Thanks to the struggle of Sjahrir and his friends at the UN Security Council, what was legally recognized as the Republic of Indonesia was all the territory of the former Dutch East Indies without exception.
By
Linda Christanty
·5 minutes read
SALOMO TOBING
Linda Christanty
On 14 August 1947 Indonesia was successfully recognized as a state and had a legal standing as a party in the conflict against the Netherlands. This legal standing was recognized by the United Nations and has not changed to this day, that Indonesia existed before the Dutch came on 26 June 1596. The Dutch gradually seized Indonesia, which fought to proclaim its independence over all its territory.
The series of events that followed and the claim of the Indonesian ambassador, Sutan Sjahrir, of Indonesia as a state was passed by the UN Security Council and became the legal standing of Indonesia based on international law in disputes against the Dutch state. Sjahrir's genius changed the meaning of all political-legal contracts made by the Dutch colonials with any political entity and consequences, giving a foundation to the Republic of Indonesia to act politically, legally and militarily to this day.
Thanks to the struggle of Sjahrir, Soedjatmoko, Haji Agus Salim, Soemitro Djojohadikusumo, Charles Tambu and LN Palar on the UN Security Council, which was based on the struggle of all Indonesian anticolonial people, the entire territory of the Dutch East Indies was recognized as the Republic of Indonesia, without exception.
The Indonesian independence proclaimed by Sukarno-Hatta on 17 August 1945, driven by anticolonial fighters and anti-Japanese fascism, synergized with the magnum opus of Tan Malaka Naar de Republiek Indonesia, which was published in Cantonese in April 1925, that Indonesia existed before the Dutch state made it the Dutch East Indies.
Without the struggle of Takaip Baki Koi (Bakikooi or Bakikooie, based on Dutch spelling) on Timor Island, continued by commander Gen. Soedirman, Sjahrir's claim at the UN Security Council and the Indonesian Proclamation of Independence would not have been recognized.
The greatness of Baki Koi was recorded by Dutch colonials, its mortal enemy.
Baki Koi was a role model of toughness and an unyielding attitude against the Dutch colonials on Timor Island, which now partly belongs to Indonesia and partly to Timor Leste.
The greatness of Baki Koi was recorded by Dutch colonials, its mortal enemy, that could be read in a collection of the Timor Archives in the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia inventory. Archivist and historian Mona Lohanda led the arrangement of the Timor Archive inventory in 1998.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands gave awards or service marks to their soldiers assigned to the military expedition against Baki Koi. On the official website of the Dutch Royal Defense Ministry (www.defensie.nl) a statement was listed on the assignment of JW Binkes, a Dutch Navy officer, in Timor in an "Expedition against Fettor Takaip in December 1855," along with the time of determination and the Royal Decree letter number that gave an award for the courage of Binkes: 04-04-1856, No. 39.
Reports on the Dutch military expedition against Fettor Takaip Bakikooi in Timor was also published by the Dutch Government Newspaper, DeNederlandsche Staats-Courant (1859-1860), in the rubric of “Administrative Report and State Colony in 1857.” The report on the 106th sheet on page 421 explained that "the border area and remote posts on Timor Island, which are directly controlled by the government, have been disturbed by attacks by and hunting of Fettor Takaip, called Bakikooi." The report also described the reasons for the Dutch military expedition to be carried out, that "all peaceful methods that have been taken to resolve disputes were at a dead end, and the arrogance of Fettor Takaip is increasing, so the Governor General decided to use military methods," including asking for assistance from Amir and his younger brother Hamzah, two former rebels from Bangka who became loyal colonial collaborators (based on the Bangka Tribunnews-Bangka Post Group journalistic report at 7:10 a.m., 13 Nov. 2015).
On 26 July 1857, as written in De Nederlandsche Staats-Courant, the colonial government mobilized an infantry battalion, two steam warships named Amsterdam and Merapi, a hospital ship, snipers and additional troops to face anticolonial Timor fighters. Reports in De Nederlandsche Staats-Courant showed that religious ways were taken by the Dutch to defeat Baki Koi. Missionaries were mobilized to conquer Fettor Takaip. The fort and properties of Baki Koi were deliberately destroyed to let him wander alone as a fugitive."
Military expeditions in August and September 1857 struck fettors in Umattan and Amfoang, and they surrendered to the Dutch. Emperor Sonnebait Agung was amazed and respectful of the Dutch. King Lidak tried to get forgiveness and submit to the Dutch. However, according to De Nederlandsche Staats-Courant, "Fetter Bakikooi does not speak, and always hides in the forest."
British newspaper The London dan China Telegraph, Friday edition, 29 March 1861, published a report titled “The Dutch in Timor,” which told of the Dutch military expedition in 1857 in Takaip "to punish Bakikooi, the fetter from Takaip."
Baki Koi solely fought the formation of a colonial state.
In 1949, on the island of Bangka, almost a century after Batin Tikal (the real name of Ahmad or Sheikh Ahmad, the successor of Nasab Sheikh Yusuf Al-Makassari) led the war for more than three decades against the Dutch colonials, Sukarno, Hatta, Sjahrir, and Haji Agus Salim ended Dutch colonialism. On the island of Bangka, the decision to end Dutch colonialism through negotiations was agreed upon by the UN. The climax was the surrender and recognition of sovereignty by the Dutch to Indonesia on 27 December 1949.
LINDA CHRISTANTY, Woman of Letters and Cultural activist
