Netherlands may debate colonialism after 50 years

Netherlands may debate colonialism after 50 years

THE HAGUE (AFP): A proposal being floated in the Netherlands for a national debate on the role of Dutch troops during the Indonesian war of independence has found little popular support and provoked the furor of Dutch army veterans.

The idea surfaced after the uproar created at the end of last year by the decision to grant a visa to a former Dutch soldier who defected to the Indonesians during the four-year conflict which lasted from 1945 to 1949.

The arrival of "Poncke" Princen, who many still regard as a traitor, reopened old scars and prompted calls for a national debate to "lance the abscess" and clear the air once and for all with Indonesia, the former Dutch East Indies.

Proponents of the debate say it will improve the atmosphere ahead of a milestone state visit which Queen Beatrix is due to pay to Indonesia in the summer.

Dutch Cooperation Minister Jan Pronk, who was the first to ask his countrymen to "examine their consciences" over the colonial war, said squarely that the decision to send troops to crush Indonesia's bid for independence was a "mistake".

He accused the political establishment of the time of being "guilty of the excesses" committed by Dutch troops. Pronk said the mission given to Dutch soldiers was "an impossible and senseless task" because "it was not possible to halt the decolonization process".

Asked whether he thought the 6,000 Dutch soldiers killed in Indonesia had died in vain, Pronk said "Yes. It is painful to admit it but we cannot keep it quiet."

Indonesia, which had been a Dutch possession for four centuries, proclaimed its independence on Aug. 17, 1945, shortly after Japanese occupying forces had capitulated.

The first reaction of the Dutch, who were loathe to cut all ties with their former colony, was to propose forming a Dutch- Indonesian union but the idea was dropped due to continued Indonesian nationalist resistance.

In July and August 1947 and again in December 1948, the Dutch army intervened to "restore order" in Indonesia, killing more than 100,000 Indonesians in the process.

Under pressure from the United Nations, the Netherlands finally recognized Indonesia's independence on Dec. 9, 1949.

Ever since, the two countries have maintained an ambiguous "love-hate" relationship. While the Dutch generally get on well with ordinary Indonesians, political relations have often been stormy.

The Hague has traditionally conditioned its economic aid to Jakarta to respect for human rights by the Indonesian regime, particularly with regard to East Timor.

It is far from certain that soul-searching on a national level would do anything to change this attitude.

Prime Minister Wim Kok warned against judging actions in the past by today's standards and even the Indonesian embassy here was unenthusiastic about digging up old grievances.

Future

"It is forgotten, forgiven. Let us talk about the future instead," a diplomat said.

Kok said the situation today was "radically different from that of 50 years ago," although he said he was not opposed to "an exchange of views" at national level.

Ordinary people have voiced scant enthusiasm for the idea and an opinion poll carried out by the NIPO institute showed that 53 percent of those questioned thought the whole scheme was useless.

A third said they thought the Dutch military intervention in Indonesia had been wrong while 49 percent thought it was quite possible that Dutch troops had committed war crimes in Indonesia.

The most outspoken critics have been the veterans of the four- year conflict. They say they want more from the government and from parliament than a debate.

"We want to be respected," said Jan Dijkema, president of the East Indies Veterans' Association.

"The accusations and slanderous writings about us must stop. We only did our duty. As for the authorities responsible, they kept well out of it," he said.

Some veterans even threatened to kill Princen when he came back to the country of his birth in December to spend Christmas with his relatives. Princen, 69, who is now a human rights campaigner in his adopted country, is partially paralyzed and is suffering from skin cancer.

He was given his visa on the condition that he made no political statements during his stay.