International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 2 | Page 6

International Journal of Indonesian Studies

Autumn 2015

Prime Minister implemented a large number of policies that ran ineffectively in the handling
of educational issues, public services and economic development, for example.
Consequently, processes of national consolidation in the period of post- acknowledgement
of sovereignty in 1949-1955 faced many serious challenges in practicing parliamentary
democracy largely caused by the great number of political parties. Additionally, Indonesia
had been facing several separatist rebellions and the transition of the nation’s format from
RIS/Republik Indonesia Serikat to NKRI/Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia.
The representation of the national leadership, the Dwi-Tunggal of Ir-SoekarnoMohammad Hatta, only stood when forming the Komite National Indonesia Pusat/KNIP until
1956, after Hatta resigned as vice president. However, the governance of the Republic of
Indonesia was still under the control of political groups based on religion, as well as
nationalist, socialist, communist, regionalist and military interests. Domestic political affairs,
such as the National Election/Pemilu 1955, Presidential Decree 1959, and the overthrow of
President Ir. Soekarno, were directed by members of the Indonesian elite whose groups in
the Indonesian Government had a role to determine the direction of the policy of the state,
domestic or foreign.
The international situation also pressed the position of Indonesia in the constellation
of global politics, especially when several Asian-African nations began to struggle for their
sovereignty. The USA and the SU started conditioning “new satellites” in the Cold War as
they struggled for political, economic, ideological, cultural, knowledge, and technological
influence. 1
One issue that emerged from the competing claims to the title of “World War II
winner” was the clash of interests in South-East Asia and Indonesia as analysed by Gouda
and Thijs Zaalberg (2002) in their book American Visions of the Netherlands East
Indies/Indonesia, US Foreign Policy and Indonesian Nationalism, 1920-1949. The book’s
argument is that Soviet involvement in Vietnam could be clearly identified and Indonesia
provided American officials with a confirmation of their worst fears. On May 22 nd 1948, the
Soviet Union announced its intention to establish consular relations with the Indonesian
Republic, despite the fact that the Netherlands had not yet conceded its independence.
Beacon politics: a world experiment in 1955
1955 was the time when Ali Sastroamidjojo from the Indonesia National Party/PNI (Partai
Nasional Indonesia) was installed as Prime Minister and introduced state policies that
characterised the nationalist group. For instance, the Bandung Conference which was held

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The Cold War in its Third World manifestation was a proxy conflict between the West and the Soviet Bloc (or
between the USA and the USSR) for influence and strategic position in the regions outside Europe and North
America. The principal instruments deployed in this struggle were diplomacy, economic assistance, ideology,
and, more importantly, arms transfers and various forms of direct and indirect intervention. I argued that
German division after World War II, NATO-Warsaw Pact rivalry, partition of Western Europe and Eastern
Eu