State of East Indonesia - History

History

From the end of World War II, Indonesian Republicans had been trying to secure Indonesian Independence from the Dutch colonial control. From 16–25 July 1946, the Dutch organised a conference in the town of Malino on Celebes (Sulawesi) as part of their attempt to arrange a federal solution for Indonesia. The Malino Conference resulted in plans for a state in Borneo and another for East Indonesia (then called the "Great East"), areas where the Dutch held both de facto and de jure control. Later that year, the unilaterally declared Republic of Indonesia agreed to the principle of a federal Indonesia with the Linggadjati Agreement of 15 November. The Denpasar Conference of 18–24 December was held to work out the specifics of a state to be called the State of the Great East (Indonesian: Negara Timoer Besar). That state was established on 24 December and, on 27 December, renamed the State of East Indonesia (Negara Indonesia Timoer or NIT which some opponents joked stood for negara ikoet toean or "state which goes along with the master", i.e. the Dutch). With the realisation of the United States of Indonesia on 27 December 1949, East Indonesia became a constituent of the new federation. Throughout much of Indonesia, the federal USI was seen as an illegitimate regime foisted on the islands by the Dutch and many of the federal states began to merge with the Republic of Indonesia. However many in East Indonesia, with its non-Javanese population and greater number of Christians, opposed moves toward a unitary state. East Indonesia had already dealt with the "Twelfth Province" secessionist movement in Minahasa in 1948. The formation of East Indonesia's last cabinet in May 1950 with the intention of dissolving the state into the Republic of Indonesia led to open rebellion in the largely Christian Moluccas and the proclamation of an independent Republic of the South Moluccas (RMS). But, in the end, the state was terminated with dissolution of USI on 17 August 1950 and the rebellion in the Moluccas was crushed in November of the same year.