Vievia Kim
Table of Contents
On May 7, 1949, Indonesia and the Netherlands agreed to an agreement. This agreement is known as the Roem Roijen Agreement because it was signed by Mohammad Roem, deputy prime minister of the Republic of Indonesia, and Herman van Roijen, deputy governor general of the Dutch East Indies.
The Roem Roijen Agreement was an important step in the process of Indonesian independence.
Background to the Roem Roijen Agreement
The following are some of the backgrounds to the Roem Roijen Agreement:
1. Failure of the Renville Agreement
The Renville Agreement signed on January 17 1948 failed to resolve the conflict between Indonesia and the Netherlands. The Dutch violated this agreement by launching Military Aggression II on December 19 1948, which occupied Yogyakarta, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia at that time.
2. International Pressure
The international community, especially the United States and the United Nations, pressured the Netherlands to resolve the conflict with Indonesia peacefully. The Netherlands was criticized for Military Aggression II and threatened with economic sanctions.
3. Indonesia’s desire to achieve independence
Indonesia continues to struggle to achieve full independence. The Roem Roijen Agreement was seen as an opportunity to gain recognition of sovereignty from the Netherlands through diplomatic means.
4. The Netherlands’ desire to protect its economic interests
The Dutch still have large economic interests in Indonesia, especially in the fields of plantations and trade. It is hoped that the Roem-Roijen Agreement will reopen economic relations between the two countries.
Contents of the Roem-Roijen Agreement
- The Netherlands will recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (RIS) no later than 30 December 1949.
- RIS will become part of the Indonesian-Dutch Union.
- The Republic of Indonesia will become one of the states in the RIS.
- Dutch troops will be withdrawn from Indonesian territory.
- The Republic of Indonesia will free Dutch prisoners of war.
Impact of the Roem-Roijen Agreement
- The Roem-Royen Agreement paved the way for the Round Table Conference (KMB) held in The Hague in December 1949.
- The KMB resulted in recognition of Indonesia’s full sovereignty from the Netherlands on 27 December 1949.
- The Roem-Royen Agreement was not fully accepted by all parties in Indonesia. Some groups, such as the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), considered this agreement a form of betrayal of the independence struggle.
The Roem-Roijen Agreement is an important event in the history of Indonesian independence. This agreement showed that Indonesia was able to achieve independence through diplomatic means, although with some compromises.
