RI-Netherlands relations<\/p>\n
In 1956, when writing in Jakarta as a Dutch journalist for
\nHRC-Handelsblad, then Prime Minister Ali Sastroamidjojo spoke
\nprophetic words to me: \"Normal relations with Holland will only
\nbecome possible after the colonial diehards pass away.\"
\nCommenting on your editorial on soul searching in Holland, while
\non a visit here as a Dutch journalist forty years later, I'd like
\nto make a few additional comments.<\/p>\n
Minister Jan Pronk is not a colonial diehard, but a socialist
\nidealist and dreamer who caused, over the past quarter century,
\nincalculable damage to the normalization of relations between our
\ncountries. The leftist information from books in libraries, and
\nthe dire new realities on the ground in Asia, constantly collide
\nin his brain, so that at the end of the day uncontrolled wild
\nutterances by Mr. Pronk have the same disastrous effect as those
\nfrom colonial diehards.<\/p>\n
After his latest bombshell on Dutch war-crimes some of us felt
\nhe was making an attempt to repair earlier blunders in Jakarta to
\ngain favor with Indonesia. Prime Minister Wim Kok, in any case,
\nimmediately publicly reprimanded Pronk and told him to shut up,
\nan aspect missing in your editorial. Pronk never understood
\ndecolonization processes, because too much Marxist ideology
\naffected his thinking. Hence, mainly because of Pronk, relations
\nwith another former colony, the Republic of Surinam, are now in
\ntotal shambles.<\/p>\n
The Dutch have been the worst losers in European colonial
\nhistory. Nehru went to London, Lumumba to Brussels, Ben Bella to
\nParis, but The Hague never allowed Sukarno to set foot on Dutch
\nsoil, which, as he told me so often, was his wish in order to
\nhelp restore normal relations. Now Queen Beatrix will arrive Aug.
\n21, 1995 in Jakarta. Why not Aug. 17? As Ali Sastroamidjojo said
\nforty years ago, too many diehards are still alive.<\/p>\n
Recently, former cabinet Minister Sicco Mansholt warned, that
\nwe force Queen Beatrix to look silly, not to be prepared to
\ndemonstrate on Aug. 17, that half a century later the former
\ncolonial power is at last prepared to act as good losers and
\naccept defeat. Therefore, yes, a lot of soul-searching goes on in
\nHolland, but too many Dutch minds are not yet prepared to forget
\nthe past, or are capable to do so. Wounds linger on.<\/p>\n
I feel that Queen Beatrix should, after Jakarta, go to Blitar
\nand lay flowers at the grave of the father of the nation. But,
\nperhaps, we will have to wait till 2045 for all diehards to have
\ngone to heaven, so that King Willem (Alexander) IV will be
\nallowed to go to East Java and formally normalize relations
\nbetween Indonesia and Holland.<\/p>\n
WILLEM L. OLTMANS<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-netherlands-relations-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }