Page 46 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

FROM VOLKSRAAD TO THE CENTRAL INDONESIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
(1917–1949)

The use of the word “faction” in the Volksraad
was actually inaccurate since “factions” did not
necessarily comprise members from the same
political party or association; some did not even
belong to a particular party. Nonetheless, factions The various motions
were common in the Volksraad, where a group of proposed by the
people could eventually form their own faction.
From its objective, that was to improve the indig- National Faction
enous people’s welfare in the Dutch East Indies, represented the
it was clear that the National Faction had revolu-
tion in mind, although their opinions were often situation of the
dismissed by the Dutch East Indies government. indigenous people in

The birth of the National Faction under the leader- the Dutch East Indies,
ship of Thamrin was a concrete step for the indig- namely social issues
enous people in the Dutch-dominated Volksraad.
Indigenous representatives in the Volksraad often surrounding the life of
brought up the reality of people’s life in the Dutch the people at that time.
East Indies — something the Dutch East Indies
Colonial Government rarely knew about.

The various motions proposed by the National
Faction represented the situation of the indig-
enous people in the Dutch East Indies, namely
social issues surrounding the life of the people at that time. However, not
all motions were granted by the Dutch East Indies Colonial Government,
some were even rejected.

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