The Queen Looks at the Future

Important Statements of H.M. Queen Wilhelmina on War and Peace Aims

[p. 14]

The Shape of Things to Come
Details of the future Commonwealth

Soon after publication of Queen Wilhelmina's address of December 6th, 1942, well-informed Netherlands quarters filled in some of the probable details of the post-war partnership of the various parts of the Netherlands Kingdom as visualized by the sovereign. It was stressed, however, that these details must remain of a provisional nature until they can be discussed and decided upon with the representatives of the people of those parts of the Kingdom which are at present unable to make their wishes known.

It is for this reason that a conference of the entire Kingdom will be convoked immediately after the war, as already announced by the Government's Declaration of January 27, 1942, and it is in keeping with the resolve to settle these vital matters in full consultation with all parties concerned, that the Queen in her speech of December 6 has limited herself to indicating the main lines along which the proposed reconstruction of the Kingdom may be expected to develop.

Another reason why at the present moment no detailed plans could be formulated, beyond those indicated in the Queen's speech, is that the reorganization of the Kingdom must necessarily in some ways be affected by the shape of the international organization in which this Kingdom must take its place. At present, and in spite of the considerable thought that has been given to the international post-war problem, no such well-defined framework is yet available.

Meanwhile, it is nonetheless possible to visualize how some of the outlines for the reorganization of the Kingdom indicated in the Queen's speech may be filled in, the reason being that even before the war certain definite trends in the constitutional development of the Kingdom and of the Netherlands Indies in particular, had already become evident. The proposed reconstruction is not, therefore, so much a revolutionary development as the expression and elaboration of a rapidly developing body of political thought which already commanded a wide measure of agreement among all the constituent peoples of the Kingdom before the war.

As regards the Constitutional reconstruction of the Kingdom as a whole, it may be anticipated, that the post-war conference will recommend the creation of a Commonwealth in which the four component parts of the Kingdom (the Netherlands, the Netherlands Indies, Surinam and Curaçao) will have practically complete regional autonomy, while at the same time participating on equal terms, though not necessarily with an equal number of representatives, in the central government which, in all likelihood, will control such matters as defense, foreign policy and international economic relations. This would mean that certain supervisory powers which the Netherlands Ministry and Parliament have until now exercised over internal affairs of the overseas territories, like the budget, would largely disappear.

[p. 15]

Even before the war these powers had already been progressively limited, and the Netherlands Indies, for instance, enjoyed a far-reaching degree of self-government in every field of internal legislation, including immigration laws, tariffs, taxes, etc.

What exact form the central government of the Kingdom as a whole is to take, cannot well be foreseen at this stage. Possibly a separate Ministry representing the four territories may be set up for the Kingdom as a whole. Possibly the representation of the four territories in matters of general concern to all may be assured by arranging for their participation in the Government of the Netherlands proper. Again, as regards the procedure to be followed and the machinery to be employed in legislation on matters of general concern, such legislation might be submitted to a special parliament or council composed of representatives from the several territories or it might be submitted directly to the territorial parliaments.

The practical application of the principle clearly enunciated by the Queen that the different territories are to have complete self-government in internal matters, will, naturally, also entail a number of changes in their internal political structure.

As with the proposed central government it is difficult at this stage to envisage the exact nature of the systems to be set up within these territories. What may be said with certainty is that democracy will remain the basis of any system that is to be erected, while it is also safe to say that the systems established on this democratic basis will be designed with a view towards achieving greater efficiency in the conduct of government as well as equality of opportunity not only in the political but also in the economic field.

In the Netherlands proper, the achievement of such political and economic democracy has been greatly facilitated and expedited by the fact that the people of the Netherlands have long since achieved the strong cohesive nationhood which is the first prerequisite for the effective functioning of the democratic system. While it is true that the population of the Netherlands Indies has not yet attained the same degree of nationhood, there are many circumstances favorable to the gradual development of an Indonesian nation, such as a general similarity of language, customs and civilization. At the same time, it must be remembered that it is only since the early part of this century that the Netherlands Indies as a whole have been brought under the stabilizing influence of a government in Batavia, which could make its jurisdiction prevail in all parts of the far-flung Archipelago. Moreover, in spite of the many factors that are working towards a gradual fusion of the different peoples of Indonesia, there remain differences which still exert their influence. In addition it is possible that the Japanese occupation will produce a certain temporarily disintegrating effect.

There is nonetheless reason to believe that the reconstruction of the undeniably efficient administrative and economic organization of the Indies can be carried through without too much difficulty, all the more so since, partly as a result of the notable absence of race discrimination, the cooperation between the

[p. 16]

Dutch on the one hand and the Indonesians and inhabitants of Chinese and Arabian origin on the other hand, has long since been very close. In addition it is probably not a case of wishful thinking to say that the misery and the dangers of the Japanese occupation shared by the Dutch and Indonesian inhabitants will prove to have strengthened rather than to have weakened the old bond existing between them.

Looking at the future in the light of the evolutionary developments of the past and the further impetus given to this evolution by the Queen's statement, it is to be expected, therefore, that after the war the representation of the Indonesian population in the governmental body of the Indies will be still further increased. In all likelihood, this governmental body will consist of a House of Representatives with a large majority of Indonesian members, a Ministry responsible to the House, and a Governor General to act as the representative of the Crown. It will probably also be considered desirable to retain, as an advisory body, the existing Council of the Indies composed of highly experienced Netherlanders and Indonesians.

While the Ministry will probably be appointed by the Governor General, it is not impossible that the Governor General will have more restricted powers than in the past and would generally function as arbitrator in differences that might arise between the Ministry and the House of Representatives without whose consent no legislation could be passed by the Ministry.

As to the vital matter of franchise, there has long been a growing desire for elections by one electorate consisting of all citizens of sufficient education and understanding irrespective of race. Naturally, such elections would automatically produce a large Indonesian majority in the House of Representatives. A certain corrective will be necessary to insure the adequate representation of cultural and economic minorities and backward regions. This desideratum will possibly be achieved by the old system of appointing a number of members to the representative body. There is no reason to feel that this will lead to political abuses as in the selection of such appointed members every care has always been taken to avoid the purposeful creation or strengthening of a government bloc.

The broad policies which the Government-as indicated above-might follow would certainly include a great strengthening of defense, an expansion and intensification of education, and a further development of progressive and well-planned measures for social and economic security. At the same time, there is little doubt that these measures could be carried out so as not to conflict with the well-planned policy of maintaining and developing Indonesian civilization and preserving the roots of native life. It is true that the visible results of this basic attitude may be less spectacular than those of a forced westernization. The fact remains, however, that abandonment of this fundamental principle would be incompatible with the best interests of the body politic which can not develop healthily when cut off from its natural foundations.

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Finally, it can be said that reconstruction along the lines indicated here will not only consolidate the progress achieved in the past but would also give the people of the Indies-which the Queen has now for the first time officially christened ‘Indonesia’-time and opportunity to recover from their recent misfortunes and to complete their growth towards nationhood. What will happen once this stage has been achieved is impossible to foresee, but if the relations established between the Dutch and the Indonesian inhabitants over a period of centuries count for anything, it is by no means incredible that the association should prove permanent. Such a Commonwealth consisting of widely different races and yet undivided by racial discrimination, might indeed prove to be a valuable asset and stabilizing factor in a world still cleft by racial misunderstanding.