Better too late than never

The Netherlands gave Indonesia a special gift for our 60th independence anniversary: A long overdue recognition of Aug. 17, 1945 as the day Indonesia reclaimed its sovereignty, rather than Dec. 27, 1949, when the Dutch formally handed it to the young republican leaders.

Visiting foreign minister Bernard Bot, the first ever Dutch government representative to come for our Independence Day celebrations, expressed "profound regret" for the military violence that took place between those two dates, when the Dutch forces tried to reimpose their rule in Indonesia after the end of World War II.

As a civil nation and a good host, we Indonesians should graciously accept the gesture.

Not that the issue still matters to most Indonesians.

Every year for the past 59 years, we have celebrated our national day on Aug. 17, which is the day in 1945 when Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta jointly proclaimed our independence. We have marked it as the day we became an independent nation. As for the military violence, for most of us it belongs to the history books. It is probably still important for the few remaining Indonesians who lived through those years.

But since the expression of regret is limited to that period in the late 1940s, it raises the question about the three-and- half centuries that the Dutch ruled the people of this archipelago, which it then called the East Indies, and ruthlessly too according to history lessons we took at school. Shouldn't they apologize for this too?

But Indonesians are a forgiving, if not forgetting lot.

Mr. Bot's message, as noble and genuine as it sounds, will not likely draw much attention, let alone a passionate public debate here. The passage of time has removed most emotional ties -- good and bad, love and hate -- that lingered on after the war was over. Those who fought the Dutch or lived through the violent years have either died or are too old to be in a position of power to have any influence.

Few Indonesians use or learn the Dutch language, and English- speaking countries are the preferred choice for Indonesians studying abroad. For most present-day Indonesians, the Netherlands is just another small European country, with some great soccer stars playing for English or Spanish teams.

Mr. Bot's expression of regret is more relevant for the Netherlands than for Indonesia. Setting history straight is important, and 60 years seems like a good time to review and even rewrite one's own national history, with less emotional and political baggage. You come to terms with the tragic reality of history only when you feel comfortable. The loss of a colony was a tragic event for the Netherlands.

Relations between the two countries have long gone past that level where our emotions were still governed by what happened in the 1940s. Nowadays, Indonesia and the Netherlands interact as two equals on the basis of mutual respect. The intensity of our relations are determined more by how much benefit each will get out of it, and not by history or by emotional ties. That's the way it should be with any relations.

For what it's worth, the Dutch acceptance of our independence date and expression of regret has given closure over that tragic war between our two peoples. Let's move on.