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HISTORY
THE NEW ORDER GOVERNMENT
Ever since
taking office in 1967, the New Order Government of President Soeharto was
determined to return constitutional life by upholding the 1945 Constitution
in a strict and consistent manner and by respecting Pancasila as the state
philosophy and ideology.
To emerge
from the political and economic legacy of Soekarno’s Old Order, the new
government set out to undertake the following:
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To complete the
restoration of order and security and to establish political stability
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To carry out economic
rehabilitation.
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To prepare a plan for
and execute national development with the emphasis on economic
development.
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To end confrontation and
normalize diplomatic relations with Malaysia.
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To return to the United
Nations, which Indonesia had quit in January 1965.
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To consistently pursue
an independent and active foreign policy.
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To resolve the West
Irian question.
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To regain lndonesia’s
economic credibility overseas.
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To hold general
elections once every five years.
Much of the
implementation of these policies has been described in the foregoing pages.
It remains here to mention some of the more notable achievements of the New
Order during the first few years of its existence. Results of national
development are presented in this book under the heading "Development
Achievements" and are updated each year.
With regard
to Malaysia, not only were relations normalized but Indonesia together with
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand joined to establish the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On achieving independence in
1984, Brunei Darussalam become the sixth member of ASEAN.The objective of
the association is the establishment of regional cooperation in the
economic, social and cultural fields, but ASEAN also operates in the
political area.
To prepare
for national development, in addition to economic rehabilitation, Indonesia
secured an agreement with creditor countries to reschedule an overseas debt
of US$ 5 billion. With the recovery of the country’s overseas credibility,
Indonesia succeeded in the formation of a consortium of creditor countries
to assist in her economic development. This consortium is known as the
Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia (IGGI) and includes the United States,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Britain and a number of West-European
countries. Its annual meetings are held in Amsterdam under the chairmanship
of the Netherlands.
East
Timor’s Integration
History
recorded that in 672 AD Timor was part of the Crivijaya Kingdom. Later the
island belonged to the Majapahit Kingdom for 200 years, until 1520.
In the last
quarter of the 16th Century the Portuguese subjugated Sultan Baabullah of
Ternate, then the overlord toTimor.
In 1651 the
Dutch invaded Kupang in Western Timor and on April 20, 1859, concluded a
treaty with Portugal whereby the latter was granted the right only to the
northern part of Timor, Atauro Island and Oecussi, a tiny Sultanate in the
Dutch-controlled part of West Timor.
In a
statement on May 28, 1974, the Governor of Portuguese Timor, Colonel
Fernando Alves Aldela, granted the people permission to form political
parties. The response was the emergence of five political parties - UDT (Uniao
Democratica Timorese), FRETILIN (Frente Revolucionaria de Timor Leste
lndependent), APODETI (Associacao Popular Democratica de Timor),KOTA (Klibur
Oan Timur Aswain) and TRABALHISTA (Labor Party).
Through lack
of popular support, FRETILIN resorted to terror tactics, threats and
blackmail in an attempt to intimidate members of the other parties. This
caused growing tension throughout the colony and sparked an inevitable civil
war.
On August
27, 1975, the Governor and other Portuguese officials abandoned the capital
of Dili, fled to Atauro Island and left FRETILIN free to continue its reign
of terror. FRETILIN was even supplied with arms from the Portuguese army
arsenal.
On November
28 of the some year, FRETILIN unilaterally "declared the independence" of
East Timor and announced the formation of "the Democratic Republic of East
Timor".
In the light
of these developments, on November 30, 1975, at Balibo, UDT, APODETI, KOTA
and TRABALHISTA proclaimed the independence of the territory and its
simultaneous integration with Indonesia. On December 17, 1975, the four
parties announced the establishment of the Provisional Government of East
Timor in Dili.
On May 31,
1976, the duly elected People’s Assembly of East Timor decided in an open
session to formally integrate the territory with the Republic of Indonesia.
A bill on this integration was approved by the Indonesian House of
Representatives on July 15, 1976 and, with the promulgation by the
President, became Law on July 17. East Timor has since been the 27th
province of Indonesia with all the rights and duties under the 1945
Constitution of the Republic.
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