The Country That First Recognized Indonesia’s Independence – In order for a country to be independent, it
must receive recognition for independence from other countries, as well as during the process of
independence from the state of Indonesia. As Sinaumed’s already knows, the Indonesian state
announced its independence on August 17, 1945 and at the same time became the day Indonesia was inaugurated
as a sovereign and independent country.
Turning a country into a sovereign nation is not an easy thing. As we have said above, that in
order to become an independent and sovereign country, a country must gain recognition. The
acknowledgment is also divided into two types, namely de facto acknowledgment and de jure acknowledgment.
A country that wants to be independent and sovereign must get both recognition from other
countries.
In the history of Indonesian independence, the Egyptian state became the first country to grant recognition
of independence to Indonesia as an independent and sovereign country. This fact is stated in a
book written by Lukman Hakiem entitled Caring for Indonesia. The State of Egypt gave this
recognition after the text of the proclamation was proclaimed by the First President of Indonesia, Ir
Soekarno.
According to the information we got, the other countries that gave recognition of independence to the
Indonesian state after the Egyptian state were the Syrian state, followed by the Vatican State, the Lebanese
State, and the Yemeni State. These five countries became the first Top 5 countries to grant
recognition of independence to the Indonesian state after the proclamation.
In this article, we will invite Sinaumed’s to learn about the brief history of Indonesian independence, the types
and meanings of the two types of recognition of sovereignty and independence, and explain the first five
countries to recognize the sovereignty of the Indonesian state along with the background why these five
countries became the first countries. which gave recognition of independence to the Indonesian state.
A Brief History of Indonesian Independence
Moments
After being colonized for a long time, Indonesian youths decided to form various groups of nationalist movements
to encourage the implementation of an independent Indonesian state free from the snares of Dutch colonialism.
These organizations have almost the same goal, namely for independence and to get rid of Dutch colonialism.
There are several well-known youth organizations that are often mentioned in history textbooks,
such as the Budi Utomo organization, Sarekat Islam, the Indonesian National Party, and even the Indonesian
Communist Party. These organizations developed very rapidly around the middle of the 20th
century.
There are three of the four organizations above that have the same goals and strategies, the three
organizations are Budi Utomo, Sarekat Islam, and the Indonesian National Party. The three
organizations devised a plan to send representatives from each organization to be sent to the Dutch people’s
council with the hope that the Netherlands would give Indonesia the right to be able to freely govern itself
without being accompanied by Dutch interference.
There was also another nationalist movement that asked for freedom from the Dutch using a path that was
considered uncooperative. The non-cooperative movement was led by Ir. Soekarno
with his friend Mohammad Hatta at that time. At that time, the two of them were still students
who were brave enough to lead such an organization. Movement from this non-cooperative movement
became easier because at that time the Netherlands was carrying out an Ethical Policy policy.
Furthermore, when it entered the period of Japanese occupation in Indonesia, to be precise during the
Second World War it became a golden period to support the progress of the revolutionary movement in the
future. It is known that the Netherlands no longer has much power over Indonesia, due to the
entry of Japan into Indonesia. In just three months, Japan had succeeded in seizing Sumatra.
After successfully seizing several areas of Indonesia from the Dutch, the Japanese made plans to
win the hearts of the Indonesian people by tempting Indonesia’s independence.
In implementing the plan to win the heart of the Indonesian state, Japan legalized the use of Indonesian as
an everyday language. This made the Indonesian state give birth to many independence
organizations and struggles throughout the country. When the Japanese state was on the verge of
their defeat in the Second World War, the Dutch state returned to Indonesia to take their place in Indonesia
again.
On September 7, 19744, the Japanese government promised to free Indonesia as soon as possible, although the
exact date was not announced. This was done because Japan was afraid that the Dutch would take
over Indonesia again. Japan also formed several organizations to prepare for the inauguration
of Indonesian independence.
After Japan declared defeat in the Second World War, Indonesia, especially the youth, urged several figures
to immediately proclaim Indonesia’s independence. During the making of the short text of the
proclamation, finally the Indonesian state was able to independently proclaim their independence on August
17, 1945.
Two Types of Declaration of Independence
As sinaumedia read earlier, that there are two types of recognition of sovereignty and independence that must
be recognized by other countries if a country wants to be independent. Following are the two
types of recognition of independence.
1. Types of De Facto Recognition of Independence
De Facto comes from Latin which in language can be interpreted as an expression that has the meaning of
reality/facts or can also be interpreted as original events and practices. According to the
legal view, de facto is defined as a term that tends to lead to something that has already happened,
although this has not yet been recognized or even has not received legal recognition.
De facto is generally used as the opposite or opposite of the term de jure (from a legal point of view)
when someone tends to refer to anything related to law, government systems, or other technical matters that
occur in everyday life. and develop not in accordance with existing regulations. De jure itself
is often associated with legal situations and what is said by applicable law, while de facto is associated
with things that have happened and actual things.
The use of the term de facto has several provisions. The term can be used if an event has
occurred which is considered relevant, established and acceptable. De facto does not require a
legal basis or relevant standards.
Type de facto by nature
De facto is divided into two types based on their nature, namely:
– Temporary de facto
De facto with this type is an acknowledgment that comes from another country without having to look at the
conditions and developments of the country giving the recognition. If the country is in a state
of destruction, then other countries will withdraw recognition from that country.
– Fixed De Facto
De Facto with a fixed type is an acknowledgment conveyed by other countries that can provide opportunities for
cooperative relations between these countries in the economic and trade fields.
De facto standard
De Facto has standards which have the understanding that a standard that is considered normal for ordinary people
that they follow these standards is like an official standard from the center.
2. Types of De Jure Recognition of Independence
De jure which in Classical Latin: de iure has the meaning of a term which means based on or according to legal
views, de jure is of course different from de facto, which is based on facts or facts.
These two terms are quite popularly used as pronouns for the sentence “in principle or law” and the
sentence “in fact or fact” when someone is giving a description of a political condition.
Something can become de facto when the person agrees to pretend that there is a law that
accompanies or regulates it, when in reality there is no law involved in the case. There is a
process that allows de facto to become a substitute for existing and outdated laws, the name of this process
is desuetude. On the other hand, an action or activity will be recorded in a de jure or
regulation, even though the implementation of the rule never happened.
Type de jure based on its nature
De jure is divided into two types based on its nature, namely:
1. Full De Jure
De jure which is full means that there is a relation or relationship between countries that recognize each
other in the fields of trade, economy and diplomacy. The country that grants recognition must
have an ambassador and establish an embassy in the country they recognize.
2. De Jure Stay
Permanent de jure is a form of recognition submitted by another country and has perpetual or eternal
validity. This is because a recognized country can show a stable government in that
country.
De facto standard
De jure and de facto countries have different levels of standards depending on the country.
for the United States itself they do not use the de jure term and only use the de facto term spoken
in English.
The First Five
Countries to Recognize Indonesia’s Independence After the Proclamation
After knowing the brief history of the moments of independence and the two types of recognition of
sovereignty. Now is the time for us to present the first five countries to recognize
Indonesia’s independence.
1. The State of Egypt
Egypt became the first country to recognize Indonesia’s independence. The Egyptian state
recognized Indonesia’s de facto independence on March 22, 1947, this recognition and support from Egypt
began with the arrival of an Egyptian State Consul General named Muhammad Abdul Mun’im to Yogyakarta on
March 13 to March 16, 1947. So what was the purpose of his visit? The Consul General of Egypt?
The Government of the State of Egypt ordered Muhammad Abdul Mun’im to convey a message to Indonesia
that the Arab League would support and recognize Indonesia’s independence.
The Arab League itself is an organization whose members are Arab countries, such as Egypt, Syria, Lebanon,
Yemen, and many more. After the delivery of this message, the Egyptian state recognized and
supported de facto Indonesian independence on March 22, 1947. After the de facto recognition of
independence, the Egyptian state continued to recognize it de jure through the signing of an agreement on
friendly relations with Indonesia on June 10, 1947.
At the signing, parties from the Indonesian state were represented by Haji Agoes Salim, Nazir Pamoentjak,
AR Baswedan, and Rasjidi. Then for the Egyptian side represented by Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi.
This acknowledgment of independence from the Egyptian state plays a very important and meaningful
role for Indonesia because the Egyptian state not only recognizes Indonesia’s independence but the Egyptian
state also invites the Arab League countries to provide support and recognize Indonesia’s
independence.
Actually the recognition of independence from the Egyptian state began with the support and strength given
by the Egyptian people. In Egypt itself, the mass media has been very critical and furious with
the Dutch treatment of Indonesia. The Egyptian youths who were moved in their hearts carried
out a series of demonstrations to make the Dutch Embassy in Cairo insecure.
What is the background for the Egyptian state to provide support and recognition of independence for the
Indonesian state? The support and recognition given by the Egyptian state is motivated by
religious relations, brotherly relations between Egypt and Indonesia, as well as family relations.
In addition, Egypt supports and recognizes this independence because of the diplomatic relations
that have been agreed between Indonesia and Egypt.
2. The State of Syria
When Indonesia became independent, Indonesia was not completely free from the Dutch colonial state.
At that time the Netherlands was carrying out Dutch Military Aggression in Indonesia and the Syrian
state became one of the Arab League countries that assisted Indonesia in fighting for this. the
Syrian state helped Indonesia fight for it at the UN session held in 1947, represented by Faris Al-Khouri.
The role of the Syrian state in the UN session was to push the agenda regarding the “Indonesian
question” which eventually triggered various encouragements from other countries and finally succeeded in
stopping the Dutch movement against Indonesia and finding a bright spot at the 1949 UN session.
Thanks to the assistance from the Syrian state, finally the Dutch military aggression was successfully
stopped. It is known that the Syrian state has established bilateral relations with Indonesia
since the Syrian state declared to support and recognize Indonesia’s de jure independence on July 2, 1947.
From this recognition, the Syrian state also established diplomatic relations with the Indonesian state.
With this, the Syrian state became the second country to recognize Indonesia’s independence after
the Egyptian state.
The background to the support and recognition of Indonesia’s independence from the Syrian state is because
the Syrian state and the Indonesian state are both countries where the majority of the population embraces
Islam; the countries of Syria and Indonesia are countries that both care about and understand
the issues that are happening in the countries of Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq; because of the
feeling of the same fate because both have been colonized by western nations.
3. The State of the Vatican
The Vatican State became the first country on the European Continent to provide support and recognition of
independence for the Indonesian state. The Vatican State officially recognized Indonesia’s de
jure independence on July 6, 1947. This was marked by the establishment of the Vatican embassy building
located in Jakarta.
Pope Pius XII at the Vatican gave orders to Marie Joseph to go to Indonesia and became the Vatican’s ambassador
in Indonesia with the implementation period from 1947 to 1955. Marie Joseph was given the task of acting as an
intermediary between the holy throne of the Vatican and the government of the Indonesian state.
The support and acknowledgment of Indonesia’s independence from the Vatican state is the most important
moment for the Indonesian state. Why is that? This is because the Vatican state is
a country that has a strong impact and influence in the religious and social fields in the European
continent and the American region. Recognition and support from the Vatican state can increase
support from other countries to recognize and support Indonesian independence.
The background why the Vatican state provides support and recognition of independence to the Indonesian
state is due to the fact that there are some similarities in the principles of the Vatican state and the
Indonesian state. The similarity of these principles, such as the two countries both support
world peace, the two countries reject the existence of atheist beliefs, the two countries both build harmony
between religious communities throughout the world, the two countries both want to create justice for all
people in the world, and the last two countries are equally preserving the level of human welfare.
4. The State of Lebanon
The Lebanese state is the fourth country from all over the world and the third country in the Arab League
countries that supports and recognizes Indonesia’s independence after the Vatican state and the Syrian
state. The Lebanese state itself has established bilateral relations with the Indonesian state
since the Lebanese state gave recognition of Indonesia’s de facto independence on July 29, 1947 which was
conveyed directly by the Lebanese President at the time, Bechara El-Khoury. Three years later
in 1950, Lebanon officially established diplomatic relations with the Indonesian state as well as being the
moment when de jure recognition was announced. The event was held at the Indonesian embassy in
Cairo which is also accredited by Lebanon.
In the mid-1950s, the Indonesian state built a representative office in Beirut, Lebanon but in the end it
was closed because at that time there were unfavorable conditions in Lebanon due to the Lebanese Civil War.
Then in 1995, Lebanon built an embassy building in Jakarta and they returned Indonesia’s services
at the next opportunity. Right in 2006, Indonesia sent 1,000 soldiers who were assigned to
become members of the UN peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon.
The background why the Lebanese state as well as the majority of Arab League countries provide support and
recognition of independence to the Indonesian state is because the majority of the Indonesian state’s
population adheres to the same religion as the Lebanese state, namely Islam. This causes the
emergence of various feelings such as a sense of brotherhood and kinship between countries where the
majority of the population is Muslim; the large number of Indonesian citizens studying in
Middle Eastern countries; and the last one is because we share the same fate as having been
colonized by Western countries.
5. Country of Yemen
The country of Yemen is the last Top 5 country to provide support and recognition of independence to the
Indonesian state. The Yemeni state recognized the independence of the Indonesian state on May
3, 1948. After that the bilateral relations between Yemen and Indonesia continued to increase and improve
both in the economic, political, social and cultural fields. The relationship has even been
going on for 70 years.
As Sinaumed’s has read in the Arab countries section, after the Indonesian state proclaimed its independence
on August 17, 1945, some of the countries that were members of the Arab League provided their support and
recognition of independence for the Indonesian state. This was a very important moment for the
Indonesian people.
Just like other Arab League countries, the background for the Yemeni state to provide recognition and
support for the independence of the Indonesian state is based on a sense of kinship and brotherhood because
the two countries both have a population where the majority are Muslims. In addition, because
the two countries already have bilateral relations between countries.
So, those were the first five countries that provided support and acknowledgment of the independence of the
Indonesian state that we can convey to Sinaumed’s. We as citizens of Indonesia must thank these
five countries and always help each other, promote peace and prosperity with the five countries.
Without the recognition and support from these countries and the struggles of all Indonesia’s
founding figures, this country would not have developed to what it is today.