India interested in freedom of Asian people (2)

India interested in freedom of Asian people (2)

By Jai Singh Yadav

This is the second of two articles on the Asian Relations
Conference held in New Delhi in 1947.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): When news of the Asian Relations Conference
traveled abroad, the western media, ever ready to pollute the
minds of the international community, started its
misrepresentation campaign.

Jawaharlal Nehru said in his address that the conference "is
in no way aggressive or against any other continent or
country."

Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir could not reach New Delhi in time
for the first plenary session of the Conference. Hence Dr. Abu
Hanifah, leader of the Indonesian delegation addressed the first
plenary session and also read out a message from Sjahrir.

In his address, Dr. Hanifah drove home the point about the
struggles, trials and tribulations of the Indonesian people in
their freedom struggle and called upon other states for
recognition of Indonesia's independence.

Leaders of the other delegations also addressed the first
plenary and there was a striking similarity in their views on the
various topics to be discussed in the ensuing Round Table Groups.

The Round Table Group A of the conference discussed the
subject of National Movements for Freedom. Sutan Sjahrir, who had
arrived in New Delhi on March 31 on a special plane sent by
Nehru also participate in the discussion. It was the consensus
view that Asian countries as a whole should develop an attitude
that imperialism could not effectively continue to dominate any
part of Asia for any length of time and, therefore, action to
stem the imperialistic forces should be modulated accordingly.
Also, in all Asian countries, national freedom movements should
move in the directions of social, political, economic and
cultural democracy for all the people.

The Round Table Group B of the conference discussed Racial
Problems and Inter-Asian Migration. The group arrived at a
consensus view on complete legal equality for all citizens,
complete religious freedom, and no public social disqualification
of any racial group. All these are applicable to those foreign
citizens who had chosen their countries of immigration as their
permanent homes, and identified themselves with their adopted
countries.

The Round Table Group C of the conference discussed Transition
from Colonial to National Economy, Agricultural Reconstruction
and Industrial Development, and Labor Problems and Social
Services. Similarly the Round Table Groups D and E concentrated
on cultural dimensions and women's problems in the Asian Region.

What was significant in all these Round Table Group
discussions was the fact that there was an atmosphere of
friendship, cordiality and togetherness in the approaches to the
various problems. Never was there an occasion for acrimonious
debates and all the delegates had been able to exchange their
views and gain lot of exposure to the perceptions of the
different countries.

The dynamic and eloquent Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, Chairperson of
the Conference, introduced PM Sutan Sjahrir to the audience at
the final Plenary Session on April 2, 1947 as the "bomb of Asia"
to thunderous applause and a rousing ovation. The conference had
already generated so much enthusiasm and publicity that the
Delhities thronged the venue, which was overflowing with
thousands of people, estimated at 20,000.

Sjahrir had already become the cynosure of all eyes. The news
of his arrival, and the fact that Mahatma Gandhi himself was
going to address the final Plenary Session had spread far and
wide, hence the unprecedented gathering of people as described.

Mrs. Sarojini Naidu introduced Mahatma Gandhi as "the father
of the nation and the apostle of truth and non-violence". Mahatma
Gandhi scorned at the offer of a chair on the rostrum, and
instead chose to remain seated, cross-legged, on a mattress.

The Mahatma spoke in a soft and mellow tone and said, "If you
want to see the real India, you should see a few villages in
India -- those 'dung heaps' inhabited by 'miserable specimens of
humanity' who, nevertheless possessed nothing less than 'the
concentrated essence of wisdom'."

The west is, today, pining for wisdom. It is despairing of
multiplication of atom bombs; and Asia must not imitate the west,
"its gun powder and atom bomb". Rather, Asia must conquer the
west through love; and this it could do because its greatness was
in the teaching of its prophets, including Zoroaster, Buddha,
Moses, Jesus and Mohammed.

The fact that Indonesia had proclaimed its independence on
Aug. 17, 1945, immediately after the Japanese surrender -- the
fledging Republic was required to muster up its meager resources
and wage war against Dutch imperialists bent upon reestablishing
the past colonial regime and many battles against the Dutch, by
the Indonesian people, had taken place in different theaters --
lent an accelerated interest in the Indonesian National
Revolution among the conference circles. "Indian public opinion
was on the side of the Indonesian cause for freedom and so,
indeed, was the whole conference."

The Plenary Session of Group A of the Round Table Groups -- on
National Movements for Freedom -- met on April 1, 1947, which
provided, as it were, a springboard for Sjahrir to take stock of
the deliberation on the proceeding eight days and to attune
himself for delivering the speech at the Final Plenary of the
conference on April 2.

Nehru welcomed Sjahrir to the plenary of Group A of the Round
Table, saying, "Indonesia has been playing such an important part
in Asian and world events in recent years, and the coming of
Sjahrir is considerable significance for our Conference and for
us in India." Suitably responding, Sjahrir said, "Our being here
in such great numbers is in fact due not only to immense interest
in what is happening here but also to the fact that we have been
isolated for so many years."

Sjahrir said, "May I remind you that we must exercise the
greatest care to see that the Asian sentiment ('this was a
compelling sentiment, a forceful sentiment which insistently
sought expression in this Conference') is preserved as a holy
flame, which will spur us on to greater endeavors to justice,
truth, idealism and humanitarianism? We have cultivated that
Asian sentiment with such fervor that it is now a powerful force
-- and a powerful force for good, I believe -- which, wisely
used, should help us realize not only the vision of the "one
world" we have been striving for, but also the dream of the
oneness of mankind."

Needless to reiterate here that Sjahrir's words added another
impetus to the growing Asian sentiment among the Asian nations,
united by their common interests, to seek friendship with other
nations, for the realization of the one world, through peaceful
coexistence. The presence in these words, in embryonic form, form
the basic tenets of the later-to-be-formulated Indonesian "active
and independent" foreign policy, wedded to the principles of non-
alignment and a positive search for peace.

Nehru, in his address to the Plenary, said, "I do believe that
the message, the age-long message of Asia, has something of
enormous value for humanity, ... that this conference has been
such a landmark in the history of Asia, ... that the center of
events is shifting from Europe, that on one side it has shifted
to America and on the other to Asia."

The Asian Relations Conference of 1947 in New Delhi,
retrospectively speaking, almost turned out to be a fulfillment
of shared dreams of many leaders of struggling Asia. It was the
first major Asian conference held at a time when triumphant
liberation movements coalesced together at a common meeting
point; common in perspective, struggles, ideals and goals.

The writer is Visiting Associate Professor at the Gadjah Mada
University, Yogyakarta.