Singapores role in indonesias confrontation of malaysia and the impact of confrontation on singapore indonesia relations 2

Summary This dissertation examines Indonesia’s Confrontation policy against Malaysia from the perspective that it was a significant event to the re-organisation and development of the in

Summary

This dissertation examines Indonesia’s Confrontation policy against Malaysia from the perspective that it was a significant event to the re-organisation and development

of the international relations of Southeast Asian post-colonial states, with a special focus on the Indonesia-Singapore relationship This analysis is important because, first, Confrontation has been largely examined from the domestic political and British/Commonwealth forces strategic points of view, which, while are crucial angles from which to understand the conflict, nonetheless do not provide a sufficient account

of the logic and motivations of the Southeast Asian political elites who were key personalities in affecting how the conflict developed and affected the conduct of international relations among Southeast Asian states Second, the extent to which Confrontation shaped Singapore-Indonesia relations has been relatively under-studied However, this is an important issue because Singapore played a significant role in shaping the development of Confrontation, which therefore influenced the nature of bilateral relations before, during and beyond Confrontation Finally, discourses surrounding Malaysia’s formation and Confrontation have been largely western-centric in that the conflict was deemed to be irrational and strange However, this dissertation argues that it is through an analysis of Singaporean and Indonesian perspectives, strategic interests and behaviour with regard to the concept of Malaysia and Malaysia’s formation that we can understand better why the conflict started and took the course it did The period of analysis for this dissertation is from 1957 to

1973 The most important underlying and proximate “causes” for Confrontation from

1957 to 1963 are examined from the perspective that the historical circumstances and events during that period were, on their own, not determinative, but instead were played upon by Singaporean and Indonesian interests, thereby predisposing the move

towards Confrontation From the Singaporean and Indonesian political leaderships’ perspective, the main issue in Confrontation was the contest over Malaysia’s “moral personality”, which centred on the question of whether Malaysia was formed out of the free will of its inhabitants or whether it was a post-colonial state foisted upon them However, while the contest over Malaysia’s right to exist was to a large extent couched in moral terms, there were, simultaneously, other strategic interests being pursued by both the Singaporeans and Indonesians under the cover of the moral argument This two-pronged pursuit of moral ideals and strategic interests was played out in the political, military, economic and diplomatic fronts of Confrontation, which also reflects the move towards the closure of the conflict In addition, Singapore’s separation from Malaysia, which was to a large extent provoked by the PAP leadership, was a wildcard which provided the impetus towards the resolution of Confrontation Finally, this dissertation examines how Confrontation affected the re-organisation of Singapore-Indonesia relations in the years 1965 to 1973 in the form of enduring lessons learnt about the other from the experience of the Confrontation years

List of Abbreviations

ABRI: Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia

ANRI: Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia

ASA: Association of Southeast Asia

ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations

BPKI: Badan Penjelidik Kemerdekaan Indonesia (Indonesian Independence Investigatory Body)

BS: Barisan Sosialis/Barisan

KMM: Kesatuan Melayu Muda (Young Malays’ Association)

KOSTRAD: Komando Cadangan Strategis Angkatan Darat (Army Strategic Reserve Command)

MPRS: Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Sementara (Provisional People’s Consultative Assembly)

MSCC: Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee

NAA: National Archives of Australia

NAS: National Archives of Singapore

NECOLIM: Neo-colonialism, Colonialism and Imperialism

NEFOS: New Emerging Forces

OHC: Oral History Centre

OLDEFOS: Old Established Forces

PAP: Peoples’ Action Party

PKI: Partai Kommunis Indonesia/Indonesian Communist Party

PKM: Partai Kommunis Malaya/Communist Party of Malaya

PNI: Partai Nasionalis Indonesia/Indonesian Nationalist Party

PRB: Partai Rakyat Brunei

SAF: Singapore Armed Forces

SPA: Singapore People’s Alliance

UMNO: United Malays’ National Organisation

UN: United Nations