Netherlands may debate colonialism after 50 years<\/p>\n
THE HAGUE (AFP): A proposal being floated in the Netherlands
\nfor a national debate on the role of Dutch troops during the
\nIndonesian war of independence has found little popular support
\nand provoked the furor of Dutch army veterans.<\/p>\n
The idea surfaced after the uproar created at the end of last
\nyear by the decision to grant a visa to a former Dutch soldier
\nwho defected to the Indonesians during the four-year conflict
\nwhich lasted from 1945 to 1949.<\/p>\n
The arrival of \"Poncke\" Princen, who many still regard as a
\ntraitor, reopened old scars and prompted calls for a national
\ndebate to \"lance the abscess\" and clear the air once and for all
\nwith Indonesia, the former Dutch East Indies.<\/p>\n
Proponents of the debate say it will improve the atmosphere
\nahead of a milestone state visit which Queen Beatrix is due to
\npay to Indonesia in the summer.<\/p>\n
Dutch Cooperation Minister Jan Pronk, who was the first to ask
\nhis countrymen to \"examine their consciences\" over the colonial
\nwar, said squarely that the decision to send troops to crush
\nIndonesia's bid for independence was a \"mistake\".<\/p>\n
He accused the political establishment of the time of being
\n\"guilty of the excesses\" committed by Dutch troops. Pronk said
\nthe mission given to Dutch soldiers was \"an impossible and
\nsenseless task\" because \"it was not possible to halt the
\ndecolonization process\".<\/p>\n
Asked whether he thought the 6,000 Dutch soldiers killed in
\nIndonesia had died in vain, Pronk said \"Yes. It is painful to
\nadmit it but we cannot keep it quiet.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia, which had been a Dutch possession for four
\ncenturies, proclaimed its independence on Aug. 17, 1945, shortly
\nafter Japanese occupying forces had capitulated.<\/p>\n
The first reaction of the Dutch, who were loathe to cut all
\nties with their former colony, was to propose forming a Dutch-
\nIndonesian union but the idea was dropped due to continued
\nIndonesian nationalist resistance.<\/p>\n
In July and August 1947 and again in December 1948, the Dutch
\narmy intervened to \"restore order\" in Indonesia, killing more
\nthan 100,000 Indonesians in the process.<\/p>\n
Under pressure from the United Nations, the Netherlands
\nfinally recognized Indonesia's independence on Dec. 9, 1949.<\/p>\n
Ever since, the two countries have maintained an ambiguous
\n\"love-hate\" relationship. While the Dutch generally get on well
\nwith ordinary Indonesians, political relations have often been
\nstormy.<\/p>\n
The Hague has traditionally conditioned its economic aid to
\nJakarta to respect for human rights by the Indonesian regime,
\nparticularly with regard to East Timor.<\/p>\n
It is far from certain that soul-searching on a national level
\nwould do anything to change this attitude.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Wim Kok warned against judging actions in the
\npast by today's standards and even the Indonesian embassy here
\nwas unenthusiastic about digging up old grievances.<\/p>\n
Future<\/p>\n
\"It is forgotten, forgiven. Let us talk about the future
\ninstead,\" a diplomat said.<\/p>\n
Kok said the situation today was \"radically different from
\nthat of 50 years ago,\" although he said he was not opposed to \"an
\nexchange of views\" at national level.<\/p>\n
Ordinary people have voiced scant enthusiasm for the idea and
\nan opinion poll carried out by the NIPO institute showed that 53
\npercent of those questioned thought the whole scheme was useless.<\/p>\n
A third said they thought the Dutch military intervention in
\nIndonesia had been wrong while 49 percent thought it was quite
\npossible that Dutch troops had committed war crimes in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The most outspoken critics have been the veterans of the four-
\nyear conflict. They say they want more from the government and
\nfrom parliament than a debate.<\/p>\n
\"We want to be respected,\" said Jan Dijkema, president of the
\nEast Indies Veterans' Association.<\/p>\n
\"The accusations and slanderous writings about us must stop.
\nWe only did our duty. As for the authorities responsible, they
\nkept well out of it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Some veterans even threatened to kill Princen when he came
\nback to the country of his birth in December to spend Christmas
\nwith his relatives. Princen, 69, who is now a human rights
\ncampaigner in his adopted country, is partially paralyzed and is
\nsuffering from skin cancer.<\/p>\n
He was given his visa on the condition that he made no
\npolitical statements during his stay.<\/p>",
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