Proclamation of Indonesian Independence
The proclamation of Indonesian independence
was read at 10.00 a.m. on Friday, 17 August 1945. The declaration marked the
start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian
National Revolution, fighting against the forces of
the Netherlands and pro-Dutch civilians, until the latter officially acknowledged
Indonesia's independence in 1949. In 2005, the Netherlands declared that they
had decided to accept de
facto17 August 1945 as Indonesia's independence
date. In a 2013 interview the Indonesian historian Sukotjo, amongst others, asked the Dutch government to formally
acknowledge the date of independence as 17 August 1945. The United Nations, who
mediated in the conflict, formally acknowledge the date of independence as 27
December 1949.
The document was signed by Sukarno (who signed his name
"Soekarno" using the older Dutch orthography) and Mohammad Hatta, who were appointed
president and vice-president respectively the following day.
The draft was prepared only a few hours
earlier, on the night of 16 August, by Sukarno, Hatta, and Soebardjo, at Rear-Admiral Maeda (Minoru) Tadashi's house,
Miyako-Doori 1, Jakarta (now the "Museum of the Declaration
of Independence", JL. Imam Bonjol I, Jakarta).
The original Indonesian Declaration of Independence was typed by Sayuti
Melik. Maeda himself was sleeping in his room
upstairs. He was agreeable to the idea of Indonesia'sindependence, and
had lent his house for the drafting of the declaration. Marshal Terauchi, the highest-ranking Japanese leader in South East Asia and son of Prime
Minister Terauchi Masatake, was however against
Indonesia's independence, scheduled for 24 August.
While the formal preparation of the declaration,
and the official independence itself for that matter, had been carefully
planned a few months earlier, the actual declaration date was brought forward
almost inadvertently as a consequence of the Japanese unconditional
surrender to the Allies on 15 August following the Nagasaki atomic bombing. The historic
event was triggered by a plot, led by a few more radical youth activists such
asAdam Malik and Chairul Saleh, that put pressure on Sukarno and Hatta to
proclaim independence immediately. The declaration was to be signed by the 27
members of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI)
symbolically representing the new nation's diversity. The particular act was
apparently inspired by a similar spirit of the United States Declaration of Independence.
However, the idea was heavily turned down by the radical activists mentioned
earlier, arguing that the committee was too closely associated with then soon
to be defunct Japanese occupation rule, thus creating a potential credibility
issue. Instead, the radical activists demanded that the signatures of six of
them were to be put on the document. All parties involved in the historical
moment finally agreed on a compromise solution which only included Sukarno and
Mohammad Hatta as the co-signers in the name of the nation of Indonesia.
Sukarno had initially wanted the declaration
to be read at Ikada Plain, the large open field in the centre of Jakarta, but
due to unfounded widespread apprehension over the possibility of Japanese sabotage, the venuewas changed to Sukarno's house at Pegangsaan
Timur 56. There was no concrete evidence for the growing suspicions, as the
Japanese had already surrendered to the Allies, The declaration of independence
passed without a hitch.
The proclamation at 56, Jalan Pegangsaan
Timur, Jakarta, was heard throughout the country because the text was secretly
broadcast by Indonesian radio personnel using the transmitters of the JAKARTA
Hoso Kyoku radio station. An English translation of the proclamation was
broadcast overseas.
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