Betrayal of Dutch in Indonesia—and the Sequel

THERE have been events and devel opments in Indonesia of much importance to the Pacific Territories; but not one person in a thousand in the Islands knows anything of their character and significance.

During the past month, the Dutch and Indonesians reached a show down. There will follow, quickly, either a peaceful settlement or sharp fighting. Meanwhile, the countries of Melanesia, at least, should know what is happening on their north-western frontiers.

The revolt in the Netherlands Indies is all of a piece with what is happening throughout Asia. Encour aged by “starry-eyed dreamers”—as the Socialist idealists who are tem porarily in charge of the British Government are called—the peoples of Egypt, India, Burma, Malaya and Indo-China have thrown themselves into nationalistic movements—and thus contributed much to the poli tical unease and economic dislocation of a war-weary world.

The situation in the Netherlands Indies, however, is the more deplor able because (a) the Dutch were be trayed in 1945-46 by their Anglo- American allies; (b> these Indone sians are quite unfitted to exercise the powers and privileges of inde pendent self-government; and (c) Indonesian policy is shaped by its basic hatred of Europeans, and by the Communism which busy Moscow agents have smeared all over the archipelago since Japanese control was withdrawn.

The story is long and complicated: but its outline may be seen over all the following four phases: PHASE I, 1942-45—NEI over-run and occupied by Japs. The Dutch Adminis tration, established and developed over 300 years, was destroyed and discredited by the Japs. It is important to remember at this stage, that Holland in 1940 and 1941 (before Pearl Harbour) had com mitted herself to considerable political re forms in NEI, calculated to give the In donesians an increasing measure of self government. The Japs trained thousands of young Indonesians in a crude kind of militaristic administration, which was to be applied under Jap tutelage, and so laid the foundations of endless trouble.

PHASE 11, LATE 1945 TO EARLY 1946

—Japan capitulated. The British and Americans, instead of immediately assist ing the Dutch (who had sacrificed all their strength in the Allied cause) to take over NEI immediately, permitted the sur rendered Japs to govern the archipelago for many months. The Japs completed their evil work among the Indonesians.

This, the betrayal of the Dutch by the Anglo-Americans, is one of the most dis creditable incidents in modem history.

PHASE 111, 1946 —When the Dutch, slowly gathering their strength, tried to take over, they were resisted by fanatical Indonesians, encouraged by the Reds and Pinks who had been elected to power in Britain. The Indonesians set up an “in dependent republic.” The British sent a caretaker force into NEI; but, instead of co-operating actively with the Dutch to restore order, put the Indonesians in their'rightful place, and protect European lives and property, they tried to arbitrate between the Dutch, with their old established interests, and the nationalistic aspirations of the excited Indonesians.

The Dutch colonial regime, for its part, was handicapped by the election of a more-or-less Socialistic Government at The Hague, which wanted to recognise the “Indonesian Republic.”

PHASE IV. LATE 1946 TO JUNE. 1947 —Dutch and Indonesians, in November, reached a tentative agreement to stop fighting and form an over all govern ment for NEI, and the British departed.

After long discussions. Dutch and Indo nesians, on March 26, 1947, signed the Linggardjati (or Cheribon) Agreement, under which they pledged themselves to create the United States of Indonesia, one unit of which is to be the Republican Government, with the Dutch formally re cognised as the de facto government of Java and Sumatra. The constituent States were to be this Republican Gov ernment of Java-Sumatra. the State of Eastern Indonesia, and the State of Borneo.

TNSTEAD of all parties thencefor- A ward co-operating in the imple mentation of the Agreement and the restoration of order, there com menced a three months’ period of

prevarication, treachery and bitter

moral struggle. The Republican Gov ernment, under President Soekarno and Premier Sjahrir, nominally was prepared to carry out the Agreement: but it was dominated completely by cunning, half-educated Indonesians of the usual unstable type—babblers of Brotherhood and Communist phrases, and holders of coveted jobs

which they feared they would lose under the Agreement.

The Dutch held patiently and ten aciously to the spirit and letter of the Agreement—and let nature take its course. They established an Ad ministration at Batavia, which coun tered some of the evils of the Re publican Government, based on Djokjakarta. There are 70,000,000 people in NEI, of whom over 50,000,000 are in Java, Sumatra and Madura—that is, the great majority appeared to be under the Republic, Quietly, but quickly, the Dutch pro ceeded with the organisation of the other States of the new Union. The first parliament of the new State of East Indonesia, established in Janu ary, opened in Macassar, in the Celebes, on April 22; the new State of West Borneo (embracing 15 self-gov erning territories) was set up at Pontianak on May 12. Meanwhile, the people of the Sunda Islands (east of Java, population 12,000,000) and of Madura, revolted against the Repub lic, and formed new parties. The new States and the new parties are pro- Dutch.

The Republican Government, while trying to hold off the Dutch with airy promises and cunning prevarication, insisted that it had authority over all NEl—and got ever deeper in poli tico-economic troubles. Its expendi ture was ten times its revenue. It printed more and more paper money.

The “Indonesian guilder,” issued at twice the value of the Dutch guilder, soon sank to two-fifths its value.

The Dutch demanded the orderly control of Indonesian trade, and the return of European-owned properties to their owners. The Republicans said they would do nothing more until the Dutch sent away their armed forces.

The Dutch quoted the Agreement, which provided for the time and manner of disarmament, by both sides. The Republicans merely shuf fled.

GRADUALLY, The Hague Socialists’ sympathy with the Republicans faded out. On May 27. the Dutch authorities insisted that the Repub licans give “a firm and unambiguous affirmation of their intention to forthwith implement the Linggard jati Agreement”—or else! The Hague

Government said that if the United States of Indonesia was not created at once with Republic co-operation, it would be brought into being with out. America demanded that each side join in creating an Interim Fed eral Government, to carry on until the new USI Federal Government could function on January 1, 1949.

On June 25, Premier Sjahrir saw the game was up, and offered con cessions, to enable the Interim Fed eral Government to be set up. He was immediately attacked by a howl ing pack of Left-Wingers the gentlemen who had been the niggers of the woodpile during all these months. Sjahrir resigned.

There followed a week of crisis.

One sign of weakness on the part of the Dutch and all Java, at least, would have gone into furious civil war. Fortunately, the Dutch were stiffened by a very insistent America. (The British seem to have taken no hand in Indonesian affairs, since they departed last year. Perhaps, like Australia, they prefer Indone sians to Dutch!) On July 6, Amir Sjari became Pre

mier, and the Republican Govern ment announced that it had accepted the Dutch plan for the immediate formation of an Interim Federal Government.

THIS settlement should open Phase V, which could be the happiest NEI has known since 1939. The de gree to which order will be estab lished, trade and industry resumed and starvation removed will depend on the degree in which the Dutch Ad ministration is resumed—and the ex tent to which long-haired babblers about the Brotherhood of Man are kept away.

European communities in non- European countries have had a sur feit of Brotherhood talk. It has created, in Asia and Indonesia, and even in some Pacific countries, enough trouble to keep us busy for a generation. Let us try peace and orderly government for a while.

Surely it is better to feed the dark skinned person, and clean his body, and train his mind, rather than get him all stirred up about freedom— which he doesn’t understand, any way—and usually abuses!