[Marinir] Indonesia Digest: No.30.05 ; 24-08-'05

[Yap Hong Gie]

INDONESIA DIGEST
Indonesia's complex Issues in a Nutshell
By:  Ms. Wurastuti Sunario
Published by: TBSC-Strategic Communication
No.: 30.05 - Dated:  24 August 2005

In this issue:

MAIN FEATURE:

THE NETHERLANDS FINALLY RECOGNIZES
INDONESIA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY: 17 AUGUST 1945

NEWS AND BACKGROUND:

1.      Culture and the Environment:
President launches:  2005-2006 Year of Culture and Arts Festivals
Black-out on the Java-Bali Power Grid, and Manado in Darkness

2.      The Economy, Trade and Industry:
·         Roads Toll- Fee hike by 15% starting 23 August, 2005
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MAIN FEATURE:

THE NETHERLANDS FINALLY RECOGNIZES
INDONESIA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY: 17 AUGUST 1945

On Indonesia's 60th National Day on 17 August this year, the country 
received an unexpected present: the Netherlands finally conceded that 
Indonesia's Independence actually began on the day of its proclamation by 
the Indonesian people, namely on 17 August 1945.

For, unlike the British, who willingly gave independence to its colonies, 
the Indonesian people had to fight years of bloody battles against the Dutch 
colonialists before gaining their freedom. On 17 August 1945, Indonesia, 
represented by Sukarno-Hatta, proclaimed her Independence, only two days 
after the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II. This is 
the day that Indonesians celebrate National Day.  Nonetheless, the Dutch 
government finally recognized and formally transferred sovereignty to 
Indonesia only four years after the Proclamation -  in November 1949, but 
still the Dutch government added a pending clause on the territory of West 
Papua that was promised to be further negotiated. In 1947, Dutch troops 
raided and occupied the city of Yogyakarta, then the capital of the young 
Republic of Indonesia, - home to President Sukarno and Vice President 
Hatta, - through what the Dutch called her justified "police actions".

It was quite a surprise to many Indonesians, therefore, that this year - and 
after more than half a century -  the Dutch Government finally decided to 
send its Foreign Minister to attend National Day celebrations, - the first 
time ever in Indonesia's entire history that National Day Celebrations was 
formally attended by its former colonial masters.

Said Dr. Bernard Bot, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands in a ceremony at 
the Department of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta, on 16 August:
"This is the first time since Indonesia declared its independence that a 
member of the Dutch government will attend the celebrations. Through my 
presence the Dutch government expresses its political and moral acceptance 
of the Proklamasi, the date the Republic of Indonesia declared 
 independence."
Explaining the extended time needed to make this decision, Foreign Minister 
Bot explained it this way: "Only when someone is standing on the summit of 
the mountain can he see what would have been the simplest and shortest way 
up. This applies equally to the people on the Dutch side who were involved 
in the decisions taken from 1945 onwards. Only in hindsight does it become 
clear that the separation between Indonesia and the Netherlands was marked 
by more violence and lasted longer than was necessary".
 " Within the context of 17 August, this means that we Dutch must admit to 
ourselves, and to you the Indonesians, that during the colonial period and 
especially its final phase harm was done to the interests and dignity of the 
Indonesian people - even if the intentions of individual Dutch people may 
not always have been bad.
The end of the Japanese occupation of Indonesia did not bring an end to the 
suffering of the Indonesian people nor to that of the Dutch community in 
Indonesia. The Japanese occupation and the period directly after the 
Proklamasi were followed by an extremely painful, violent parting of the 
ways between our countries and communities.

In retrospect, it is clear that its large-scale deployment of military 
forces in 1947 put the Netherlands on the wrong side of history. The fact 
that military action was taken and that many people on both sides lost their 
lives or were wounded is a harsh and bitter reality especially for you, the 
people of the Republic of Indonesia. A large number of your people are 
estimated to have died as a result of the action taken by the Netherlands. 
On behalf of the Dutch government, I wish to express my profound regret for 
all that suffering.
Dr. Bernard Bot, who himself was born in Indonesia closed his remarks, 
saying : "This is also an important moment for me personally. The country 
where I was born, Indonesia, and the Netherlands, my motherland, are 
reaching out to one another and opening a new chapter in their relations. 
Let us apply ourselves to deepening our friendship with dedication and in 
harmony. And may our friendship serve the interests of the common challenges 
all of us will have to meet in the twenty-first century. Let us work 
together for peace, justice and prosperity".

What is the significance of Dutch recognition of Indonesia's Independence 
Day?

For the youth of Indonesia, who were born long after the Independence 
struggle, the presence of Dutch Foreign Minister Bot at Indonesia's National 
Day Celebrations in the Palace was nothing out of the ordinary, and not much 
to be excited about.  For was it not a mere few months ago that almost 
hundred Heads of State and Heads of Government, as well as UN Secretary 
General Kofi Annan himself were at the Jakarta Palace to attend the 
Asian-African Summit?

And in January, were there not so many Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers 
from around the world present in Jakarta to attend the Conference on the 
Tsunami?
But to observers and experts in politics and international law, the occasion 
was a significant step, indeed. For in international law, this action 
implied that Holland now finally concedes that sovereignty of the Republic 
of Indonesia covers the entire territory that was once the former Dutch East 
Indies, dating from 17 August 1945, - and not from November1949. That Dutch 
military aggression after 1945, therefore, violated international law, and 
that any other interpretations that may be floating around, - among which, 
that the former West New Guinea (present Indonesian Papua) and Aceh were not 
included in this territory at the time of Proklamasi in 1945, - are wrong.
And now that especially secessionist elements are trying to search for legal 
basis for their separation from Indonesia, the formal recognition of the 
Dutch Government that Indonesia's Independence actually starts on 17 August 
1945, becomes an irrefutable legal fact.

For that, Indonesians should appreciate the presence of Foreign Minister Bot 
in Jakarta on the occasion of Indonesia's 17 August National Day 
Celebrations.

(Source: www. Deplu.go.id)                          (Tuti Sunario)
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NEWS AND BACKGROUND:

1.    Culture and the Environment:

President: 2005-2006 Year of Culture and Arts Festival

In a surprise announcement President Yudhoyono proclaimed 2005-2006 the Year 
of Culture and Arts Festivals, at the moment when the President launched the 
National Cultural Parade on Sunday, 21 August, organized in conjunction with 
Indonesia's 60th. National Day celebrations.

The colourful pageant represented Indonesia's 32 provinces, resplendently 
performed by cultural troupes from around the country. Present to watch the 
parade with the President were Mme. Ani Yudhoyono, Vice-President and Mme. 
Jusuf Kalla, Minister for Internal Affairs, M. Ma'ruf, Minister for Culture 
and Tourism, Jero Wacik, and Jakarta Governor, Sutyoso.

Secretary General of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Sapta Nirwandar, 
explained to the press that with the launch of the Year of Culture and Arts 
Festival 2005-2006, regions are urged to revive cultural performances and 
artistic presentations, so that visitors to regions may enjoy added 
attractions, and appreciate more the endless cultural diversity that is 
Indonesia.


Black-out on the Java-Bali power grid, and Manado in darkness

Thursday, 18 August, at 10.23 am, lights began to flicker, then power failed 
altogether in Jakarta and elsewhere on the Java-Bali power grid. In the 
capital, parts of Jakarta stayed without electricity until 9.0 in the 
evening, although in other parts power returned after two hours. Traffic 
lights also died, causing gridlocks at busy intersections. Huge traffic 
snarls ensued, exacerbating the problem.
Indonesia's state electricity company PLN immediately formed a team to look 
into the cause of the massive blackouts that swept parts of Java and Bali on 
Thursday, an official said here Friday. "The team will confirm the reports 
we received last night about the cause of the blackouts," Antara news agency 
quoted PLN President Director Eddie Widiyono as saying.
A glitch in the 500 kilovolt (kv) transmission line between Cilegon and 
Saguling in West Java cut PLN's power supply, causing several power plant 
units to disengage from the network.

Then, on Monday, 22 August, PLN's two most important power plants at 
Suralaya and Paiton suffered a leakage, causing a loss of 655 MW, putting at 
risk their 1,015 MW capacity. As total operational capacity was now reduced 
to only 13,845 MW, while, the company said that peak demand usually exceeds 
14,500 MW, PLN warned that a number of areas in and around Jakarta could 
again have their electricity supply cut at peak hours. Fortunately, this did 
not happen.
In the Cabinet Meeting of the same day, President Yudhoyono issued three 
instructions to ensure continued power supply.
These are: firstly, the Department of Energy should accelerate the 
completion of the high power transmission line of 500 KV in the south of 
Java, these are the Muara Tawar-Tawang (Jakarta) line, and the Tasikmalaya - 
Cibinong line, and partial connections at Klaten, Bantung and Depok.
Secondly, accelerate the construction of the Steam Powered plant at Cilacap 
(2x300MW), which is expected to be completed by the end of the year; and the 
plants at Cilegon (750 MW) and Tanjung Jati B (2x600 MW) to be completed by 
2006. Only when these become operational, will the problem of electricity on 
Java and Bali be solved, said Energy Minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro.
And thirdly, PLN should work closely with the regional Administration in the 
construction of new plants.

While, for safety reasons, the President also instructed the Chief of Police 
and the National Intelligence Agency to investigate, whether, in fact, there 
were any non-technical reasons behind the black-outs.
In 2003, the government had given licenses to 26 private plants to continue 
construction, but work on a number of these, such as on Paiton 3 and 4 have 
stalled. In areas where power plants are generated by diesel, these are 
dependent on its availability.
This year, PLN received only 8.35 million KL of subsidized diesel, out of a 
total need of 11.44 million KL. While plants powered by water will have 
problems in October, which is expected to be the peak of the dry season in 
Indonesia

Reports from Manado, North Sulawesi, meanwhile, state that the city of 
Manado has been in pitch darkness from midnight to 3.0 am for two weeks now. 
This because the plant serving Manado is generated by diesel oil, and its 
supply has been cut from 250 tons to 100 tons daily only, reports Media 
Indonesia.  PLN expects the problem to continue for another week.

2.      The Economy, Trade and Industry:

Road toll-fee hike by 15% starting 23 August

On Tuesday, 23 August midnight, the 15% hike on toll fee for highways around 
the country came into effect, applicable to almost all toll roads, with the 
exception of the new Jakarta - Bandung toll road, which had already applied 
the hike. Although the increase was a mere Rp 500,-  no one was too happy 
with the addition, as it heralded more hikes in goods and services across 
the board.

Moreover, Jakarta's toll roads are notoriously jammed, especially 
approaching pay-gates. Therefore, Parliament said, that it would endorse the 
hike provided that operators submit their plans of operation for the coming 
two years, to include improvements in services, the condition and safety of 
roads, and reduction of jams. This is so that the public may monitor whether 
indeed the promised improvements are made.


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