Sarimin Reksodihardjo was an Indonesian civil servant who served as the acting governor (dd. gouverneur) of the province of North Sumatra (Nd.-Sumatra) following the dissolution of the Negara Sumatera Timur (N.S.T.) on 15 August 1950. In this capacity he was the highest Indonesian civil authority on the East Coast of Sumatra. He played a key role in the peaceful transition from the federal N.S.T. to the unitary provincial structure.
Appointment and transition
Sarimin was appointed by the minister Anak Agung Gde Agung to head the Committee for Preparation (Comité van Voorbereiding) charged with the orderly liquidation of the N.S.T., alongside Mr. S. M. Amin and Mr. M. Joesoef. The committee’s communiqué of 5 August 1950 outlined the agreement whereby East Sumatra would become part of the autonomous province of North Sumatra, comprising the pre-war residencies of Atjeh, Tapanuli, and East Sumatra.
Visit to Atjeh (February 1950)
In February 1950, shortly after taking up the governorship, Sarimin made an official visit to Atjeh, accompanied by some ten civil servants and journalists. The delegation included Ir. R. S. Danunagoro, Darwin Amin, Abdul Wahab Siregar, Ismail Daulay, Moh. Diri Harahap, Dr. Sahar, and Zainul Basri. His first impressions of Atjeh were favourable: politically there were no longer any difficulties, though economically there were — the roads urgently needed improvement.
Advisory college
As acting governor, Sarimin was assisted by a college of three:
- Tengku M. Daudsjah — acting resident of Atjeh;
- Binanga Siregar — deputy resident of Tapanuli;
- Radja Kaliamsjah Sinaga — former deputy head of state (Wakil Wali Negara) of the N.S.T.
He departed for Djakarta on 26 January 1951.
Source
Oostkust van Sumatra-Instituut Mededeling No. 37: Deli-Figuren uit de jaren 1950 t/m 1952, compiled by Ir. F. J. J. Dootjes (Amsterdam, 1953).