Commemorating Linggardjati<\/p>\n
For a student of the history of Indonesian diplomacy in the
\n1945-1950 period, March will be remembered as a milestone for the
\nfirst act of international law performed by the Indonesian
\nRepublic since its proclamation of independence.<\/p>\n
Fifty years ago, on March 25, 1947, the Netherlands and
\nIndonesia formed the Linggadjati Agreement, which gave the Dutch
\nextended de facto recognition to Java, Madura and Sumatra. (To
\nthe local populace of the amiable hillside resort near Cirebon,
\nWest Java, after which the agreement was called, the name is
\nLinggardjati; and an \"r\" is included).<\/p>\n
The agreement was ratified by the Dutch legislature, the
\nSecond Chamber, on Dec. 20, 1947, whereas on the Indonesian side
\nit was indirectly ratified by the Republican provisional
\nlegislative body, the Komite National Indonesia Pusat (KNIP), in
\nits Malang (East Java) session on March 5, 1947. This was by
\nmeans of a vote of confidence to the Syahrir Cabinet which at the
\ntime handled political negotiations with the Dutch government. In
\npursuance of Article 102 of the UN Charter, the Linggadjati
\nAgreement was registered with the UN Secretariat, whereas the
\narbitration clause, Article 17 (B), of the agreement was
\nregistered with the U.N. International Court of Justice.<\/p>\n
However, it later turned out that the significance of the
\nLinggadjati Agreement for the republic must not be assessed
\nmerely in terms of its legal status in international law, it
\nbeing abrogated by the Van Mook government when it launched its
\nfirst military action against Indonesia on July 21, 1947.<\/p>\n
The importance of the agreement lay more in the political
\nrepercussions favoring the republic in its international
\nrelations, including the deliberations in the UN Security Council
\nto solve what was called the Indonesian Question under Chapter VI
\nof the UN Charter governing the Peaceful Settlement of
\nInternational Disputes. Thus, Indonesia was recognized under the
\nUN Charter -- which is international law -- as a party to
\ninternational dispute.<\/p>\n
Following the Linggadjati Agreement, Indonesia gained de facto
\nrecognition from the U.K., U.S., India and Australia. On the
\nother hand, de jure recognition was accorded successfully by
\nEgypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
\nConspicuously, a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce was signed
\nwith Egypt on June 10, 1947.<\/p>\n
The achievements in the field of international diplomacy at
\nthe time aptly show that the power of diplomacy and the power of
\nthe armed forces are two indispensable means in the struggle of
\nthe republic to consummate its independence and successfully
\nbecome the 60th member of the UN in September 1950.<\/p>\n
This entry into the Family of Nations, embodied in the UN, was
\npreceded by a historic event on Aug. 15, 1950, when the return to
\nthe unitarian state (the Republic of Indonesia) from the short-
\nlived federal system (the United States of Indonesia) lasting for
\nonly seven and a half months, took place.<\/p>\n
Please note that the title, denoting explicitly
\n\"Linggardjati,\" instead of \"Linggadjati\" is deliberate, in token
\nof my respect for the endeavor pursued by A.B. Lapian and P.J.
\nDrooglever, editors of the book Tracking down the course of
\nLinggardjati (Menelusuri Jalur Linggarjati), published by PT.
\nPustaka Utama Grafiti, Jakarta (1992).<\/p>\n
SAM SUHAEDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/commemorating-linggardjati-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }