Proclamation of Indonesian Independence

The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (Indonesian: Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply Proklamasi) was read at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time on Friday, 17 August 1945, in Jakarta. This announcement marked the start of the diplomatic and armed struggle known as the Indonesian National Revolution. During this struggle, Indonesians worked to win their freedom from the forces of the Netherlands and from some people who supported the Dutch. The struggle continued until the Netherlands officially recognised Indonesia's independence in 1949.

The document was signed by Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta. The next day, they were chosen as president and vice-president.

A government decree issued on 18 June 1946 made the date of the Proclamation a public holiday. On 14 June 2023, the Netherlands recognised 17 August 1945 as Indonesia's independence day. The Netherlands still held that the official transfer of power took place in 1949.

Background

Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies

In 1918, the Dutch rulers of the Dutch East Indies created a People's Council, the Volksraad. Some of its members were elected, and it gave Indonesian nationalists their first voice. Indonesian students in the Netherlands formed the Perhimpoenan Indonesia. Its leaders included Mohammad Hatta and Sutan Sjahrir. In 1928, Sukarno's group became the Indonesian National Party (PNI). The party wanted independence and did not cooperate with the Dutch authorities. Later that year, young people at a meeting adopted the Youth Pledge, which called for one homeland, one nation and one Indonesian language. This promise is known as the Youth Pledge. Sukarno was arrested in 1929 with other party leaders. In 1931, after his release, he joined the Indonesia Party (Partindo). In 1933, Sukarno was sent away to Flores and then to Bencoolen. Hatta and Sjahrir were sent to the Boven Digul camp in western New Guinea. In 1935, moderate groups joined with Budi Utomo to form the Great Indonesia Party (Parindra). In 1936, a member of the Volksraad, Soetardjo, sent a petition asking for self-government. The Dutch said no in 1938. Other groups, including those led by Amir Sjarifuddin and the Indonesian Political Federation (GAPI), also asked for an elected parliament.

The Second World War reached the Netherlands, and the Dutch were occupied. Queen Wilhelmina promised some changes in 1941, but she did not say what they would be. On 23 January 1942, Nani Wartabone declared "Indonesian independence" after a revolt in Gorontalo. During the war in the Far East, Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies in January 1942. The Dutch surrendered on 8 March. The Japanese banned the Indonesian flag and anthem. They divided the islands into three areas. Sumatra was under the Twenty-Fifth Army. Java and Madura were under the Sixteenth Army. Kalimantan and the eastern islands were under the Imperial Japanese Navy. Tadashi Maeda helped with supplies in these areas. The Triple-A mass movement did not succeed, so Japan turned to older nationalists such as Hajar Dewantara and Mas Mansoer. It also worked with Sukarno and Hatta. Japan later set up a Central Advisory Council, the Defenders of the Homeland (PETA) volunteer army, a group for Muslims called Masjumi, and Jawa Hokokai. In September 1944, Japanese Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso promised independence "later on." In March 1945, the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK), led by Rajiman Wediodiningrat, wrote a draft constitution. The younger activists, the pemuda, wanted independence sooner. This caused disagreements between the older and younger generations.

After the call from the allies for Japan to surrender, Japan decided to grant independence. Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. On 7 August, Japan formed the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI). Sukarno and Hatta then met Field Marshall Hisaichi Terauchi at Dalat, near Saigon. Terauchi promised independence and named them chairman and vice-chairman of the PPKI. Japan surrendered on 15 August. Sukarno, Hatta and Achmad Soebardjo then asked Maeda about the rumours and received unofficial confirmation. The pemuda, including D. N. Aidit, Chairul Saleh and Wikana, wanted an immediate proclamation. Sukarno and Hatta said no, because they did not have official confirmation. In the early hours of 16 August, the pemuda took the two men to Rengasdengklok, in Karawang Regency, West Java. They wanted them to declare independence, but the two men still refused. Maeda promised their safety and cooperation. Soebardjo then brought them back to Jakarta, and they received assurances from the Japanese military. They went to Maeda's house, which is now the Formulation of Proclamation Text Museum. The PPKI members were waiting for them there.

The writing of the proclamation

See also: Rengasdengklok Incident

Earlier that day, young activists (pemuda) led by Sjahrir had written a declaration. Sukarno and Hatta did not like its wording. They worried that it could lead to violence and cause trouble with the Japanese, because it seemed to give away control of the country, which broke the terms of the surrender. Sukarno wrote the final version. It used the phrase "transfer of power." The Japanese accepted this phrase because they understood it to mean transfer of administrative control, not full sovereignty. Indonesians could also understand it more broadly. The phrase "in an orderly manner" reassured older nationalists. Indonesians understood "in the shortest possible time" to mean before the Allied forces arrived. Chairul Saleh and other youth leaders protested the changes, but most of the PPKI agreed with the wording. To keep the document separate from the Japanese-formed PPKI, only Sukarno and Hatta signed it. The meeting ended at 5:00 am.

The typewriter used to type the proclamation in the Latin alphabet was borrowed from Korvettenkapitän Dr.jur. Hermann Kandeler, leader of a Nazi German military stützpunkt in Pasar Senen, Jakarta. Only Japanese typewriters were available in Maeda's house.

The ceremony

The first plan was to read the proclamation in public, in front of a crowd at the square in central Jakarta, now Merdeka Square. Japanese authorities were worried about trouble, so they sent soldiers to the area. The ceremony was moved to Sukarno's house at 56 Jalan Pegangsaan Timur. It began at 10 am Japan Standard Time, which was used during the occupation. The short ceremony started with the opening words of the draft constitution, which the BPUPK had written. Then Sukarno read the proclamation text, and Hatta stood beside him.

PETA officer Latief Hendraningat raised the red-and-white flag of Indonesia. Everyone present sang the national anthem, Indonesia Raya.

In October 1948, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an English translation. It included the whole speech as Sukarno read it, along with what was said just before and after the proclamation. George McTurnan Kahin, a historian who studied Indonesia, believed these remarks were left out of publications in Indonesia. He thought this was either because Japan controlled the media or because people were afraid of a harsh Japanese response. The date "05" refers to the Japanese imperial year (皇紀, kōki) 2605.

Aftermath

Main article: Indonesian National Revolution

Indonesian youths spread news of the proclamation across Java very quickly, using Japanese news and telegraph services. In Bandung, the news was shared by radio. However, many ordinary Indonesians did not believe the reports. Some thought the news was a trick by the Japanese. In Sumatra, only the leaders who supported the republic in the big cities knew about the proclamation by mid-September.

The day after the ceremony, the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence chose Sukarno as president and Hatta as vice-president. It also approved the Constitution of Indonesia. The Dutch had ruled Indonesia before. They saw the republican leaders as people who had worked with the Japanese. The Dutch wanted to rule again because they still had money and business interests in the area. This led to a four-year fight for independence. Indonesian youths had an important part in the proclamation and played a central role in the Indonesian National Revolution. There were also conflicts when the Japanese tried to take back control in Bandung in October 1945, and when the British tried to take control. After a long struggle, Indonesia gained freedom from the Netherlands in 1949. This was part of a wider decolonization in Asia.