Word: indonesian
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Broken Ice. Nationalists in Indonesia sputtered that they did not like the agreement which Van Royen and the Indonesian representatives had worked out (see below). Nevertheless, after four years of bitter fighting and endless negotiations, it looked as though Indonesia would get the freedom it fiercely wanted, and yet would retain some of the economic ties with The Netherlands which are necessary for the survival of both countries...
During its ten weary weeks, The Hague conference had often seemed close to failure. The Indonesians had wanted as much independence as possible, the Dutch had wanted to retain as much sovereignty as possible. But eventually the Dutch and the Indonesian delegates grew to trust and understand each other. One weekend motor trip to Namur, in Belgium, helped to break the ice; Indonesia's Premier Mohammed Hatta and the Dutch Minister for Overseas Territories, Johan van Maarseveen, reached some important decisions chatting in their car. Explained Van Royen: "It doesn't pay to try to be too clever...
Equal Rights. The final Dutch-Indonesian agreement would set up the Republic of the United States of Indonesia, a federation with a constitution much like that of the U.S., in the general framework of a Netherlands Indonesian Union, much like the British Commonwealth. In this union the new nation and The Netherlands would have "equal status with equal rights." Queen Juliana, as head of the Union, would embody "the concept of voluntary and lasting cooperation between the partners." All Dutch forces would leave Indonesia within six months of transfer of sovereignty (to take place not later than...
...delegates solemnly signed the nine sheets of paper spread out on the green baize table in The Hague's medieval Ridderzaal, The Netherlands formally relinquished her 300-year rule over her rich island empire. There seemed to be at least a fair chance that the new Indonesian Republic might become a stable island in the Communist-roiled waters of Southeast Asia...
...optimism heard at The Hague found only a faint echo some 8,000 miles away at Jogjakarta, the makeshift capital of the Indonesian Republic. As news of the agreement crackled in over the shortwave radio last week, there was increasing discontent among the nationalists. A leader of the Labor Party summed up their complaints: "Too many concessions to the Dutch...