State of South Sumatra

Last updated
State of South Sumatra
Negara Sumatra Selatan
State of the United States of Indonesia
1948 – 1950
(Dutch puppet state until 27 December 1949)
Flag of South Sumatra.svg
South Sumatra in the United States of Indonesia.svg
South Sumatra in the United States of Indonesia
Capital Palembang
Historical eraCold War
 State of South Sumatra established
30 August 1948
 Merged with the Republic of Indonesia
24 March 1950
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Flag of Indonesia.svg South Sumatra
South Sumatra Flag of Indonesia.svg

The State of South Sumatra (Indonesian : Negara Sumatra Selatan) was a federated state and part of the United States of Indonesia formed in the southern part of Sumatra by the Netherlands in 1948 as part of an attempt to reestablish the colony of the Dutch East Indies during the Indonesian National Revolution.

Contents

History

Background

At that time, after the Dutch returned to Indonesia, two forms of statehood developed, namely a unitary state and a federated state. The Republic of Indonesia wanted a unitary state while the Netherlands wanted a federated state. The dispute between the two countries began to find a common perception since the Linggadjati Agreement was signed on 15 November 1946. Since then, the resolution of the conflict between Indonesia and the Netherlands has always referred to the framework of the formation of a union state. Ever since the Netherlands set foot in Indonesia for the second time, the Dutch thought that the most suitable form of state for Indonesia was a federal state. This was due to the vast differences between the regions of the Indonesian archipelago. The Dutch government's view may have been correct, as a federal state suits a society that is highly diverse and pluralistic in many ways such as social, cultural, geographical, and natural resource wealth.

The federal system gives the different regions the opportunity to govern themselves without having to submit to a central government that tends to govern nationally while ignoring the distinctive features of the various regions. However, history has shown that the federal state was used by the Dutch colonial authorities to divide the Indonesian people. As the Netherlands was unable to dissolve the Republic of Indonesia and defeat its military forces, it formed a number of states that would merge into a federal state to defeat Indonesia. [1]

Formation

Abdul Malik, Wali Negara of South Sumatra Abdul Malik.jpg
Abdul Malik, Wali Negara of South Sumatra

On 25 November 1945 and later used as the basis for talks during the Malino Conference in July 1946. In this conference, representatives of Kalimantan and East Indonesia concluded that in the Indonesian constitutional order, federalism should be the basis of a unitary state system covering the whole of Indonesia, thus forming the United States of Indonesia. [2] The connection between the federal state and the Dutch desire to maintain power in Indonesia is reinforced by the fact that the boundaries of the states formed by the Dutch in Sumatra and Java were the armistice lines drawn by the Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia. This shows that the states were a Dutch fabrication. Dutch politics in creating a federal state in South Sumatra was supported by the political situation in Palembang when the political elite was in a weak state, this made it easier for the Dutch to enter politics by influencing people to cooperate with.

In December 1947, the Dutch established a Body for the Preparation of South Sumatra to establish a federal state in an area originally planned to remain part of the Republic of Indonesia. Subsequently the Dutch also formed a 36-member advisory council comprising 30 Indonesians, 2 Dutch citizens and representatives of the Chinese, Arabic and Indian ethnic communities. This group then elected Abdul Malik as its chairman, and he became head of state when State of South Sumatra was formally established on 30 August 1948. It covered approximately one quarter of the area of the province of South Sumatra. [3] [4]

In the regulation of the South Sumatra State Administration, the area included in the NSS is the area in the government decree dated 30 August 1948 number 4 (staadsblad number 204), namely the territory of South Sumatra. [5] The state capital is Palembang, the official language is Indonesian. According to Kahin, although South Sumatra had the status of a state for eight months its territory only covered the Palembang Prefecture, about a quarter of South Sumatra. [6] Meanwhile, Abdul Malik as Wali Negara said that there were several areas that would be voluntarily included in the NSS, including areas in Palembang, Bengkulu and Jambi. Although this area did not fully cover the areas in South Sumatra, it was sufficient to represent the South Sumatra region. The inhabitants of these areas were culturally attached to South Sumatra and through free and democratic expression expressed a wish to join the NSS. Thus all people residing in the territory of the state have equal rights and protection. [6]

Government

Upon the establishment of the state, Abdul Malik was inaugurated as head of state by a representative of the Dutch crown in Palembang's Great Mosque. The people's representative assembly, a continuation of the advisory council, was the most powerful state institution, but the annual state budget was set by the head of state, and submitted it to the assembly for approval. A number of government departments were established, and ministers appointed as follows:

Many Dutch nationals held positions as heads of government agencies and mayors, including of the capital, Palembang. [7]

Dissolution

Although the NSS was established and welcomed mainly by federalists, the actual popular support for the federal state was very weak. This is evident in the fact that almost all federal states in Indonesia did not develop, after the Republic of Indonesia Union (RIS) was formed on 27 December 1949. The federal form of state resulting from the Round Table Conference was basically not a form rooted in the will of the population. At the time the NSS was established, the Palembang area was still surrounded by an insecure atmosphere, the political process was carried out by force. The social and economic conditions of the South Sumatra region in mid-1948 were not very encouraging due to the war atmosphere. The people experienced difficulties in dealing with prices that were felt to be quite high. This situation can affect the course of the economy in the NSS which relies on the results of rubber, oil and coal plantations.

By early 1950, there were growing calls for the constituent states of the RUSI to dissolve themselves into a unitary Republic of Indonesia. [8] The South Sumatra representative assembly voted for reintegration into the Republic of Indonesia, and asked for the state to be placed under the control of a RUSI representative, rather than the head of state. The dissolution was facilitated by RUSI Presidential Regulation No. 126/1950, through which the State of South Sumatra ceased to exist as of 24 March 1950. [9] [10]

See also

Notes

  1. Maswadi, Rauf (1999). "Negara Kesatuan.(makalah)". Universitas Indonesia via Nasional Seminar Event. Program Studi Ilmu Sejarah Universitas Indonesia.
  2. van der Kroef, Justus M. (1950). "Review of The Birth of Indonesia". The Far Eastern Quarterly. 9 (4): 410–413. doi:10.2307/2049314. ISSN   0363-6917.
  3. Kahin 1961, p. 383.
  4. Alian 2013, p. 7-11.
  5. "Staatsblad 1902 No. 204". Peraturan Info ASN (in Indonesian). 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  6. 1 2 Kahin, George McTurnan (1995). Nasionalisme dan revolusi di Indonesia : refleksi pergumulan lahirnya Republik. Nin Bakdi Soemanto (Cet. 1 ed.). Surakarta: Sebelas Maret University Press. p. 485. ISBN   979-498-100-1. OCLC   68867810.
  7. Alian 2013, p. 11.
  8. Feith 2007, p. 61.
  9. Feith 2007, p. 63-64.
  10. Simanjuntak 2003, p. 100.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist Party of Indonesia</span> Former political party of Indonesia

The Socialist Party of Indonesia was a political party in Indonesia from 1948 until 1960, when it was banned by President Sukarno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renville Agreement</span> 1948 UN-brokered Dutch–Indonesian ceasefire

The Renville Agreement was a United Nations Security Council-brokered political accord between the Netherlands, which was seeking to re-establish its colony in Southeast Asia, and Indonesian Republicans seeking Indonesian independence during the Indonesian National Revolution. Ratified on 17 January 1948, the agreement was an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the disputes that arose following the 1946 Linggadjati Agreement. It recognised a cease-fire along the Status Quo Line or so-called "Van Mook Line", an artificial line that connected the most advanced Dutch positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Indonesia</span> Head of government of the Republic of Indonesia (1945–1966)

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Indonesia was a political office in Indonesia which existed from 1945 until 1966. During this period, the prime minister was in charge of the cabinet of Indonesia, one of the three branches of government along with the House of Representatives and the president. Following his 1959 decree, President Sukarno assumed the role and powers of prime minister until his resignation in 1966.

The 1949 Federal Constitution of the United States of Indonesia replaced the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia when sovereignty was officially transferred from the Netherlands to Indonesia following the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference. It came into force on 27 December 1949 and was replaced by the Provisional Constitution of 1950 on 17 August 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provisional Constitution of 1950</span> Fundamental law of Indonesia from 1950 to 1959

The Provisional Constitution of 1950 replaced the Federal Constitution of 1949 when Indonesia unilaterally withdrew from the union with the Netherlands agreed at the Round Table Conference and returned to being a unitary state. It came into force on 17 August 1950. It was abrogated on 5 July 1959 when President Sukarno issued a decree dissolving the Constitutional Assembly and restoring the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masyumi Party</span> Major Islamic political party in Indonesia

The Council of Indonesian Muslim Associations Party, better known as the Masyumi Party, was a major Islamic political party in Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia. It was banned in 1960 by President Sukarno for supporting the PRRI rebellion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State of East Indonesia</span> 1946–1950 state of the Dutch East Indies then Indonesia

The State of East Indonesia was a post–World War II state formed in the eastern half of Dutch East Indies. Established in December 1946 by the Dutch, it was a puppet state formed during the Indonesian National Revolution that eventually became a part of the United States of Indonesia (USI) in 1949 at the end of the conflict and was dissolved in 1950 with the end of the USI. It comprised all the islands to the east of Borneo and of Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Indonesia</span> Council of ministers appointed by the president of Indonesia

The Cabinet of the Republic of Indonesia is part of the executive branch of the Indonesian government. It is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the government serving under the president. Members of the Cabinet serves at the president's pleasure, who can dismiss them at will for no cause.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Indonesian National Committee</span> Government body of independent Indonesia

The Central Indonesian National Committee, also known as the Central National Committee, was a body appointed to assist the president of the newly independent Indonesia. Originally purely advisory, it later gained assumed legislative functions. The Working Committee of the KNIP became part of the People's Representative Council when Indonesia became a unitary state in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of the United States of Indonesia Cabinet</span>

The Republic of the United States of Indonesia Cabinet was established as a result of the formation of the United States of Indonesia following the transfer of sovereignty from the Dutch colonial power. It lasted less than a year before Indonesia became a unitary state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syarif Hamid II of Pontianak</span> 7th Sultan of Pontianak

Sultan Hamid II was the 7th Sultan of Pontianak and the only President of the State of West Kalimantan from 1946 to its disestablishment in 1950. He was the eldest son of Sultan Syarif Muhammad Alkadrie. He was of mixed Malay-Arab ancestry and was raised by two British nationals — Salome Catherine Fox and Edith Maud Curteis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Consultative Assembly</span> 1949 committee during Indonesian independence talks

The Federal Consultative Assembly, was a committee established on 8 July 1948 to discuss the form of the planned federal United States of Indonesia. Its membership comprised the leaders of the various federal states established by the Dutch in the areas they occupied following their attack on the areas of Indonesia controlled by republican forces during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949). It took part in negotiations with the Dutch in August and September 1948, and participated in the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference at which the Dutch agreed to hand over sovereignty to the United States of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makassar Uprising</span> Skirmish between Indonesian and ex-Dutch soldiers

The Makassar Uprising, also known as Andi Aziz rebellion, was a skirmish in Makassar, Sulawesi, between former Royal Dutch East Indies Army soldiers under Captain Andi Aziz and the Republic of the United States of Indonesia government. The purpose of the uprising was to revolt against the incorporation of the Indonesian federated "states" into the Indonesian Republic. However, the uprising was quashed in a little over two weeks when troops under Lieutenant Colonel Suharto and Colonel Alexander Evert Kawilarang arrived at Makassar to find only light resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State of Pasundan</span> 1948–1950 Dutch client state then state of Indonesia

The State of Pasundan was a federal state (negara bagian) formed in the western part of the Indonesian island of Java by the Netherlands in 1948 following the Linggadjati Agreement. It was similar to the geographical area now encompassed by the current provinces of West Java, Banten and Jakarta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States of Indonesia</span> 1949–1950 federal state in Southeast Asia

The United States of Indonesia was a short-lived federal state to which the Netherlands formally transferred sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies on 27 December 1949 following the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference. This transfer ended the four-year conflict between Indonesian nationalists and the Netherlands for control of Indonesia. It lasted less than a year, before being replaced by the unitary Republic of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Indonesia (1949–1950)</span> Former state of the United States of Indonesia

The State of the Republic of Indonesia was a federated state (negara bagian) of the United States of Indonesia (RUSI) which was established on 27 December 1949. The territory of the state included parts of Java and most of Sumatra, and its capital was Yogyakarta. The acting president of the Republic was Assaat and the prime minister was first Susanto Tirtoprodjo until 16 January 1950, then Abdul Halim. On 17 August, the United States of Indonesia ceased to exist as the last of the component states dissolved themselves into a unitary Republic of Indonesia encompassing the entire territory of the former Dutch East Indies except for West Papua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of the State of East Indonesia</span> Government apparatus

The Cabinet of the State of East Indonesia served as the central government apparatus of the State of East Indonesia, headed by a prime minister who were appointed by the head of state. During the three-year lifetime of the state between 24 December 1946 and 27 December 1949, there were eight cabinets in total, headed by six different prime ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Representatives of the United States of Indonesia</span> Legislative assembly in the United States of Indonesia

The House of Representatives of the United States of Indonesia was one of the two national legislative assemblies in the United States of Indonesia (RUSI). The council was formed after the establishment of the Indonesian federal state, consisting of 150 members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags of the United States of Indonesia</span> Flags used by the United States of Indonesia

The Flags of the United States of Indonesia refers to the state flags that were used as the official state symbols of the United States of Indonesia, the predecessor state of the Republic of Indonesia. The flag that were hoisted during the proclamation of independence on 17 August 1945 remained as the official flag of the United States of Indonesia after its transfer of sovereignty on December 27, 1949, and it was written on the Federal Constitution of 1949.

References