Commemorating Japan's False Promise To Dominate Indonesia

Soekarno shakes hands with the Commander of the Japanese Army, Yoichiro Yamamoto (Commons Wikimedia)

JAKARTA - In accordance with historical order, in the 17th century, or perhaps even earlier, the Japanese had entered the archipelago as a group of small communities. From 5 to 8 March 1942, the Japanese army for the first time completely captured the capital of the Dutch East Indies, Batavia.

The struggle for resistance at that time was quite fierce. The Dutch soldiers who were members of the Koninklijk Nederlandsch-Indische Leger (KNIL) garrison or known as the Dutch royal army, were beaten back by the Japanese, so that the capital of the Dutch East Indies had no more defense.

Why not, the KNIL troops who avoided the attack chose to retreat to Buitenzorg (Bogor) and Bandung. The attack was clearly not sudden.

Quoted from the writing of Nino Oktorino in the book Japanese Occupation in Indonesia (2013), Japan had entered the archipelago via Tarakan, East Kalimantan since January 11, 1942. This step continued on January 24, 1942 when they controlled Balikpapan.

Furthermore, control of Pontianak followed on January 29, 1942, Samarinda on February 3, 1942, and Banjarmasin on February 10, 1942. Uniquely, on February 14, 1942, Japan began to deploy paratroopers in Palembang, and it took only two days to master it.

Only after that, on March 1, 1942, the Japanese 16th army landed in Banten Bay, and Kragan in Central Java. After 3 days of controlling Batavia, on March 8, 1942, the Dutch East Indies government surrendered unconditionally to Japan.

Historian Ong Hok Ham wrote this incident in his column in Tempo Magazine entitled Emperium Kolonial (1992). Ong revealed that the surrender took place before the KNIL soldiers opened fire.

Ong also quoted the Dutch historian, GG de Jong, who emphasized that the KNIL actually did not have sufficient strength to face the Dutch. Therefore, defeat is something that is natural.

“The KNIL is just something the police have strengthened somewhat. Not a military force to face something international and modern war. KNIL only functions to deal with domestic unrest. "

Soekarno shakes hands with the Commander of the Japanese Army, Yoichiro Yamamoto (Commons Wikimedia)

Robed old best friend

The arrival of Japan to the Indies was able to form the viewpoint of a friend who swiftly helped the people of the archipelago apart from the shackles of Dutch colonialism. The narrative is strongly echoed by Japanese imperial propaganda, the "Three A's" which began on March 29, 1942.

The "Three A's" slogans were: Asia's Leader Nippon, Asia's Protector Nippon, and Asia's Light Nippon. Of course, the slogan was not born from the womb of thoughts of the Indonesian people, but was made by the Japanese themselves to captivate the hearts and sympathy of the Indonesian people.

The result, quite successful. Like the Japanese power over Indonesia in 1942 which gave birth to new assumptions about the pride of being born as a native of Indonesia itself. Quoted by L. Ayu Saraswati's book entitled White: Skin Color, Race, and Beauty in Transnational Indonesia (2013), the Japanese occupation made Europeans or Indo-Europeans who previously considered themselves in a special position to decline.

Previously, those who were of mixed Indo-European blood, who had previously covered their Indonesian origins, later claimed their Indonesian background. They even threw away their European status.

It doesn't stop there. Japan, which actually has a narrative of restoring pride as an Asian, has also contributed to setting a new standard in beauty. The proof is that the beauty that was previously held by Caucasians (Europeans) has turned into beauty belonging to Japanese women and native Indonesian women.

In fact, it was propagated through the printed media at that time. "It is proven by the rubrics in Djawa Baroe such as Poetri Nippon, Film Star Nippon, and Poetri Indonesia who are beautiful and beautiful," wrote L. Ayu Saraswati.

Arrival of Japanese troops (Commons Wikimedia)

Those who support

Regarding Japanese propaganda, figures who had been angry with the Dutch for hundreds of years, such as Buya Hamka, Soekarno, and Sanusi Pane also raised their voices. At that time the country's officials saw Japan as a hope that broke the chain of Dutch colonialism. Goenawan Mohamad wrote that condition in his column in Tempo Magazine entitled Nippon (2003).

However, they also expressed disappointment that this hope was in fact wrong. Hamka, for example, said, "At that time, Indonesia was occupied by Japan, a country that was saddened by Asia's liberator, a force that shouted the slogan 'British we crow, we iron America!'

"Like writers and public figures at that time, Hamka also drew the words 'djoeang', 'madjoe', 'asia', deftly - sometimes too deft," wrote Goenawan Mohamad. Pandji Poestaka in 1943.

Not only Hamka. Other national figures such as Soekarno had also given support to Japan by encouraging Indonesian youth to enter Romusha (forced labor), so that in droves of people working to distant lands, until miserable under Japanese rule.

Gunawan also wrote, “The poet Sanusi Pane, a Theosophist, considered the war waged by the military from Tokyo to be a holy war. And the legal expert Supomo sees the fascist state under Maharaja Hirohito as an example, "concluded Goenawan Mohamad.