Muhammad Saleh Arifin

Muhammad Saleh Arifin (23 November 1926 – ?) was an Indonesian military officer and politician who served as the mayor of Medan between 1974 and 1980, and was also a member of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Muhammad Saleh Arifin
Arifin, c. 1971
Mayor of Medan
In office 31 July 1975 – 31 March 1980 Acting mayor since 27 July 1974
Preceded by	Sjoerkani
Succeeded by	Agus Salim Rangkuti
Personal details
Born	(1926-11-23)23 November 1926 Medan, Dutch East Indies

Biography

Arifin was born in Medan on 23 November 1926. He received seven years of education at a Taman Siswa school, and spent a year studying economics in Kayutanam, West Sumatra. After working at a bookstore in Medan and at a plantation in Binjai during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, he joined the Indonesian Army during the Indonesian National Revolution.^[1] Later on, he also completed junior and senior high schools in Medan, before enrolling at the infantry officer school in Bandung.^[2]

He then remained stationed in North Sumatra until 1963 when he was reassigned to Kodam Siliwangi for a year. He was assigned to North Sumatra and became an assistant to the regional military commander at Kodam I/Bukit Barisan.^[1]

He was then appointed to become the provincial party chairman for Golkar in North Sumatra. He would hold this office until 1973.^[3] In 1971, he was appointed to become a member of the newly formed People's Consultative Assembly as an army delegate with the rank of colonel. (Until 2004, a bloc of seats in the Assembly was reserved for police and military officers.)^[1] He later served as the mayor of Medan, initially as acting mayor starting on 27 July 1974 to replace Sjoerkani.^[4] He was then appointed as full mayor on 31 July 1975,^[2] with his full term ending on 31 March 1980.^[5] During his tenure, a high-profile gambling area operated in Medan with a municipal permit, which Arifin explicitly defended against media criticism. According to Arifin, the gambling organizers agreed to pay a sum of Rp 15 million (~USD 36,000 at 1970s peg)^[6] every month to the municipal government, and would only be open for three months. He further stated that the funds would be used to construct a new street.^[7]

He is buried at the Bukit Barisan Heroes' Cemetery in Medan.^[8]

References

1. Riwayat hidup anggota-anggota Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat hasil pemilihan umum 1971 (in Indonesian). Lembaga Pemilihan Umum. 1973. p. 1132.
2. Meuraxa, Dada (1975). Sejarah hari jadinya Kota Medan, 1 Juli 1590 (in Indonesian). Sasterawan. pp. 94–95.
3. "Sejarah Partai Golkar Sumut" (in Indonesian). Golkar. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
4. "Kol. Saleh Arifin Penjabat Walikota Medan". Kompas (in Indonesian). 31 July 1974. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2023. Kol. Saleh Arifin Sabtu lalu dilantik menjadi Walikota Medan, menggantikan Drs. Syurkani
5. "Walikota Medan Sepanjang Masa". pemkomedan.go.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 1 April 2023.
6. Rachman, Fadhly Fauzi. "Pahitnya Dolar AS di Era Soeharto, Meledak dari Rp 415 ke Rp 16.650". detikfinance (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2 April 2023.
7. Gemerlapnya Meja Judi Menjelang Pelarangan Tahun 1981 (in Indonesian). Tempo Publishing. pp. 12–16. ISBN 978-623-339-173-3.
8. "Berharap Kota Medan Semakin Baik dan Kesejahteraan Masyarakat Semakin Meningkat". utamanews.com (in Indonesian). 30 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2023.