[2] In 1946, he joined the military police of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and later became a battalion commander of a student unit in Besuki.

[3] During his studies in Airlangga, he had also been active in the Consentrasi Gerakan Mahasiswa Indonesia organization affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

[4][8] During his time as a councillor, he had begun to form ties with foreign communist states, travelling to Beijing twice before his appointment as mayor.

[7] His tenure also saw an attempt by PKI-backed residents to squat on and seize vacant land for agriculture and housing, but due to orders from the central government, Moerachman resisted calls to certify the squatters.

[10] Moerachman took an openly pro-Communist stance during his mayoralship, among others addressing anti-American rallies and publicly supporting the boycott of American films.

By 2015, however, Surabaya's municipal government under Tri Rismaharini had allowed for their photos to be featured in an official city museum.