Indonesia is a former Dutch colony which declared its independence on August 17, 1945. However,
it was not internationally recognised until December 27, 1949, when the Netherlands formally
transferred the sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to a new political entity called ‘Indonesia’ at
the Round Table Conference in the Hague. This occasion marked the political union of all diverse
kingdoms and regional communities spread over the Indonesian archipelago. This step has been
frequently associated with the global spirit of many other countries around the world to gain
independence from Western colonisers and with the international principle of self-determination.
However, the relationship between the central government in Java and some regional
communities has been fluctuating for decades after the independence. This paper examines three
conflicts over the rights of self-determination in in three areas in Indonesia by reflecting on the
historical background of Indonesia’s struggle for self-determination. Besides that, it also seeks
to demonstrate the way Indonesia’s integrity has been negotiated to accommodate internal and
external forces to achieve self-determination from international law perspective. Furthermore,
this paper also contributes to the scholarly discussion on the concept of self-determination and the
conflicts that it caused in Indonesian context, while also proposing some insights into the efforts to
preserve Indonesia’s unity and integrity for years to come.
Indonesia adalah sebuah negara bekas jajahan Belanda yang memproklamasikan kemerdekaannya
pada tanggal 17 Agustus 1945. Namun, Indonesia baru diakui secara internasional pada tanggal
27 Desember 1949 ketika Belanda secara formal menyerahkan kedaulatan negeri Hindia-
Belanda kepada entitas politik baru yang disebut ‘Indonesia’ di dalam Perundingan Meja
Bundar yang diadakan di Den Haag. Peristiwa ini menyatukan secara politis berbagai kerajaan
dan komunitas lokal di seantero nusantara. Peristiwa ini pun dianggap sebagai implementasi
dari semangat global anti penjajahan asing dalam bingkai hukum self-determination. Namun
demikian, hubungan antara pemerintah pusat di Jawa dengan wilayah-wilayah tertentu
mengalami dinamika dalam bentuk konflik yang terjadi selama beberapa dekade. Tulisan ini
ditujukan untuk mengkaji latar belakang dari tiga konflik yang berhubungan dengan hak selfdetermination
dan cara Indonesia bernegosiasi dengan kekuatan-kekuatan self-determination,
baik internal maupun ekternal, ditinjau dari sudut padang hukum internasional. Kajian ini
diharapkan dapat menambah pemahaman teoritis tentang konflik terkait self-determination dan
upaya penyelesaiannya dalam rangka mempererat persatuan dan integritas bangsa Indonesia di
masa yang akan datang.
