Soewardi was born in Singaraja, on the island of Bali, on 13 April 1938. Both of his parents originated from Central Java, but as his father worked as a police officer, Soewardi was born during his father's posting in Bali.[1] He studied in Yogyakarta until he graduated from high school.[2] After high school, he enrolled at the Indonesian Military Academy within its infantry department and graduated in 1962.[3]
He was sworn in as governor of Central Java on 24 August 1993.[6] In July 1996, Soewardi ordered the postponement of all village-level elections in the province until after the 1997 legislative election.[7] Two weeks after the fall of Suharto, on 4 June 1998, he ordered another delay,[8] partly due to political violence.[9]
During the leadup to the 1997 election, Soewardi ordered government buildings, public areas, and a number of trees to be painted yellow – the color of the ruling party Golkar. Indonesian media dubbed this action kuningisasi ('yellowization').[10][11][12] Soewardi later stated that he had only recommended the general public to paint their homes yellow to commemorate the 50th year of Indonesia's independence.[13] In 1997, he suggested that the Yogyakarta Special Region be absorbed into Central Java. This proposal was opposed by Yogyakarta's Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and Yogyakarta's public, resulting in a lawsuit.[14] Soewardi's tenure ended on 24 August 1998 and he was replaced by Mardiyanto.[15]
Later life
After his tenure, Soewardi was investigated for corruption, but charges were dropped in 2003.[16] He died at his home in Semarang on 31 March 2015. He was buried the following day at his family's cemetery in Magelang.[17]
Personal life
Soewardi was married to Yani Soewardi, and the couple had three children. Their second child, Ronny Adriono, was a captain in the Indonesian Army and was killed in a 2004 plane crash.[18]
