ORI and the struggle against colonialism<\/p>\n
The history of Indonesian money is broadly divided into two
\nperiods: 1945 to 1949 and 1950 to 1990.<\/p>\n
When Indonesia declared independence, only Japanese banknotes
\nwere used as legal tender. The Indonesian government, under
\nSukarno and Hatta, was not yet capable of issuing a national
\ncurrency.<\/p>\n
After the establishment of the Banknote Printing Organizing
\nCommittee, money printing began with glass negative materials
\nprocessed by state publishing company Balai Pustaka and offset
\nprinting by the state printing house at Salemba, Jakarta. The
\nMinistry of Information was in charge of money production,
\nstarting in January 1946.<\/p>\n
On October 29, 1946, the Indonesian government issued the
\nnational currency, known as Oeang Repoeblik Indonesia (ORI, or
\nRepublic of Indonesia banknotes). It was announced through the
\nYogyakarta station of the national broadcasting service Radio
\nRepublik Indonesia (RRI) by Vice President Mohamad Hatta, who
\nexplained the money's importance in establishing the republic's
\ncredentials.<\/p>\n
From October through December 1946, the government issued
\nbanknotes five times. But the currency of the Netherlands Indies
\nCivil Administration (NICA) was also used by the public. The
\nAllies (predominantly the Netherlands and the UK) were worried by
\nthe circulation of ORI notes, so Commander Sir Montague Stopford
\nannounced to the public that only the NICA money was valid in
\nAllied-held territory.<\/p>\n
When the Dutch launched the first military aggression on July
\n21, 1947, the NICA currency prevailed in some parts of Indonesia.
\nThe Indonesian Military at that time strived to suppress the
\nsupply of NICA banknotes and continued to popularize the ORI as
\nthe legitimate currency in Indonesia's guerrilla enclaves.<\/p>\n
March 1, 1949, was a historic day for the existence of the
\nORI, when Indonesian troops succeeded in occupying Yogyakarta for
\nabout six hours. Subsequently, the value of ORI notes rose
\ndrastically against the Dutch money.<\/p>\n
U.S. expert in Indonesian affairs George Kahin, in his book
\nNationalism and Revolution in Indonesia (1963), writes that
\nbefore the March 1 attack, the exchange rate of the rupiah
\nagainst NICA money stood at 500:1; it strengthened to 130:1 and
\n90:1 after the Yogya occupation.<\/p>\n
ORI notes, though printed in a simple form, played a major
\nrole in arousing people's patriotic spirits in the national
\nstruggle against the colonists.<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, Prof. Dr. J.K. Gail from the U.S. described
\nthe ORI notes as an instrument of revolution. In his view, ORI
\nnotes assumed the same role as that of continental money, which
\nwas issued by colonies during the American War of Independence
\nin the 18th century.<\/p>\n
The first national currency was mentioned as a means of
\nnational resistance. With the help of farmers, Indonesian
\nsoldiers endeavored to distribute ORI notes to remote regions.
\nAccording to writings by Jai Singh Yadav, a guest professor at
\nthe school of literature at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta,
\nthe rising value of ORI notes after the March 1 general attack
\nindicated the exchange rate's link with the nation's successful
\nstruggle, an indicator of the strength of the republic.<\/p>\n
That inspired the board of the March 1, 1949 General Attack
\nFoundation to accept the idea of the late Maj. Gen. Nichlany
\nSoedardjo, as foundation chairman, to publish Banknotes and Coins
\nfrom Indonesia 1945-1990 (BACFI) in cooperation with Perum Peruri
\n(the state mint).<\/p>\n
The 303-page book, which first appeared in 1991, describes, in
\nits preface, the value of ORI notes in the struggle against
\ncolonialism: "Until the Republic of Indonesia, proclaimed by
\nSukarno and Hatta on August 17, 1945, promptly issued ORI notes,
\nmany might have doubted that the republic actually existed. That
\nwas because the Dutch circulated NICA currency as a way of
\ndemonstrating their power after Japan's surrender and Indonesia's
\nindependence".<\/p>\n
-- Bambang Parlupi<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ori-and-the-struggle-against-colonialism-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }