Indonesian Moves
Though discussions of the Indonesian situation are in progress at both Lake Success and Delhi, the conversations between the Dutch Prime Minister, Dr Drees, and Dr Sharir at Batavia arc likely to prove considerably more important. The Dutch, as their representative at Lake Success frankly admitted, have put themselves gravely in the wrong by their treatment of the Republican leaders whom they arrested, even though only a subordinate officer was responsible and the wrong was soon righted. In judging the Dutch refusal to comply with various Security Council demands it must be remembered that the Dutch regard the Indonesian dispute as a domestic matter in which the Security Council has no status, and there is considerable justification for their claim. In any case theit military withdrawal now might, as Sir Alexander Cadogan pointed out, have the gravest consequences. Their political programme—thi creation of what is described as an interim federal government, but seems actually to mean a confederation, with a fully federal United States of Indonesia taking shape in 1950—is perfectly reasonable, anc! if the guerrilla warfare which is causing some trouble in parts of Java and Sumatra can be held in check a stable settlement in these vexed islands may yet be achieved. But it certainly will not bd if emotional and ill-informed criticism of the Dutch is given full rein in this and other countries. They have admittedly made mistakes,
as we frequently have in our own colonial territories. But they were faced with an almost baffling problem in an Indonesia utterly dis- organised after three years of occupation by the Japanese, with a Republican movement assiduously fostered by the Japanese and with Japanese arms-dumps scattered everywhere, to turn any political irresponsible into a public danger. The full agreement of two-thirds of the inhabitants of Indonesia with the Dutch plans for full inde- pendence has been overshadowed by the activities of the remaining third which Dr. Soekarno claims to, but certainly does not fully, represent. What Dr. Drees has succeeded in achieving remains to be disclosed. There is no doubt about the quality of his own democracy, and his efforts should command every sympathy.
Previous page
