First of March 1949

First of March 1949

From Pikiran Rakyat

Soewarno Darsoprajitno's article "Youth Pledge also inspired the general attack on the first of March 1949" (Pikiran Rakyat, March 3) has revived my long-cherished wish to compare data with Prof. George Kahin's paper: "Some Recollections and Reflections on the Indonesian Revolution" presented at an international seminar organized by the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in Jakarta, July 11-14, 1995.

The history expert who witnessed many events of the Indonesian revolution wrote about his experience at the Merdeka Hotel, Yogyakarta on Jan. 9, 1949. Indonesian troops attacked the heart of Yogyakarta, including the hotel which was headquarters of senior Dutch officials and drove them away by planting dynamite.

It was a very heroic, daring and tactical attack which was able to shake the morale of the Dutch and boost the fighting spirit of the Indonesian troops.

According to the commander, interviewed one month later, the troops consisted of a police mobile brigade and Sulawesi dedication unit (KRIS) members.

There are many similarities between Kahin's paper and Soewarno's article, including the event, the actors, the site of the event and the personal experience.

But there is a difference in the time element, between Jan. 9 (Kahin) and March 1 (Soewarno) and in the involvement of KRIS. The general attack on March 1, 1949 led by Lt. Col. Soeharto is a historical fact recognized by many sides including the Dutch themselves.

Would Kahin's memory have failed him? I do not think so considering that at the time he was productive in writing and often held talks at scientific events in many countries.

Would Soewarno be mistaken in determining the date of the event? I am looking forward to reading his personal reply to this question. Did the attack by the police mobile brigade take place twice, on Jan. 9 (with KRIS) as well as on March 1 (without KRIS)? Soewarno may be able to enlighten us. Why was the Jan. 9 attack not recorded in current Indonesian history?

In my opinion, from a chronological point of view, the Jan. 9 incident is no less important, both as a boost to the spirit of the Indonesian troops and in the eyes of the outside world, including debates at the UN Security Council.

The event took place between the second military action of the Dutch on Dec. 19, 1948 and the issuance of the UN Security Council's resolution on Jan. 28, 1949, which ordered the Dutch to transfer sovereignty to Indonesia before Jan.1, 1950.

DJAKA RUBIYANTO

Bandung, West Java