Sukarno and guerrilla warfare

Sukarno and guerrilla warfare

In the articles entitled Recollections of Sukarno: Images of a
national hero, written by Mr. Mochtar Buchori in The Jakarta
Post's June 8, 2001 and June 9, 2001 issues, the writer expressed
his disappointment that Sukarno didn't keep his word in leading a
guerrilla war when Yogyakarta was invaded by the Dutch troops on
Dec. 19, 1948.

To find out the reason, I studied a number of references,
among others, an article by Mr. Roem: Letters from Sukamiskin
prison -- Development of polemics published in Kompas on Feb. 23,
1981.

According to the account, Sukarno did not leave Yogyakarta
because a decision had been reached in a morning Cabinet session
on Dec. 19, 1948. The decision reads: 1) To give Mr. Sjafrudin
Prawiranegara the authority to form an emergency government and
carry on the people's struggle in the event the government under
Sukarno and Hatta is incapable of performing its duties due to
the detention of its leaders. 2) The government remains based in
Yogyakarta.

Since none of the people in charge of running the government
then had been given any instruction as to who would lead the
guerrilla war, the decision was clearly meant for Sukarno, or at
least construed to be for him.

The government also issued another statement urging people to
continue their struggle, but, alas, the statement could not go on
the air as the Indonesian Radio Broadcasting Service (RRI)
station in Yogyakarta was devastated by air-raid bombing. When
the Dutch soldiers reached the palace, they readied themselves to
attack. Bung Karno ordered for a white flag to be raised -- a
sign of surrender -- as it was feared that if a battle erupted,
many palace members would sustain injuries and they could not
hold the Dutch responsible for it. Moreover, the palace troops
were outnumbered by the Dutch soldiers.

After their arrest, and having given the mandate to Mr.
Sjahfrudin Prawiranegara, Bung Karno and Bung Hatta were no
longer heads of government, but individuals and national figures.

Sukarno flatly rejected the appeal from Maj. Gen. Meyer when
the latter asked him to instruct the National Army (TNI) and
people to stop fighting the Dutch. After Col. Van Langen (who led
the attack on Yogyakarta) reported to his senior, Gen. Spoor,
that Bung Karno and Bung Hatta had been detained, the general
abruptly said: "We have lost" (Solichin Salam: Sukarno-Hatta
never gives up, Merdeka, March 16, 1991 and March 17, 1991).

Later, after war was waged with weapons and diplomacy, the
Roem-Royen Agreement was reached. According to the agreement, the
government of the Republic of Indonesia was reestablished in
Yogyakarta. In the Round Table Conference in The Hague in late
1949, the Dutch recognized the Federal Republic of Indonesia as a
sovereign and free nation.

JOHN ISKANDAR

Surabaya