Page 47 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE
IN INDONESIA

SOETARDJO’S PETITION

ON July 15, 1936, Soetardjo Kartohadikusumo
filed a petition, proposing that Indonesia should
be independent within the next 10 years, al-
though it would still be within the boundaries as
Soetardjo was very stipulated in Article 1 of the Grondwet (Constitu-

confident in filing tion). Article 1 of the Netherlands’ Constitution
stated that the Kingdom of Netherlands covered
what he considered the Nederland (Netherlands), the Dutch East In-
a reasonable petition dies, Suriname, and Curacao. Kasimo and Ratu-
langi supported the petition.
to request autonomy

for Indonesia to Another point of the petition was to urge the co-
lonial government to hold a conference where
form an independent representatives from both the Netherlands and
government. That the Dutch East Indies would attend under equal
position. The conference’s goal would be to joint-
way, indigenous ly design the plan for the next 10 years, to prepare

people would receive the Dutch East Indies for autonomy, even though

treatments equal to the it would still be a part of the Kingdom of Nether-
lands. The petition viewed the need for establish-
Dutch citizens. ing a royal council consisting of representatives
of the Netherlands and Indonesia to discuss the
relationship between the two within the frame-
work of the constitution and to consider the pos-
sibility for Indonesia to be equal to the Nether-
lands.

Soetardjo’s petition had a juridical basis because Article 1 of the Nether-
lands’ Constitution stated that the Kingdom of Netherlands covered the
Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies, Suriname, and Curacao. In Soetard-
jo’s view, the four regions should be equal, so he was very confident in
filing what he considered a reasonable petition to request autonomy for
Indonesia to form an independent government. That way, indigenous
people would receive treatments equal to the Dutch citizens.

Clearly, the petition provoked a fierce debate in the Volksraad. The dis-
cussion on this hot issue lasted for a week until a vote was finally held on
September 29, 1936. The vote resulted in 26 votes in favor and 20 against.

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