Door To Asia's Reds

Indonesia Is Danger-Spot For South Pacific

Our Weakness In Relation To Java, Burma, Malaya, May Open Door To Asia's Reds

EVENTS and developments in the Netherlands Indies since the end of the Pacific War, in 1945, have been a puzzle to most observers.

In 1942, when war swept across the Pacific, the East Indies were in charge of the Dutch, and their control of this vast area of Indonesia was regarded as a model of colonial administration. When Japan surrendered, it was naturally assumed that the Dutch would resume control. But the following things happened: • The Japs, during their occupation, trained and set up a Javanese National istic group, called “the Republic of Indonesia”. • The Dutch, weakened by the Euro pean war, were not able immediately to reoccupy the Netherlands Indies. The British, although nominally responsible for South-east Asia, would not help the Dutch. The Americans were indifferent.

So, until well into 1946, the Japs were allowed to remain in control of the Indies, and they did everything possible to strengthen the so-called “republic”. • An upsurge of Socialist Govern ment in Europe affected Holland, as it affected Britain and France. For a long time, the Dutch official and com mercial classes were retarded in their efforts to resume control of the Indies, by political traitors at The Hague. • When, eventually, Dutch forces began to enter the Indies, mischievous elements among the Western nations— mostly “fellow travellers” operating through the United Nations, as well as direct emissaries of Russia —created all sorts of obstacles. Both openly and surreptitiously, the Javanese “republi cans”—who were mostly pro-Jap or Communist, and wholly anti-European— were encouraged to resist the Dutch. • One of the worst developments of the lot was the way in which Com munist-dominated trade unions in Aus tralia forced the Australian Socialist Government to hamper the Dutch and encourage the Indonesians.

There were countless conferences, commissions, arguments. But the Dutch, showing remarkable tenacity and patience, gradually got control of the situation. They were forced by the Planners, however, to make all sorts of political and other concessions to the “Republicans”, when they knew that the

the little, wriggling gentlemen into gaol. fTIHE situation has been complicated by A political intrigues in The Nether lands, and there lately have been

some violent administrative changes, hard to understand. Finally, on June 3, we have this statement of policy by the Dutch High Commissioner, Mr. A. H. J.

Lovink, when taking over office in- Batavia : “I do not want to speak about the past, for it is the future to which we must look. It is not enough to pay lip service to the new, while feeling inwardly that events of recent years are actually no more than symptoms of decay or de struction.

“Everyone of us has his own ideas. In the case of the Indonesians, they think of their independent existence as one nation. In the case of the Netherlands, they think of their renewed promise to implement the independence of Indonesia in the best possible way.”

Mr. Lovink then referred to the four aims formulated anew in the Renville Agreement of January, 1948, namely:— (1) Independence for the people of Indonesia. (2) Co-operation between the peoples of the Netherlands and Indonesia. (3) A Sovereign State based on a democratic constitution. (4) A Union between Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

“In February, 1948, Queen Wilhelmina repeated the high aim for which both peoples should strive, stating that no re lationship between two peoples can be maintained in our time if it is not based on mutual approval.

“Queen Juliana confirmed this aim when she said in January, 1949: *. . . and so the Sovereign United States of Indonesia will soon become a reality’.

“Indonesians and Netherlanders.” Mr.

Lovink continued, “will be united in a union of harmonious and healthy co

operation, and so promote a better world.

“This beautiful country has been torn asunder. In spite of that, we can work together. Then trade, industry, and agriculture will soon have recovered from the damage they have suffered in the past years, and the United States of In donesia will find again the road to prosperity, and gain the admiration of the world.”

IT is not a beautiful prospect. It looks as if the Dutch are being forced by Western European Socialism to give away too much to the Javanese nationalists.

Finally, on June 7, we have this perti nent comment by a Filipino leader: “Future Communist strategy in the Far East is being designed to by-pass Japan and the Philippines in order to direct a smashing blow at the Dutch East Indies, principal oil centre in East Asia.

“Communist leaders are working desperately to pattern their strategy after Japan’s pre-war blue-prints of ag gression, a pattern designed to gain con trol of all Asia.

“Such a strategy can be expected to materialise immediately following a com plete Communist victory in China.

“Oil fields in the Dutch East Indies have attracted Communist attention as strongly as Japan’s military leaders were drawn to depend on them for their ad vances in the Pacific.”

To put it in a nutshell: The failure of the British and Australian Socialist Gov ernments to help the Dutch to re establish control in the Indies, and British weakness in Malaya and Burma, appear to have opened wide a door through which Asiatic Communists may enter the South Pacific.