Daniel Alexander Maukar

Daniel Alexander Maukar
Danny Maukar (left) and Sam Karundengon (right) on trial in Jakarta (1960)
Nickname(s)	Dani, Danny, "Last Tiger", "The Tiger"
Born	(1932-04-20)April 20, 1932 Bandung, Indonesia
Died	April 16, 2007(2007-04-16) (aged 75) Cikini Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
Buried	TPU Pondok Rangon, Jakarta, Indonesia
Allegiance	Indonesia
Service/branch	TNI Angkatan Udara
Rank	Second lieutenant
Other work	Priest

Daniel Alexander Maukar (20 April 1932 ‒ 16 April 2007) was an Air Force of the Republic of Indonesia (AURI) pilot known for shooting at the State Palace on 9 March 1960. Although initially dragged to a military court and threatened with the death penalty, Maukar received a pardon from then President Sukarno. From the original death sentence, he was sentenced to 8 years' imprisonment. Then at the beginning of the New Order, Maukar was released by Suharto, who had just taken office as the 2nd President of Indonesia.

Early life

Maukar was born in Bandung on 20 April 1932. His parents were Karel Herman Maukar and Enna Talumepa, and born as Minahasan decent. He later grew up in Menteng, Jakarta. Not much personal information exist on his private life prior to the incident. While studying as a pilot at AURI, Daniel was mentored by Heru Atmodjo, a senior pilot at AURI. Daniel was known as an intelligent young pilot with high potential as a prospective fighter pilot. According to his mentor, he was considered one of the best members of his generation, earning him the nickname "The Tiger". This trust in his abilities led to his role as an Air Force fighter pilot, where he was entrusted with flying the Mikoyan MiG-17 fighter jet, one of the most sophisticated aircraft Indonesia had in the 1960s.

Incident

Recruitment to Manguni

A year prior to the incident, Daniel and his brother Herman Maukar were approached by Samuel Karundeng, a close colleague since the Japanese occupation of Indonesia. In a vague offer, Sam invited both of them to take part in a conspiracy, to which Daniel refused. It wasn't until February 1960 in Bandung that Herman explained the goals of the movement to Daniel, revealing that Samuel was part of a group called "Manguni," which aimed to "demand national peace." Herman disclosed that he and Sam had been working together to mobilize anti-Sukarno forces in the name of Permesta. Previously, Sam had attempted to carry out economic sabotage, collect intelligence data for Permesta, provoke clashes between groups, and conduct military operations. To which after landing in Java, recruited Herman.

Upon Daniel's return from Egypt, where he had been training to fly a MiG-17 fighter jet, Herman actively tried to convince him to join the Manguni group, openly expressing his intention to sabotage vital objects belonging to the Republican government. In a meeting attended by Herman on 6 February 1960, the Manguni group had previously agreed to kidnap government figures, with Minahasan youth as the executors. Their targets included President Sukarno, Minister Djuanda, Major General Gatot Subroto, Chaerul Saleh, Surjadarma, Mochamad Jasin. and former Javanese student soldiers. Under the orders of the Manguni Council, Herman was to convince his brother Daniel to defect from AURI and join the AUREV (Revolutionary Air Force), which was Permesta's air wing at that time. To the Manguni Council, Daniel was a perfect candidate for recruitment due to his resentment against the current government, outstanding flying skills, and background as a devout Christian and Minahasan youth. With each explanation, Dani repeatedly doubted the success of this action plan. To convince Daniel, Herman had invited him to a Manguni meeting at Jalan Citarum 32 Bandung. There, he realizes the scope of the Manguni group. In a meeting, Colonel Sukanda Bratamenggala stated his readiness to deploy two companies of armed troops which would later be led by Major Bunjamin. Sam had hopes for help from allied DI/TII guerilla troops stationed inland in the forests of East Java, May 3 Battalion (Army) personnel, cavalry members at the Bandung Cavalry Center, Brimob, as well as from youth groups in the Manguni, Sisingamangaradja, Hasanuddin, and Siliwangi organizations. The aim is to seize vital objects in Jakarta, Bandung, Bogor, and Sukabumi. After convincing Daniel that Manguni's main goal was to demand national peace, he eventually joined the Manguni group offering himself to be the Minahasan youth to execute the plan, saying; "I said, if you wait for a sign, [then] until when. Well fine if that's the case, then I'll just give you a sign. Just tell me [and i'll] shoot, tell me to shoot what now."

Strafing

One night before 2 March 1960, the group joined together again to devise a plan of action. Major Sutisna determined that Dani's target was Halim Perdanakusumah Air Forcebase. Daniel refused, citing that it was his home. Sutisna reevaluated and decided on the targets of Merdeka Palace, a fuel tank in Tanjung Priok, and Bogor Palace after which Daniel had to fly to Singapore. In the case that Singapore wasn't an option, Daniel was "told to jump to Malangbong" according to Sam in court doccuments. To sam, Malangbong was the codename for the "base of operations for Battalion 3 May" which was established in Manado in 1950 and had many members from Minahasa, Daniel's ancestral homeland and the centre of the Permesta movement. Originally planned to be carried out on 2 or 3 March, it was postponed. The plan was that the shooting would be followed by troops moving to Jakarta. On 8 March they gathered again. If the shooting was carried out on the 8th, then on the 9th there would be a troop movement and by then the kidnappings happen as agreed prior. Eventually, 9 March 1960 was chosen for the execution date as it coincided with Daniel Maukar's training schedule, thereby reducing the risk of suspicion by other AURI members.

On early morning of 9 March 1960, Daniel met Sam for a moment and initiated the plan. Dani landed his MiG-15 jet on the tarmac at Kemayoran airfield after travelling from Bandung. By mid-afternoon he had his turn to fly the MiG-17 jet as part of a routine training exercise. Daniel was flying with a squadron of MiG-17's, joining him were Flight First Lieutenant Goenadi, Flight Second Lieutenant Sapoetro, and Flight Lieutenant First Sofjan Hamsjah. At 11:45am, the pilot with the call sign "Tiger" entered the wheelhouse of the MiG-17 jet numbered 1112. He soon sped the aircraft down the Kemayoran runway. Being the last in order, he ignored the task of flying training to the south of Jakarta and deviated right. By this point, the other pilots lost visual contact. Daniel knows exactly that the BPM area is a closed and quiet area. It was not difficult to find out about the area because Herman Maukar worked at BPM. He aimed his aircraft at a fuel tank in Tanjung Priok. From an altitude of 2,800 feet (853 metres), Dani dived the MiG-17 and strafed the fuel tank until it exploded.

at around 12.10pm, the Merdeka Palace was rocked by an explosion from the 23mm canon fire of a MiG-17 F Fresco aircraft. The aircraft then climbed high and maneuvered, taking aim to repeat the attack on the same target.

Afterwards, the MiG-17 flew elsewhere to destroy an oil refinery in Tanjung Priok, but missed. The flight continued towards Garut to make an emergency landing at a predetermined place, which was in an area controlled by DI/TII because the pilots would be rescued by DI/TII.

Due to insufficient fuel to reach the destination, the aircraft made an emergency landing in the Leles area of Garut, West Java. The aircraft was flown by Air Lieutenant Daniel Alexander Maukar.

For his actions, Maukar was sentenced to death. However, in 1964, Maukar was granted a pardon by President Soekarno. In March 1968, he was completely released during the era of President Soeharto.