Bandung. Solihin Gautama Purwanegara, a distinguished politician who served as the West Java governor and advisor to two presidents, passed away while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bandung early on Tuesday. He was 97 years old.

The retired army general had previously faced various health challenges, including a minor stroke in 2017 and a bout with Covid-19 in 2021.

According to a family spokesperson, Solihin breathed his last at Advent Hospital around 3 a.m.

Solihin dedicated 20 years of his career to the Indonesian Army until 1968, actively participating in numerous operations against rebellions by the Indonesian Communist Party and the Darul Islam movement led by Kahar Muzakkar.

In 1970, he assumed the position of West Java governor, a role he held for five years. During the mid-1990s, he served as a member of the advisory council for President Soeharto.

Several years after Soeharto’s resignation in 1998, Solihin became a member of the People’s Consultative Assembly, the highest legislative body in the country.

In the presidential elections of 2014 and 2019, Solihin expressed his support for the then-future President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. He served as an advisor to Jokowi’s presidential campaign during the 2019 reelection bid.

In the recent presidential election, Solihin contributed to the campaign team of presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo.

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