Back in 1999 at the height of the troubles in East Timor over its vote for independence, I posted a request on an Indonesian Studies mailing list for information about Australia's role in Indonesia's struggle for independence. I received the following reply from one Waruno Mahdi who was a young child at the time of the independence struggle and communicated some of his memories -
David,
Official: On July 39 1947, Australia and India brought the question
of the situation in Indonesia before the UN Security Council.
The Australian representative stated, that his country considered that
"the hostilities in progress in Java and Sumatra constituted a breach
of the peace under Article 39 of the Charter..." and proposed that "the
Security Council should call upon the Governments of the Netherlands and
the Republic of Indonesia to cease hostilities and to settle their dispute
by arbitration in accordance with the Linggadjati Agreement"
(UN Department of Public Information Research Section
Background Paper No. 58 [ST/DPI/SER.A/58], Lake Success, New York;
see there pp. 2-3).
Considering that hostilities had resumed as result of a renewed Dutch
"police action", the Australian and Indian initiative in the UN had the
effect of profiting the Indonesian side.
I have no concrete knowledge of Australian territory being directly
used as base for outward communication from Yogya (provisional
capital of the Republic), but seem to vaguely recall having heard something
about a Catalina (an amphibean airplane) flying to-and-fro to Darwin
(breaking the Dutch blockade). What I do know for sure is only that
we had Dakotas (DC-2 cargo-and-passenger planes) flying likewise through
the blockade to Manila over an eastern route, and to Bangkok in roundabout
route over the Indian Ocean with stop-over in Medan in Sumatra. The pilots
of the Dakotas were American volunteers. Those that got shot down (most
were shot down, typically over Sumatra, where they were easy prey for
Dutch Spitfires based in Palembang) contributed their lives for the cause
of Indonesian independence. Who flew the Catalina, and what happened
with him I don't know.
Inofficial: Australian dockers (particularly, if I remember correctly,
in Melbourne) boycotted Dutch ships. This must have been
around 1948. I remember my father taking me on his lap - I was 5 years
old then - and showing me a newspaper with a large photo of a freighter
at a pier and telling me that people in many countries were helping
us in our fight for independence. Later when I was older I saw that
picture again in some publication, and it was a Dutch ship at an
Australian pier, being boycotted - at 5 years my grasp of geography
had been somewhat hazy......
(hence, when Aussy dockers boycotted Indonesian ships in solidarity
with East Timor recently, that was in faithful continuation of a
long and laudable tradition).
I gather, however, that your present interest is motivated by recent
anti-Australian remonstrations in Jakarta in connection with developments
in TimTim. That's very good of course, I mean both in being concerned
about sustainment of Indonesian-Australian good relations, and in
contributing to enlightening the remonstrators....., but essentially
one needn't be too upset or worried about them.
The Army is kicking a tantrum for having been rapped on the knuckles,
and in a frantic all-out campaign to save face, it is mobilising
every trick it has up its sleeves. This includes spreading disinformation
about Australia to impressible youth gangs, and particularly hiring
demonstrators for money. But the period of Soeharto-style total censorship
is thank goodness behind us for good. Indonesians are now exposed to
a free press, and military propaganda lies sooner or later get exposed
for what they are.
Indonesian relations to Australia have a much too deep footing, to be
so easily disrupted. For people of my father's generation, who experienced
World War 2 and took active part in the Perjuangan, our fight for
independence, Australia is our back country, the last retreat. Even today
still, my mother cannot listen to "Waltzing Matilda" without flutters
in the heart. That had been the signal tune of Radio Australia during
the period of Japanese occupation, when just listening to it could earn
one the death sentence if one were caught.
To be frank, it very much hurt my feelings of propriety, when official
Australia solidarised with Soeharto Indonesia's occupation of East Timor.
So, you can imagine that I feel particularly gratified by your present
engagement in helping keep the peace there. It's indeed more than
just keeping the peace in East Timor, it's also contributing to the
re-establishment of democracy in Indonesia itself. So we owe you our
thanks for that.....
David,
there was both an official and an inofficial role of Australia,
but I unfortunately do not have the literature sources, mostly
fragmentary memmories....
but I unfortunately do not have the literature sources, mostly
fragmentary memmories....
Official: On July 39 1947, Australia and India brought the question
of the situation in Indonesia before the UN Security Council.
The Australian representative stated, that his country considered that
"the hostilities in progress in Java and Sumatra constituted a breach
of the peace under Article 39 of the Charter..." and proposed that "the
Security Council should call upon the Governments of the Netherlands and
the Republic of Indonesia to cease hostilities and to settle their dispute
by arbitration in accordance with the Linggadjati Agreement"
(UN Department of Public Information Research Section
Background Paper No. 58 [ST/DPI/SER.A/58], Lake Success, New York;
see there pp. 2-3).
Considering that hostilities had resumed as result of a renewed Dutch
"police action", the Australian and Indian initiative in the UN had the
effect of profiting the Indonesian side.
I have no concrete knowledge of Australian territory being directly
used as base for outward communication from Yogya (provisional
capital of the Republic), but seem to vaguely recall having heard something
about a Catalina (an amphibean airplane) flying to-and-fro to Darwin
(breaking the Dutch blockade). What I do know for sure is only that
we had Dakotas (DC-2 cargo-and-passenger planes) flying likewise through
the blockade to Manila over an eastern route, and to Bangkok in roundabout
route over the Indian Ocean with stop-over in Medan in Sumatra. The pilots
of the Dakotas were American volunteers. Those that got shot down (most
were shot down, typically over Sumatra, where they were easy prey for
Dutch Spitfires based in Palembang) contributed their lives for the cause
of Indonesian independence. Who flew the Catalina, and what happened
with him I don't know.
Inofficial: Australian dockers (particularly, if I remember correctly,
in Melbourne) boycotted Dutch ships. This must have been
around 1948. I remember my father taking me on his lap - I was 5 years
old then - and showing me a newspaper with a large photo of a freighter
at a pier and telling me that people in many countries were helping
us in our fight for independence. Later when I was older I saw that
picture again in some publication, and it was a Dutch ship at an
Australian pier, being boycotted - at 5 years my grasp of geography
had been somewhat hazy......
(hence, when Aussy dockers boycotted Indonesian ships in solidarity
with East Timor recently, that was in faithful continuation of a
long and laudable tradition).
I gather, however, that your present interest is motivated by recent
anti-Australian remonstrations in Jakarta in connection with developments
in TimTim. That's very good of course, I mean both in being concerned
about sustainment of Indonesian-Australian good relations, and in
contributing to enlightening the remonstrators....., but essentially
one needn't be too upset or worried about them.
The Army is kicking a tantrum for having been rapped on the knuckles,
and in a frantic all-out campaign to save face, it is mobilising
every trick it has up its sleeves. This includes spreading disinformation
about Australia to impressible youth gangs, and particularly hiring
demonstrators for money. But the period of Soeharto-style total censorship
is thank goodness behind us for good. Indonesians are now exposed to
a free press, and military propaganda lies sooner or later get exposed
for what they are.
Indonesian relations to Australia have a much too deep footing, to be
so easily disrupted. For people of my father's generation, who experienced
World War 2 and took active part in the Perjuangan, our fight for
independence, Australia is our back country, the last retreat. Even today
still, my mother cannot listen to "Waltzing Matilda" without flutters
in the heart. That had been the signal tune of Radio Australia during
the period of Japanese occupation, when just listening to it could earn
one the death sentence if one were caught.
To be frank, it very much hurt my feelings of propriety, when official
Australia solidarised with Soeharto Indonesia's occupation of East Timor.
So, you can imagine that I feel particularly gratified by your present
engagement in helping keep the peace there. It's indeed more than
just keeping the peace in East Timor, it's also contributing to the
re-establishment of democracy in Indonesia itself. So we owe you our
thanks for that.....
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