The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXI, Part 1-2, 1983 - Khamkoo

REVIEWS 249
became an adviser to the Japanese authorities, rather than under their command,
during the war. Sukamo was released from Sumatra by the Japanese and held a
meeting with Hatta and Syahrir on arriving in Jakarta. Sukarno maintained the
Japanese would win the war; Hatta disagreed, on the grounds the Americans had
greater industrial potential. He also warned Sukarno the Japanese would not allow the
Indonesian independence movement to continue. Sukarno wanted to cooperate and
establish a new party "for the purpose of satisfying his ambition to agitate". Both
were cultivated as national leaders by the Japanese and were sent to Tokyo in 1943. By
1944, when the Japanese were clearly losing the war, independence was promised, and
in August 1945 Hatta and Sukarno were sent to Dalat where General Terauchi
announced Tokyo had agreed to grant independence. This, unbeknown to the Indonesians.,
was at the same time as the Japanese had agreed to the Potsdam terms of surrender.
On returning to Jakarta, not before they had been made prisoner by Indonesian
youth groups, independence was proclaimed on 17 August, with Sukarno as President
and Hatta as Vice-President.
Thereafter it is a story of increasing confusion and chaos, with the British
arrival to reestablish Dutch rule, groups taking things into their own hands, the Dutch
making and breaking agreements .relating to independence, simultaneously trying to
establish the State of East Indonesia and attacking the Republic, the republican forces
retreating and regrouping, and Hatta flying all over the place, to Surabaya, Padang,
New Delhi (in disguise), to Yogya. Although nothing is said in the memoirs, this must
have been a most exhausting and frustrating time for Hatta, who eventually in 1948
had to take over the Prime Ministership as well, and try and sort out the muddle.
Reducing the armed forces to a proper level was one of the first tasks : "I decided that
there should be a ratio of four soldiers to each weapon". Nine admirals with no men
under their command were dismissed, all officers reduced a rank, and soldiers redeployed
into productive work. At the same time Hatta had to cope with Dutch 'police action'
against the republic and negociate with the United Nations' Good Offices Committee.
The Dutch captured Sukamo and Hatta in Yogya at the end of 1948 and literally
impounded them on Banka island, while General Sudirman, already extremely sick, as
Commander-in-Chief conducted a guerilla war. Under international pressure the Dutch
finally agreed to recognise the existence of independent Indonesia, and Hatta went to
the Hague in August 1949 to negociate the provisions. He was back again in Holland
to attend the formal ceremony of handover of sovereignty on 27 December 1949. There
the memoirs end.
Politicians' memoirs are often not particularly interesting, turning over events
long since forgotten by history. Given Hatta's crucial role in the formation of Indonesia,
his memoirs cannot be dismissed so easily. They detail the circumstances
leading to the creation of the largest state in Southeast Asia and the key role played by
one of its founders. Where they are most interesting is in describing Hatta's early
days in West Sqmatra and his activitie:; in ~he Clluse of independence durin~ his studies