Paul Somohardjo Mobilizes Javanese Community With Passport Protest

Indonesian minority organizes mass emigration threat against independence government.

Date: Early 1975

The Rise of Paul Somohardjo and the Mobilization of the Javanese Community

Details:

  • In the lead-up to independence, the "normally docile" Indonesian (Javanese) community found a new, charismatic organizer in Paul "Soemo" Somohardjo.
  • Somohardjo, who was the head of the Indonesian section within Prime Minister Henck Arron's own Creole NPS party, broke with the government, accusing it of discriminating against and ignoring the interests of his community.
  • The "Passport" Protest: In a major show of political strength, Somohardjo organized a "mass passport registration" with the threat of leading thousands of Indonesians to emigrate to the Netherlands as a vote of no confidence in the impending independent state.

Significance:

  • Origin of a Key Figure: This marks the political origin of Paul Somohardjo, who would go on to become a major and enduring figure in Surinamese politics, including in the opposition to the military regime in the 1980s.
  • A New Political Force: His ability to mobilize the Javanese community, which had been considered "safely co-opted" by the ruling parties, introduced a new, disruptive force into Surinamese politics, challenging the traditional Creole vs. Hindustani dynamic.

Source:

U.S. Embassy Paramaribo, Diplomatic Cable 1975PARAMA00077b, "INDEPENDENCE AND THE RESTLESS ASIANS," February 11, 1975.

Link:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1975PARAMA00077_b.html

Internal Link:

Date:
March 1, 1975
Categories:
Log, Matthew Smith, Military & Intel, Politics, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
Ethnic Politics, Javanese Politics, Passport Protest 1975
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1975
Persons:
Paul Somohardjo
META DATA
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