Why does the Indonesian nation still have to struggle to maintain its independence? – Talking about independence is certainly related to the long struggle of the ancestors and predecessors of the nation. Indonesia has declared independence since August 17, 1945 which was marked by the moment of reading the text of the proclamation. This moment proves that Indonesia has been independent for 76 years.
The day, date and month are sacred moments for the Indonesian people. This crucial moment is considered the culmination of the Indonesian people to declare independence.
Soekarno read the text of the proclamation aloud to declare the freedom of the Indonesian people from the shackles of colonialism that had been binding for hundreds of years. Indonesian independence is a milestone in the renewal of life that has deep meaning.
The question arises, why does the Indonesian nation still have to fight again to defend its independence? After the proclamation, the Indonesian nation still had to struggle to maintain its independence because many foreign parties did not approve and did not recognize Indonesia’s independence.
The Netherlands was still not willing to accept the fact that Indonesia was independent. The Dutch did various ways to re-colonize and control Indonesia. What about the attitude of the Indonesian people at that time?
This is what makes the Indonesian people not remain silent and continue to struggle against the invaders. As an independent nation, Indonesia should be free to determine the fate of the nation without having to be shackled by the colonialists.
Even after proclaiming its independence, there are various parties that do not recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. The proclamation of independence that was announced did not necessarily make Indonesia stop fighting.
Those who do not recognize Indonesia’s independence are still trying to restore their power. Indonesia was still at war with the British and the Dutch a few months after independence.
Indonesia carried out the struggle to maintain independence with physical resistance and diplomacy. If traced more deeply, the Netherlands again came back on the back of an ally called NICA. The Indonesian people did not remain silent and began to fight even though the Dutch were trying to re-establish their power.
The struggle of the Indonesian nation when defending independence is called the revolutionary struggle. Indonesia continues to fight so that the nation’s independence can be respected by other nations.
As previously stated, the Indonesian people put up physical resistance with armed contact. Meanwhile, resistance through diplomacy is carried out through negotiating tables.
Those who disagreed with the independence of Indonesia were the Dutch, British and Japanese. The Dutch had a strong desire to re-colonize Indonesia. While the British made an agreement to help the Dutch return Indonesia as a former colony.
Then the Japanese army at that time still inhabited Indonesia. The Japanese army did not know that the Indonesian people had become independent. In addition, they had not heard from the news that Japan had lost the war and surrendered to the allies.
The Struggle for Independence
Physical Resistance
Indonesia seeks to maintain independence through physical resistance and diplomacy. The following is a form of physical resistance carried out by the Indonesian people to defend their independence.
Illustration of Bandung Sea of Fire (source: serini.id)
1. Battle of 10 November in Surabaya.
The battle of November 10, 1945 was triggered by the incident of tearing the flag at the Yamato Hotel. The incident killed a British officer named AWS Mallaby. Then the allies gave an ultimatum to the people of Surabaya to hand over the weapons to AFNEI.
The people of Surabaya ignored the ultimatum given and chose to fight for independence. On Radio Perjuangan, Colonel Sungkono and Bung Tomo try to ignite the fighting spirit of the people of Surabaya.
2. Ambarawa Palace
The Battle of Ambarawa took place on 26 October-15 December 1945 in Ambarawa, Central Java. This battle was motivated by the Allies’ desire to take over the city of Ambarawa. Until finally the People’s Security Army (TKR) succeeded in repelling the Allies by putting up various resistances.
3. Bandung Ocean of Fire
As one form of the great struggle of the Indonesian people, the Bandung Sea of Fire incident occurred on March 24, 1946. This event was motivated by an Allied ultimatum ordering the evacuation of the city of Bandung.
The army and the people of Bandung decided to burn important buildings so they couldn’t be used by the Allies. The incident of arson that was carried out is known as Bandung Lautan Api.
4. Terrain Area
The Battle of Medan Area took place on 10 December 1945-10 December 1946. The background to this battle was the seizure and trampling of the red and white badge by the Allies.
5. General Offensive March 1, 1949
The March 1 General Attack occurred around the Fort Vredeburg Museum, Yogyakarta. This event was motivated by the desire of the Netherlands to control Indonesia by launching military action.
General Offensive March 1, 1949 became an important battle for the Indonesian nation. This resistance has great political value in Indonesia’s diplomatic efforts in the international community.
Diplomatic Resistance
The Indonesian nation carried out several diplomatic struggles that prioritized negotiations to produce an agreement, namely the Linggarjati Negotiations, the Renville Negotiations, and the Round Table Conference. The following is a brief explanation of the diplomatic resistance carried out by the Indonesian people.
Renville Agreement illustration (source: moondoggiesmusic.com)
1. Linggarjati Negotiations
This negotiation took place on November 11, 1946 in Cirebon, West Java. Through these negotiations the Dutch recognized the de facto territories of Java, Sumatra and Madura . Then Indonesia-Netherlands formed the United Republic of Indonesia (RIS) and the Indonesian-Dutch Union.
2. The Renville Talks
These negotiations took place aboard the warship USS Renville owned by the United States on January 17, 1948. Through this agreement, Indonesia and the Netherlands agreed to stop shooting.
3. Round Table Conference
This diplomatic resistance was carried out on 23 August 1949-2 November 1949 in The Hague, Netherlands. As the name implies, this negotiation is carried out on a table that forms a roundabout. Through this diplomatic resistance, the Netherlands recognized the sovereignty of the United Republic of Indonesia (RIS).
Why does the Indonesian nation still have to struggle to maintain its independence?
The Indonesian nation has broadcast the proclamation of independence on August 17, 1945. The independence that has been obtained has not received recognition from various parties.
The Dutch colonial government is still trying to restore its power in Indonesia. This made the Indonesian people struggle to defend their independence again during the period of physical revolution that took place in 1945-1949.
The Indonesian nation used to fight for independence by sacrificing many lives and property. Indonesia put up physical resistance with armed contact and diplomatic resistance through the negotiating table.
Thanks to this strong determination, the Indonesian people finally received recognition of sovereignty from the Dutch. The events of the Round Table Conference (KMB) which took effect on December 27, 1949 became a milestone in the recognition of sovereignty granted by the Netherlands to Indonesia.
Back to the question in the title of the article above. Why does the Indonesian nation still have to fight again to maintain its independence? So the main answer is because the Dutch did not recognize Indonesia’s independence and they were still trying to regain control of Indonesia.