THE invitation to dine at the Palace was the last event on the agenda of the cabinet meeting. The meeting, held in mid-December 1950, signaled a split in the close relationship between President Sukarno and Prime Minister Mohammad Natsir. Speaking to people close to him, Sukarno said: “My standing as President is nothing more than a rubber stamp.”

President Sukarno was indeed furious. Twelve ministers, after all, had “rejected” his plan