Mohammad Hatta (1902-80) was a prominent political figure in the Indonesian nationalist movement and the first decades of independence. When Indonesia declared independence in August 1945, he became vice-president, retaining this position until he resigned in 1956. He was prime minister for an eight-month period in late 1949 and early 1950. A Minangkabau, Hatta was born to a commercial family in Bukit Tinggi, Sumatra. His father was an Islamic scholar as well as a merchant. As the child of a relatively wealthy family, Mohammad Hatta attended a