Page 83 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA
P. 83

A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE
           IN INDONESIA





                                      On  August  1,  1947,  the  UN  Security  Council  convened  to  discuss  the
                                      Dutch-Indonesia issue. As a result, the UN Security Council urged both
                                      parties to start a ceasefire. On August 4, 1947, a ceasefire was announced,
                                      which marked the end of the Dutch Military Aggression I.


                                                           In  1948,  KNIP  entered  a  critical  period  in  the
                                                           revolution.  The  Renville  Agreement  signed  on
                                                           January 17, 1948 on the deck of the USS Renville
          After the Renville                               marked a new chapter in the course of the In-
                                                           donesian revolution. Previously, under the Ling-
          Agreement was signed,                            garjati  Agreement  on  November  15,  1946,  the

          political turmoil                                Netherlands had recognized Indonesia’s de facto
                                                           control over Java, Madura and Sumatra.
          within the Indonesian
          government emerged.                              With  the  approval  of  the  Renville  Agreement,
                                                           TNI’s  achievements  on  the  battlefield  were  in
          As a form of rejection of                        vain. In addition, no point of the Renville Agree-

          this agreement, all PNI                          ment mentioned the Netherlands’ recognition of
                                                           Indonesia’s de facto power. In this situation, BP
          and Masyumi members                              KNIP needed to respond comprehensively to the
          of the Amir Syarifuddin                          Renville Agreement and other challenges during
                                                           this period.
          Cabinet resigned. Amir

          Syarifuddin himself                              After  the  Renville  Agreement  was  signed,
                                                                     turmoil
                                                           political
                                                                                             Indonesian
                                                                               within
                                                                                       the
          resigned as Prime                                government emerged. As a form of rejection of
          Minister.                                        this agreement, all PNI and Masyumi members
                                                           of  the  Amir  Syarifuddin  Cabinet  resigned.
                                                           Amir  Syarifuddin  himself  resigned  as  Prime
                                                           Minister. The Amir Syarifuddin Cabinet was then
                                                           succeeded by the Cabinet of the Vice President
                                                           Mohammad  Hatta.  Hatta  led  an  Emergency
                                      Presidential  Cabinet  which  gave  all  its  responsibilities  directly  to
                                      President Soekarno. Even so, BP KNIP continued to carry out its duties
                                      as  a  parliamentary  cabinet,  expressing  opinions  and  monitoring  the
                                      operations of the executive branch.


                                      Indonesia’s  weakening  position  at  the  global  stage  emboldened  the
                                      Netherlands’ intent to retain its former colony in its entirety. One of the
                                      Netherlands’ efforts took the form of a new cooperation scheme with
                                      Indonesia. Not long after the Renville Agreement was signed, the Neth-
                                      erlands formed puppet states in its former colonies in 1948, starting from




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