After
Round Table Conference (1950-1960)
Several
attempts to resolve the question of West Papua through negotiations within a
year of the Round Table Conference between Indonesia and the Netherlands ended
in deadlock. Consecutive cabinets that came to power after independence, from
the Hatta Cabinets that came to power after independence, from the Hatta
Cabinet up to the Wilopo Cabinet, put the West Papua evident from beginning.
The Dutch government had not the slightest intention to adhere to article 2 of
the Charter of the Transfer of Sovereighty and maintained the principle that
West Irian should be excluded in the transfer of power.
The
Situation for the Indonesian negotiators become even more impossible when the
Dutch government amended Article 1 of its constitution in 1952, in which the
territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was defined. The amended article
stated that the ‘Netherlands’ New Guinea would become a part of territory. This
was certainly in direct contravention with Article 2 of the Round Table
Conference, which stipulated the status
quo of West Papua until a negotiated solution was found.
It was against this backdrop that President Soekarno
deemed it necessary to bring the West Papua issue to the United
Nations General Assembly session in 1954. which regrettably, failed to
adopt the draft resolution. However, observers
were of the opinion that Indonesia
gained a moral victory because it succeeded in drawing international attention
to the West Papua issue, and furthermore, all African-Asian nations supported Indonesia's national
claim. By this, more than the half of the world's population supported Indonesia's position.
The
support of Asian and African
states was reiterated in the Asian-African Conference in 1955 in Bandung.
This Conference was attended
by delegations from 29 countries, representing two
thirds of the world's population. The conference adopted the following resolution:
"The Asian-African Conference in the context
of its expressed attitude on the abolition of colonialism, supported the position of Indonesia in the case of West Irian, based on the relevant agreements between Indonesia and the Netherlands."
"The
Asian-African Conference urged the Netherlands Government to reopen negotiations as soon as possible to implement their obligations under the
above-mentioned agreements, and expressed their earnest hope that the United Nations
would
assist
the parties concerned in finding a peaceful solution
to the dispute."
The efforts of the Asian-African governments proved successful and the General
Assembly adopted resolution
915(X) in 1955 on the question of West
Papua. Regrettably, efforts
to solve the West Papua problem, both bilaterally. and through
the United Nations mechanism, up to the end of the decade proved futile due to the inflexibility 01 tile
Dutch Government and lack of support
for Indonesia's position from the world
powers, particularly the United
States.
Meanwhile, the West Papua problem entered a new phase. The Dutch had been steadily
building-up military capability on the territory, and in 1960
deployed its aircraft
carrier to the waters
around West Papua. Coinciding with the military
deployment, the Dutch instituted the Papuan Council, consisting of appointed members, some of whom'
were Dutch nationals and some
Papuans. The chairman was a Dutch official, and the authority
of the council was restricted to giving advice to the Dutch
governor and its legislative function was limited.
The purpose of this move was to create an impression that the Dutch
government was preparing the Papuans towards self-government and later
the exercise of the right of self-determination. The Papuan
national flag, the Morning Star, and anthem were also created.
In an effort
to get the United Nations to
sanction their plan,
the Dutch foreign minister submitted a plan in September 1961 to the world body, which later became known as
the Luns Plan. Referring to Resolution 1514 (XV) of the United Nations General Assembly on decolonization, the
foreign minister submitted a proposal to decolonize West Papua as soon as possible. He also
invoked Article 73 of the United Nations Charter regarding non self-governing territories.
The new situation displeased the
Indonesian government and compelled it to take a more assertive stance on the matter. Indonesia 'considered the Dutch policy
not only as a declaration of intent to maintain
colonial rule in West Papua,
but also as a threat
to Indonesia's territorial integrity and security. As a consequence, on August 17, 1960 in his Independence Day
address President Soekarno announced the
breaking of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Indonesia. A year later he announced the issuance of TRIKORA
(an Indonesian
acronym tor the People's Three Demands):
1. Thwart
the formation of a puppet state of
Papua by the colonial power;
2. Raise the Indonesian Red and
White flag in West Papua and:
3. Prepare a general mobilization to defend national
independence and unity.
In
response to the Dutch diplomatic offensive.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Subandrio
was sent to New York with a special mission to expound and explain to the
United Nations General. Assembly-which
met from September to November
1961-the true motive of the Dutch
in giving the Papuan people
the right of self-determination in such a short time.
As a co-sponsor and ardent supporter
of Resolution 1514 (XV). Indonesia objected to the Dutch efforts
to invoke it and not to complete the independence of the Indonesian nation but instead to
partition its territory. Paragraph 6 of the Resolution states that
"the partial or total disruption of national unity and the territorial
integrity of a country are incompatible with the purposes and
principles of the United Nations Charter”. In this context,
Indonesia maintained that Article 73 could not apply to
West Papua as it forms an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia
and was occupied by force by the colonial authorities.
Furthermore, Indonesia pointed
out that if the United Nations was sincere in resolving the West Papua issue,
it would eradicate. Dutch colonialism and return the
territory to the Republic of Indonesia. Indonesia emphasized the bringing this dispute under Article 73. would mean a negation' of the letter
and spirit of the
Round Table Conference, as well as the purposes of the United Nations Charter and, in essence, Article
73 itself .. With this, the
Indonesia-Dutch dispute over West Papua entered a new level of
hostility and put both countries on the brink of war.
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