A few weeks after the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on August 17, 1945, Sultan Syarif Kasim II, the last ruler of the Siak Sri Indrapura Sultanate, became one of the first royal figures to openly declare his support for the new Republic.
Through a telegram dated November 28, 1945, he sent a direct message to President Soekarno expressing the loyalty of the Siak Sultanate to the Republic of Indonesia.
In that telegram, the Sultan ceded the entire territory of the Siak Sri Indrapura Sultanate to the Republic and declared his willingness to donate 13 million guilders, an amount equivalent to more than 1 trillion rupiah today. With such a significant contribution, it became the biggest financial donation to the national treasury in the early years of Indonesia’s independence.
A Symbol of Loyalty
The Sultan’s support for independence did not begin there. A month prior to sending the telegram, in October 1945, Syarif Kasim II had already initiated the establishment of the People’s Security Army (TKR) and the Youth Front of the Republic in Siak Sri Indrapura.
The formation of these two resistance groups was accompanied by a mass gathering at the palace grounds, where the Indonesian flag was ceremoniously raised.
However, his decision infuriated the Dutch. The returning colonial forces, who arrived in Indonesia alongside the Allies after Japan’s surrender, saw the Sultan’s stance as a threat. They issued threats against Syarif Kasim II, forcing him to leave Siak.
Sacrifice and Exile
Before departing Siak, Sultan Syarif Kasim II handed over all royal wealth and assets to the Republic of Indonesia. He even relinquished the palace, the royal crown, and the valuable treasures of the Siak Sri Indrapura Sultanate as a gesture of total dedication to the nation.
He was then sent into exile in Aceh. There, the Sultan continued the struggle, joining local fighters and being appointed an advisor to the Aceh Residency government.
From Aceh, Syarif Kasim II persisted in voicing his support for the Republic and persuaded other kings across Sumatra to side with Indonesia.
Life After the Struggle
After the war ended and the situation gradually stabilized, Sultan Syarif Kasim II lived for a period in Jakarta, although he did not hold any official position in the government. Some time later, he returned to Riau to manage his ancestral inheritance, part of which had been kept in Singapore.
For several years, the Sultan traveled back and forth between Siak and Singapore, and even lived temporarily in the former British colony. However, his efforts to reclaim his family’s inherited wealth were halted when the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation erupted in the early 1960s, cutting off his access to those assets.
Unwilling to be drawn into political conflict between the two neighboring nations, Syarif Kasim II chose to return to his homeland in Siak. He spent the remainder of his life peacefully in the land he once devoted to the Republic of Indonesia.
The Sultan passed away on April 23, 1968, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of sacrifice and genuine nationalism.
The Sultan’s Enduring Legacy
Official state recognition came decades after his death. On November 6, 1998, the Indonesian government conferred upon him the title of National Hero.
In his honor, his name is immortalized through Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport in Pekanbaru, and a grand memorial stands in Siak to commemorate the Sultanate’s historic handover to the Republic.
