On Indonesian Independence Day

On Indonesian Independence Day

I'm a Dutchman (of Dutch-Indonesian descent) and I fully agree
with minister Bot's attendance at Indonesia's 60th anniversary of
independence. I think it is Indonesia's right to celebrate their
independence on Aug. 17 and I think that everybody -- especially
The Netherlands -- has to respect that.

However, the historic facts are a little different. On Aug.
17, 1945, Sukarno and Hatta declared the independence of
Indonesia. But this act was not even recognized by all parts of
the country, let alone by The Netherlands. Indonesia and The
Netherlands finally agreed upon this difficult matter on Dec. 27,
1949, after a long struggle with too many victims on both sides.

In general, transfer of sovereignty has to be agreed upon by
both parties involved. For example: The Netherlands declared
themselves independent from their Spanish oppressors in 1581, but
this self-declared independence was not accepted by Spain until
1648.

But is this really important? No, I don't think so. I think
it's high time we buried the past and moved on to the future. We
here in The Netherlands all love your country and we especially
like Indonesian food! So why not come up with an "Indonesian-
Dutch Friendship Day" which we both can celebrate? Do you have a
suggestion for such a date?

ADRIAAN P. INTVELD
The Netherlands