Commemorating Linggardjati

Commemorating Linggardjati

For a student of the history of Indonesian diplomacy in the
1945-1950 period, March will be remembered as a milestone for the
first act of international law performed by the Indonesian
Republic since its proclamation of independence.

Fifty years ago, on March 25, 1947, the Netherlands and
Indonesia formed the Linggadjati Agreement, which gave the Dutch
extended de facto recognition to Java, Madura and Sumatra. (To
the local populace of the amiable hillside resort near Cirebon,
West Java, after which the agreement was called, the name is
Linggardjati; and an "r" is included).

The agreement was ratified by the Dutch legislature, the
Second Chamber, on Dec. 20, 1947, whereas on the Indonesian side
it was indirectly ratified by the Republican provisional
legislative body, the Komite National Indonesia Pusat (KNIP), in
its Malang (East Java) session on March 5, 1947. This was by
means of a vote of confidence to the Syahrir Cabinet which at the
time handled political negotiations with the Dutch government. In
pursuance of Article 102 of the UN Charter, the Linggadjati
Agreement was registered with the UN Secretariat, whereas the
arbitration clause, Article 17 (B), of the agreement was
registered with the U.N. International Court of Justice.

However, it later turned out that the significance of the
Linggadjati Agreement for the republic must not be assessed
merely in terms of its legal status in international law, it
being abrogated by the Van Mook government when it launched its
first military action against Indonesia on July 21, 1947.

The importance of the agreement lay more in the political
repercussions favoring the republic in its international
relations, including the deliberations in the UN Security Council
to solve what was called the Indonesian Question under Chapter VI
of the UN Charter governing the Peaceful Settlement of
International Disputes. Thus, Indonesia was recognized under the
UN Charter -- which is international law -- as a party to
international dispute.

Following the Linggadjati Agreement, Indonesia gained de facto
recognition from the U.K., U.S., India and Australia. On the
other hand, de jure recognition was accorded successfully by
Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
Conspicuously, a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce was signed
with Egypt on June 10, 1947.

The achievements in the field of international diplomacy at
the time aptly show that the power of diplomacy and the power of
the armed forces are two indispensable means in the struggle of
the republic to consummate its independence and successfully
become the 60th member of the UN in September 1950.

This entry into the Family of Nations, embodied in the UN, was
preceded by a historic event on Aug. 15, 1950, when the return to
the unitarian state (the Republic of Indonesia) from the short-
lived federal system (the United States of Indonesia) lasting for
only seven and a half months, took place.

Please note that the title, denoting explicitly
"Linggardjati," instead of "Linggadjati" is deliberate, in token
of my respect for the endeavor pursued by A.B. Lapian and P.J.
Drooglever, editors of the book Tracking down the course of
Linggardjati (Menelusuri Jalur Linggarjati), published by PT.
Pustaka Utama Grafiti, Jakarta (1992).

SAM SUHAEDI

Jakarta