•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Indonesia is a former Dutch colony which declared its independence on August 17, 1945. However, it was not internationally recognised until December 27, 1949, when the Netherlands formally transferred the sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to a new political entity called ‘Indonesia’ at the Round Table Conference in the Hague. This occasion marked the political union of all diverse kingdoms and regional communities spread over the Indonesian archipelago. This step has been frequently associated with the global spirit of many other countries around the world to gain independence from Western colonisers and with the international principle of self-determination. However, the relationship between the central government in Java and some regional communities has been fluctuating for decades after the independence. This paper examines three conflicts over the rights of self-determination in in three areas in Indonesia by reflecting on the historical background of Indonesia’s struggle for self-determination. Besides that, it also seeks to demonstrate the way Indonesia’s integrity has been negotiated to accommodate internal and external forces to achieve self-determination from international law perspective. Furthermore, this paper also contributes to the scholarly discussion on the concept of self-determination and the conflicts that it caused in Indonesian context, while also proposing some insights into the efforts to preserve Indonesia’s unity and integrity for years to come.

Bahasa Abstract

Indonesia adalah sebuah negara bekas jajahan Belanda yang memproklamasikan kemerdekaannya pada tanggal 17 Agustus 1945. Namun, Indonesia baru diakui secara internasional pada tanggal 27 Desember 1949 ketika Belanda secara formal menyerahkan kedaulatan negeri Hindia- Belanda kepada entitas politik baru yang disebut ‘Indonesia’ di dalam Perundingan Meja Bundar yang diadakan di Den Haag. Peristiwa ini menyatukan secara politis berbagai kerajaan dan komunitas lokal di seantero nusantara. Peristiwa ini pun dianggap sebagai implementasi dari semangat global anti penjajahan asing dalam bingkai hukum self-determination. Namun demikian, hubungan antara pemerintah pusat di Jawa dengan wilayah-wilayah tertentu mengalami dinamika dalam bentuk konflik yang terjadi selama beberapa dekade. Tulisan ini ditujukan untuk mengkaji latar belakang dari tiga konflik yang berhubungan dengan hak selfdetermination dan cara Indonesia bernegosiasi dengan kekuatan-kekuatan self-determination, baik internal maupun ekternal, ditinjau dari sudut padang hukum internasional. Kajian ini diharapkan dapat menambah pemahaman teoritis tentang konflik terkait self-determination dan upaya penyelesaiannya dalam rangka mempererat persatuan dan integritas bangsa Indonesia di masa yang akan datang.

References

Legal Documents United Nations. General Assembly. Transmission of Information under Article 73e of the Charter. A/RES/66 (I) (14 December 1946). United Nations. General Assembly. Agreement between the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning West New Guinea (West Irian): Report by the Secretary-General regarding the Act of Self-Determination in West Irian. A/7723 (6 November 1969. Books Al-Chaidar. Aceh Bersimbah Darah. Jakarta: Pustaka Al-Kaustar, 2001. Alexandrowick, C. H. An Introduction to the History of the Law of Nations in the East Indies (16th, 17th, and 18th centuries). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1967. Allott, Phillip. “Self-determination: Absolute Right or Social Poetry?” in Modern Law of Self-determination. Edited by Tomuschat. The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 1993. Aspinal, Edward. The Helsinki Agreement: A More Promising Basis for Peace in Aceh? East Washington, D.C.: West Center Washington, 2005. www. eastwestcenterwashington.org/publication. Accessed on 20 November 2010. Brownlie. Principle of Public International Law. 5th ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1998. Cassese, Antonio. Self-determination of Peoples: A Legal Reappraisal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1996. Cheong, Yong Mun. H. J. van Mook and Indonesian Independence: A Study of His Role in Dutch-Indonesian Relations, 1945-48. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. 1982. Di Tiro, Tengku Hasan. The Legal Status of Aceh-Sumatra. New York: Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front. 1980. Di Tiro, Tengku Hasan. The Price of Freedom: The Unfinished Diary. Sumatra: National Liberation Front of Aceh, 1984. Dunn, James, Ed. International Law and the Question of East Timor. London: Catholic Institute for International Relation, 1995. Evan, D. International Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Lee, Oey Hong. Power Struggle in South-East Asia. Switzerland: Inter Documentation Company AG. 1976. Lowe. “Jurisdiction” in International Law. Edited by MD Evan. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003. Martin, Ian. Self-determination in East Timor: The United Nations, The Ballot, and International Intervention. London: Lynne Rienner. 2001. Miekekooistra. Indonesia: Regional Conflicts and State Terror. UK: Minority Right Group International. 2001. Resink, G. J. Raja dan Kerajaan yang Merdeka di Indonesia, 1850-1910. Jakarta: Penerbit Djambatan. 1987. Siegel, James T. Shadow and Sound: The Historical Thought of a Sumatran People. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1979. Siegel, James T. The Rope of God. Michigan: University of Michigan. 2000. Sjamsuddin, Nazaruddin. The Republican Revolt: A Study of the Acehnese Rebellion. Singapore: Institute of South East Studies. 1985. Schulze, Kirsten E. Free Aceh Movement (GAM): Anatomy of Separatist Organization. Wahington, D.C.: East-West Center. 2004. http://www.eastwestcenter.org/ publications/free-aceh-movement-gam-anatomy-separatist-organization. Accessed on 20 December 2012. Soedjatmoko. “Choice and Circumstances, the Indonesian Revolution 45 Years on: Some Personal Reflections” in The Decolonization of Indonesia: International Perspectives. Edited by Cornelis A. van Minnen. Middleburg: Roosevelt Study Center. 1988. Sukma, Rizal. Security Operation in Aceh: Goal, Consequences, and Lessons. Washington, D.C.: East-West Center Washington. 2004. http://www. eastwestcenterwashington.org. Accessed on 19 December 2012. Sulaiman. Gerakan Aceh Merdeka. Jakarta: Pustaka Al-Kautsar. 2001. Sutter, Keith. East Timor, West Papua/Irian and Indonesia (Minority Right Group). UK: Minority Rights Group. 1997. Taylor, Alastair M. Indonesian Independence and the United Nations. London: Steven and Son Limited. 1960. Warbrick. “State and Recognition in International Law” in International Law. Edited by Malcolm Evan. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2003. Weller, Marc. Escaping the Self-Determination Trap. The Netherlands: Martinus Nichoff. 2008. Articles Casstellino, Joshua. “Territory and Identity International Law: The Struggle for Self- Determination in the Western Sahara.” Millennium: Journal of International Studies, Vol. 28 No. 3 (December 1999): 523-531. Djuli, M. N. and Robert Jereski. “Prospect for Peace and Indonesia’s Survival.” The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Vol. IX Issue 1 (Spring 2002). Grant, J. Andrew. “National Self-determination and Secession: East Timor, Eritrea, Aceh, and Cabinda in Comparative Context.” Paper presented at the 47th annual meeting of the International Studies Association, Town & Country Resort and Convention Center, San Diego, California, USA, 25 March 2006. http://www. allacademic.com/meta/p98794_index.html. Accessed on 15 October 2012. Nanda, Ved P. “Self-determination and Secession under International Law.” Denver Journal of International Law and Policy, Vol. 29 No. 4 (2003).

Wheatherbee, Donald E. “Indonesia, Political Drift and State Decay.” Brown Journal World Affairs, Vol. IX Issue 1 (Spring 2002). Weller, Marc. “Settling Self-determination Conflicts: Recent Developments.” The European Journal of International Law, Vol. 20 No. 1 (2009): 111-165. doi: 10.1093/ejil/chn078. Websites Gershman, John. “Indonesia: An Archipelago of Self-determination and Communal Conflicts—Foreign Policy in Focus: Self-determination Regional Overview.” http://selfdetermine.irc-online.org/pdf/overview/OVindonesia.pdf. Accessed on 15 October 2010. Gershman, John. “Indonesia: Islands of Conflict.” http://www.atimes.com/atimes/ Southeast_Asia/DJ26Ae05.html. Accessed on 11 May 2015.

Download

Share

COinS