The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present The Pacific Story. This is the story of the Pacific, the drama of the millions of people who live around this greatest sea, where the United States is now committed to a long-term policy of keeping the peace. This is the story of the situation in the Pacific, of the men and events, which are today influencing the shape of the world for generations to come. The Celebes, conflict in Indonesia. You are standing on the wharf at Macassar. This is the biggest port on the island of Celebes in the Dutch East Indies. The native Macassarees are unloading their prowl. Out of the prowl nearest you comes rice, maize, copra. Out of those nearby come rat's hand, rubber, coffee, tobacco, even horses and goats. Macassarees unloading the boats are wearing sarongs of brilliant colors around their waists, dark-figured handkerchiefs around their heads. Around this one particularly, strong, well-built, muscular, with dark brown skin, brown face, a somewhat flat nose, big mouth, black intelligent eyes. His long black hair hangs down over his shoulders. His name is Gelo. Make fast that line there, steady. With the agility of a cat, he leaps from his prowl upon the wharf. Remarkable people, the Macassarees. A Dutchman in white looks on. They are excellent seamen. They build these vessels. They sail them everywhere from New Guinea to Sumatra, from the Tulu Sea to the Sea of Timor. You watch, Gelo. These Macassarees are afraid of nothing. He is ambitious. They go after what they want. You get the feeling that Gelo is deeply emotional. They are Mohammedans. Also, they are superstitious. Many of them worship animals. You notice that Gelo pays little attention to the Dutchman, nor do the others on the wharf. The Bougainese, the Chinese, the Arabs, the Japanese. All the years of their lives, and for centuries before, the Dutch have been around them. When the war came, the Japanese took their place. Now the Dutch are back. You talk to Gelo. We did not want the Dutch here before the war. We did not want the Japanese here during the war. We do not want the Dutch here now. The Dutch had been in the Indies more than 300 years when the Japanese took over in the spring of 1942. We have come to redeem you. What have you gained from your centuries under the Dutch? The Dutch did not even permit you to prepare to defend yourself. You were not even permitted military training, nor the possession of arms, for fear that you would turn against the White. Now we have driven the White out, and here we will practice the policy of Asia for the Asiatic. But although the Japanese talked of bringing the Indies into the orbit of their greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere, soon it was plain to the Indonesians that the Japanese were merely another landlord. No matter what the Japanese say, I can tell you what they are doing. They are taking all we have to help them win the war. They are looting our islands. That is what they are doing. Yes, and all the time they are asking us for more support. I will do nothing for them. They have said they will give us independence. Then let them give it to us. We should demand it, now. We cannot, but I will not help them build ships, no matter what they do to me. They say that all of us must help with the ship building or road building, or waken the war industries. I will go out to sea and never come back before I will do this. The hardships under the Japanese increased as the American forces pushed from island to island toward the Indies. Yet, though the brutalities of the Japanese were great, the appeal of their slogan, Asia for the Asiatics, was strong. Over the radio, the Japanese told the world of the collaboration of the Indonesians. Our central administrative council has now been set up, and the Indonesians are cooperating with Japan in both political and economic measures. We have broken the bonds of the Indonesians, and the grateful people are infinitely joyous because of their freedom. The Indonesians are, therefore, giving their help in every possible way, and are working toward the eventual independence which will be new. But the Indonesians were not deceived. Why do not the Japanese pay off their promise of independence? The Japanese have no thought of giving us Merdeka. The Indonesians demanded Merdeka, freedom, and the Japanese countered with demands for greater cooperation until victory is won. Listen, listen, word has just come. The Americans have landed at Halmahera. Halmahera. That is only 700 miles from the Sunabes. Yes, they have landed with many ships and many men, and they are fighting the Japanese there now. Will the Japanese drive them back? The Americans have taken every island they have cried to take. What will happen to us if the Americans come here? If the Japanese are to be driven out of here, then it is time to set up our own government. As the Americans drove toward the Philippines, the Indonesians in the Sunabes and in the rest of the East Indies formulated their plans. The Dutch, who had been their landlords for 300 years, were gone. Soon the Japanese would be gone. Suddenly the war was over. Immediately there was a nationalistic outbreak in the Indies. An independent Indonesian republic has been proclaimed in the Netherlands East Indies. The Dutch civil authorities have been unable to cope with the Indonesian uprising. British and Indian troops are landing at Batavia under command of Lieutenant General Sir Philip Christensen, who says that he will occupy only Batavia and the naval base of Surabaya, and will not become involved in internal politics. Hope and warfare broke out. Dutch Governor General Stokkawa resigned, and weeks later the first negotiations took place between the Dutch and the representatives of the Indonesian republic. The negotiations went on. Back in Holland, the ministers of Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands did not clearly understand the implications of the events in Indonesia. Five months after the Japanese had surrendered, the Queen's minister listened to a report, a solemn report of the situation in the Indies. The nationalist movement in the Indies is not transitory. It has come to stay. It is not possible to deal with armed force alone. It must be dealt with on another level. Some measures of self-government must be granted. Everyone knew what was happening in the island of Java, but few knew what was happening on the sprawling Celebes. There were rumblings throughout the Celebes. In the south, the Makassarees and the Bougainese, who are Mohammedans, and who comprise two-thirds of the people of the Celebes, were restive. In the north, in the Christian Minahasa district, which for years has been more pro-Dutch than other parts of Indonesia, there were uneasy stirrings. The sprawling Celebes, largest island between New Guinea and Borneo, bubbled with unrest. The Japanese go, the Dutch come. They say they have come here to establish order. I thought the Australians were to be here. The Dutch have been given the authority of the Allied forces by the Australian command here in the Celebes. Oh, how will the Dutch treat us now? I do not know. Will they still try to keep us in our place? I do not know. One of those who looked on when the Dutch troops came to Makassar was Dr. Ratul Lengie, who had been set up as governor of the Celebes by the Indonesian Republic, which was formed on August 17, a few days after the surrender of Japan. Our people must be educated. Too many of us are illiterate. Also, we must learn to speak Dutch, instead of depending on the Dutch to speak our language. The Netherlands Indian Civil Authority, known as the NICA, put up placards. What do they say? They say that we must obey NICAs. Are we to obey the Dutch the same as if they were Australian? Yes. Those who do not will be subject to military punishment. The Makassarees, the Bougainese, and the Arabs stood by and watched the NICA take over Makassar. The 80,000 people of Makassar were patted. The 27,000 Chinese of the city went about their business in the commercial districts of the Tempest Rock and the Pontus Rock. The Chinese worshipped in their temples. The Mohammedans worshipped in their mosques. The Protestants in their two churches. And the Catholics in their cathedrals. But under it all, the tension grew. The NICA asked for a conference with Dr. Ratul Langi. In the interest of maintaining order, Dr. Langi, what do you suggest? The NICA is here in Makassar, the capital of the Celebes. Yes. In the interest of maintaining order, it is my suggestion that the NICA stay here in Makassar. What of the rest of the islands? The rest of the Celebes should be under the government of the Indonesian Republic. The NICA is the official representative of the alliance. If the NICA now moves from Makassar into the interior, there will be trouble. Well, we will accept your suggestion, Dr. Langi, subject to working out details of such a plan. In the country north of Makassar, the people of the interior, the Taraja tribes, kept a vigil. During the day, they worked in their rice fields in the highlands, and they kept watch. At night, they came back to their houses, which have the characteristics of boats, and they watched. They sat beneath the preserved heads of bulls with great horns outside their houses, and they talked of the freedom they wanted, and they watched. Dutchmen come. Dutchmen come with soldiers. Dutchmen come with soldiers. The interior had been penetrated even before conversations could be held to work out arrangements for the NICA to remain in Makassar. Trouble came. Fighting has broken out in the regency of Polom-Bengking. The region has withdrawn into the hills and is harrying the Dutch with guerrilla warfare. In a trance, the Dutch troops were ambushed and killed today near Enrikkong. The NICA forces broke into Enrikkong, the town owned by the Rajah and his family. Fighting has broken out at Klopo near the northern end of the Gulf of Bones. The Rajah has rallied his people and has withdrawn into the mountains to continue resistance. It was spring in the Celibese, seven months after the surrender of the Japanese. The truth of what the Dutch minister had reported to the minister of her majesty, the Queen of the Netherlands, was now becoming apparent. The Indonesian nationalist movement had come to stay. We will work with the Dutch. We will not work for them. This was Dr. Ratul Langi. There is more trouble in the Celibese than in Java. And so it was to the Celibese that 26 delegates representing 15 areas of the Indies came to confer at Malino. Folksmen of 60 different races, among whom 250 languages are in daily use, came from every part of the Indonesian archipelago, excepting Java, Sumatra, and Madura. And with these, Lieutenant Governor General Dr. Hubertus J. Van Mook met to lay the groundwork for the future. I wish to extend a very cordial welcome to you all on this first meeting of delegates. We have come together here in the very midst of this vast region, in such attractive surroundings, that it should be easy to forget the misery and confusion of these last years, and to concentrate on the present and the future. The present and the future. Perhaps we may see a propitious omen in this meeting place and its name, Malino. The meaning of this word is peaceful or quiet in the Malay language. Malino, prospect of peace. Whatever the new organization of Indonesia, our parts will always need to hold a large measure of local and regional autonomy. Autonomy. But one will furthermore have to choose, on the one hand, between a system in which unity and central authority are absolutely predominating, and where the autonomous parts derive their powers exclusively from that central authority, and on the other hand, a system in which Indonesia is constituted of independent parts, which together build up the central authority. A choice between a unitarian state and a federated system. The Netherlands government have expressly taken the point of view that they do not consider the republican form of government unacceptable. Van Mook outlined the objectives of the conference. To seek a basis for the political structure of the territory. To set up machinery to carry out preparations between this conference and the meeting of the constituent assembly. To map out a basis for future prosperity. But while the 26 delegates listened at Molino, other Indonesians not present at the conference expressed other views. Van Mook is pursuing the same old policy of divide and continue to rule. That was Sutan Jarir, Prime Minister of the Indonesian Republic. We do not depend on the Dutch for the building up of our nation. The Dutch depend on us. That was Dr. Ratul Lange. And neutrals looking on made observations. What the Indonesians want above all is to feel that they are the social equals of the Dutch. For that reason, social issues cut deeper than political ones. Sitting down to talk things over with the Dutch at Molino gave them that feeling of equality. The eyes of the Macassarees and the Bougainese and the Chinese and the Arabs of Macassar were all on the conference at Molino. The eyes of the Taraja tribes were on Molino. The eyes of the Minahasa people of the north. The people in the mountains, in the gorges and in the chasms where the precipices stand five and six hundred feet high. The people in the forests bringing in sandalwood, ebony and tea. The people in the orchards raising lemons, oranges and plums. The people in the fields raising sugarcane, melons, cotton, tobacco, rice. The people bringing in coconuts, breadfruit, sago and tamarind. The four million people of the Celebes and the many other millions in the other islands of the Indies kept their eyes on Molino. At Molino, the 26 delegates talked and listened. Important agreements were reached. Most important, a resolution was adopted recommending establishment of a federated United States of Indonesia. This Indonesia's surrogate is planned in the form of a federation of four states of Indonesia. Java, Sumatra, Borneo and the Great East. The Great East will comprise the islands east of Borneo and north of Java. This will include the great island of Celebes, the Moluccas, Saram and the many other islands of the East. Thus a foundation has been laid for a self-governing state composed of some 3,000 islands. The first time these 3,000 islands have been linked together in a single self-made political organism. With this significance, Indonesians in the Kasser and in the many other parts of the Indies listened to the radio reports. No representatives of the Indonesian Republic were invited to the conference at Molino. Why was this? It was sponsored by the Dutch. Oh, the conference went on. Resolutions were adopted. Resolved that a new conference should be convened as soon as possible for the purpose of organizing the constitutional state of the areas represented in this conference, namely Borneo and the Great East. Down at Makassar, Jilo and the many other Makassarees and Bougainese on the waterfront paid little attention to the Dutch among them. This will take a little time, Jilo, but in time we will have to trade back that we had before the war. Yes. That will mean more for all of us. Yes. That is one of the things being worked out at the conference at Molino. Why is that being worked out now after all the years you have been here in the Indies? It is to our mutual advantage, Jilo. Could it be that you are willing to pay a higher price now for staying here in our island? In the interest of trade, five more resolutions were adopted at the conference. First, that inter-island trade and shipping be left to private enterprise with preference to Indonesians. Second, that appointments be asked for Indonesians to staffs of industrial companies to provide Indonesians with business experience. Third, that the recommendation be made to nationalize the country. Fourth, that no shipping company be permitted to monopolize inter-island traffic. And fifth, that the Australian government and trade unions be urged to lift the embargo on Dutch ships to enable medicines, school supplies, peace goods, and other articles necessary for the rebuilding of Indonesia to be imported. The conclusion of the Molino conference posed new questions. How would the Indonesian Republic, still active in Java and Sumatra, react to the plans for the Federation? I have just seen a number of the Indonesian delegates off. I have asked the question and they have answered that the Indonesian Republic is now compelled to make a choice. Either the leaders of the Republic must participate in the proposed Federation, which would mean a difficult compromise, or if they decide not to participate, the implication is that they do not recognize the Federation. This would in effect be an attack on the unity of Indonesia, which is their own declared aim. Around Makassar and throughout the southern region of the Salabees, the Indonesian National Party continued its activity. The Makassarese and the Bougainese worked in their camp bombs close to the European district and around the edge of the city and talked about Merdeka. On the waterfront, they watched the KPM ships come and go. They watched the great ships from Australia, the ships of the Java-China-Japan line, the freighters of the Rotterdam Lloyd, the Royal Dutch Males, and in their own prowls they continued to load and unload kopal, maize, rattan, and nutmeg. And all the while they talked of what would happen to their island of Salabees and to the rest of the East Indies. The British had been in Java about 400 miles distant from the Salabees for a year. In early September 1946, British Lord Killarren reached Java from London. Why has he come here halfway around the world? I can guess. What is he going to talk to the Dutch about? I think the British are becoming concerned because some satisfactory solution has not been reached between us and the Dutch. Why would the British be concerned? Perhaps because they want to withdraw their troops. Do you think it might be that? It might. On September 7th, the British made an announcement in Batavia. A final decision has been reached to withdraw the 20,000 troops of the British occupation force from the Netherlands Indies by November the 30th. Does this mean regardless of whether the negotiations between the Dutch and the Indonesians are settled? That is what it means. Well, why has this decision been made at this time? Britain's two main objectives here under the Potsdam Agreement will have been completed by then. One of those would be the disarming of the Japanese troops, wouldn't it? Yes. And the other is the evacuation of the Allied prisoners. In London, another announcement was made. British operations in the Netherlands East Indies have proceeded according to plan. His Majesty's government are eager that an agreement be reached between the Dutch and the Indonesians. However, the future of the Netherlands East Indies is not the responsibility of His Majesty's government. The Dutch and the Indonesians must work out the problem themselves. With November 30th a bare two months away, observers saw in this possibility significant development. What will happen after the British pull out? Will the Dutch have sufficient strength to keep order? The interior of Java and Sumatra are still in the hands of the leaders of the Indonesian Republic. How large a force do they have? It is hard to say. They claim 100,000. How about equipment? That is the question. They have much Japanese equipment, even artillery and some planes. But with what they have, they have been able to limit the return of the Dutch to small areas along the coast. But you know the Dutch are increasing their strength. They plan to have about 50,000 well-equipped men here in the Indies by the time the British pull out the last of November. Yes, we know. But there is another angle. Yes? Yes, a very important one. The Dutch need our help here. It is a matter of economic necessity. You think they might make some concessions because of this? Don't you? Music In the Celebes, far from the center of where the main fighting has taken place, the activity for the Republic continued. On September 11, Acting Governor General Van Mooks issued a decree. The Indonesian National Party of South Celebes is outlawed by decree as a danger to public order. Why has our party been outlawed? Because it has used violence and intimidation to force 80,000 people of South Celebes to join the movement in support of the Republic. You are standing on the waff at MacArthur. Music You watch the native Macassarees unloading their prowls. Easy now, take it off easy. You notice Gelo, particularly, with his brilliantly colored sarong and a dark handkerchief around his head, his dark hair hanging below it down his shoulders. His face is well built muscular body, his brown skin, his broad face, somewhat flat nose, intelligent eyes. The Dutchman, an immaculate white, looks on and talks to you. Remarkable people, these people of the Celebes. Not only are they excellent seamen, they are also great hunters, riders, wrestlers, and dancers. Also they are jealous and vengeful, but they are not treacherous. Gelo and the other Macassarees and Bougainese and Chinese and Arabs and Javanese on the waterfront pay little attention to the Dutchman. The Dutch have made these islands what they are. We have for three centuries put our ingenuity and our money into their development. Well, yes, that's right. Besides, these people are not ready to govern themselves. Do you think Gelo right over there could, in time, but they have a long, long way to go. Look at the city of Macassar. Look at this harbor. The ships coming in here, the trade. Macassar is really a modern city built and maintained by us at the very edge of the jungle. Do you think the Indonesians are ready to take over the government of such a city as this? How then could they handle a government of 3,000 islands with more than 72 million people, with more than 250 languages? Look from the harbor back over the city. Your eyes fall on the old Fort Rotterdam where Dutch Admiral Spielman centuries ago defeated the Macassarees, named the fort in honor of his native city, and established there the seat of the Netherlands authority in the Celebes. You see the old Dutch church, the city hall with its wide flight of stairs, the old governor's house, the heavily nailed door of the landside gate. Once this comprised the entire Dutch settlement in the Celebes. This was the Dutch beginning. You look back to the native prowls in the harbor, the products moving in and out of them. You look at Zelo, strong, ambitious, intelligent. And you wonder. In the year 18 You have been listening to the Pacific Story presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross currents of life in the Pacific Basin. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send ten cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send ten cents in stamps or coin to the University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and produced by Arnold Marquis. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Henry Russell. Your narrator, Gaine Whitman. Programs in this series of particular interest to servicemen and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.
