INDONESIA IN THE PACIFIC CoMMUNITY
of nationalism: the legitimizing value ascribed to former colonial
boundaries.
Indonesia's "Generation of 1945" grew up in the colony of thé
Netherlands East Indies, learning their geography from maps which
included Western New Guinea as an integral part of the colony
which they aspired to liberate and establish as an independent so–
vereign state. But in the "Round Table Agreements" of 1949,
which recognized Indonesian sovereignty, the Dutch Government
refused to settle the future of Western New Guinea, promising in–
stead to open negotiations for that purpose the foIlowing year.
Then, Dutch imperiaIi"st pride gained the upper hand and the go–
vernment in The Hague refused negotiations, unwilling to face to–
tal withdrawal from the Western Padfic, after a major presence in
that regíon since the sixteenth century.
Dutch stubborness cost both the Netherlands aIid Indonesia
dearly. Dutch enterprises in Indonesia lost investments of over
us$ 2 billion, which were nationalized in the 1950s as reprisals for
the refusaI to settIe the issue of Western New Guinea. Indonesia
lost faith in the United Nations, which failed to help in the ful–
fillment of its territorial aspiration, and withdrew from that
organization in January 1965.
It
also abandoned its non-aligned
policy, accepting Soviet military assistance for the liberation of
Western New Guinea, and incurred heavy debts for that purpose.
Last but not least, Indonesia's national energíes were diverted for
a decade from constructive economic development to the liberation
of Western New Guinea. This became a national obsession until
the issue was finally settled in the summer of 1962 through the
mediation of the United States which had previously been a neu–
tral bystander, unwilling to exert pressure on its Dutch
NATO
ally.
The liberation of Western Guinea had been from the begínning
of Indonesia's independent existence a loudly-proclaimed national
goal. No claims were ever voiced to the territories which have
since become the independent state of Papua-New Guinea. No
opposition came from Jakarta to the creation of that country
through peaceful decolonization by Australia. The guiding princi–
pIe of Indonesian territorial c1aims has obviously been colonial
history. not ethnic afinity.
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