involved in politics, and joined the Indonesian Socialist Party. In 1945, he became the chairman of the Socialist Youth of Indonesia — the party's youth wing — in Cirebon. He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Indonesian National Committee of Cirebon and as the Chairman of the Cirebon Defence Council.[5]
Setiadi was credited for the development of radio broadcasting in Cirebon. He established the Information Radio of Cirebon, Cirebon's first radio station, which was later merged to Radio Republik Indonesia.[6]
Setiadi moved to Yogyakarta — the capital of Indonesia at that time — in January 1947 along with his appointment as the Head of the Public Relations Bureau of the Department of Public Works, a new office. In accordance with his new position, he was appointed as a member of the central executive council of the Socialist Youth of Indonesia.[5]
On 3 July 1947, Amir Sjarifuddin, the new prime minister of Indonesia, announced his first cabinet.[7] Setiadi, who was 25 years and 9 months old at that time, was appointed as the Minister of Information,[7] making him the youngest minister in the cabinet and in the history of Indonesia.[8] His junior minister in the cabinet, Sjahbuddin Latief, was almost twice as old as him (48 years).[9]
Five months later, on 11 November 1947, Amir announced a reshuffle on his cabinet. In Amir's new cabinet, Setiadi and Sjahbuddin exchanged their posts. Sjahbuddin was appointed as the Minister of Information, while Setiadi became the junior minister.[10]
After the cabinet was dissolved on 29 January 1948, Setiadi became an entrepreneur. On the same year, Setiadi's party, the Socialist Party, was split into the Sutan Sjahrir-led Socialist Party of Indonesia and the Amir Sjarifuddin-led People's Democratic Front. Setiadi joined neither.[11]
In 1954, Setiadi ran in the Indonesian Constitutional Assembly election, even though he was not a member of the Communist Party of Indonesia he was nominated as candidate number 22 by the party, representing West Java.[12] Setiadi won a seat and was sworn in on 9 November 1956.[13] Setiadi, along with several other independent candidates on the Constitutional Assembly including Prof. Ir. Saluku Poerbodiningrat, A. Astrawinata S.H, Affandi and Ismail Kartasasmita formed their own fraction named the Proclamation Republic fraction.[11] Setiadi supported the restoration of the 1945 State Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and the dissolution of the Constitutional Assembly.[14] The Constitutional Assembly was dissolved by the president's decree three years later on 5 July 1959.[15]
Several months later, Setiadi was appointed by President Sukarno as Jakarta's Regional Delegate to the People's Consultative Assembly.[16] Setiadi was inaugurated on 15 September 1960 and held the office until his appointment as minister.[17]
Setiadi was also involved in the World Peace Council. Setiadi was involved in the establishment of the Indonesian Peace Committee, the council's branch in Indonesia, and became the chairman of the committee.[18] He then left the position after he became a World Peace Council executive committee member[19] and was replaced by Mrs. Ratu Amina Hidajat. He later became vice president[20] of the World Peace Council based in Geneva where the International President at that time was Frédéric Joliot-Curie, the son in law of Marie Curie.
On 28 May 1965, President Sukarno reorganized the Dwikora Cabinet. The Minister of Public Works and Power, which was previously under the Development Compartment, was upgraded into a compartment. Accordingly, several new ministries were made in its place. One of the ministries was the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.[21] Setiadi Reksoprodjo was appointed as the Ministry of Electricity and Energy on the same day as the reorganization.[22]
When Setiadi was appointed again for the same office in Sukarno's revised cabinet, a wave of protests surfaced from employees at the ministry. The workers demanded Setiadi to resign.[23] The demand was made because of the military screening team inside each ministry at that time made allegations that Setiadi gave support to Central All-Indonesian Workers Organization and his activity in the Association of Indonesian College Students (HSI, Himpunan Sarjana Indonesia).[24] His ministry was also criticized for its alleged miscoordination with the Ministry of Irrigation during the construction of the power station in Jatiluhur Dam.[25]
On 18 March 1966,[26] Setiadi along with other 14 ministers including Subandrio (First Deputy Prime Minister), Chaerul Saleh (Third Deputy Prime Minister), A. Astrawinata(Minister of Justice), Oei Tjoe Tat (State Minister), Achadi (Minister of Transmigration/ Cooperatives) and Jusuf Muda Dalam (Governor of Indonesia Central Bank) was arrested by the Suharto's regime[27] after the 30 September Movement due to their loyalty to Sukarno.[28] Setiadi was imprisoned in the Nirbaya Detention Centre without any proper trial.[29] He was freed on 20 December 1977 after being imprisoned for almost 12 years.[30] However, after he was freed, the Lurah (community head) of Menteng refused to give him a permanent identity card. The Governor of Jakarta at that time, Ali Sadikin, intervened and instructed the Lurah to visit Setiadi and give him the permanent identity card.[31]
