For those interested in political history of the global
South, Bandung ,
some three hours by train east of Indonesian capital of Jakarta , holds a very significant place. As the host city of the 1955 Asia Africa
Conference that brought together leaders of newly independent/established Third
World countries ranging from Nasser in Egypt to Nehru of India to Sukarno from
Indonesia. The Conference brought together
a coalition of these new countries on collective behavior with intensifying
Cold War as the global backdrop.
The result of the Conference, while not immediate, was
inspirational, to say the least. In the
decade after the Conference, large numbers of new countries emerged, throwing
off colonial status with the moral and diplomatic support (usually in the field
of the UN) from the major participants of the Conference. Furthermore, the Non-Alignment Movement, a
collective of nations vowed to not be sucked into either the Soviet or the American
“camp,” emerged in the Conference’s aftermath.
Seen from a long historical perspective, the Conference
played little actual role in the Cold War itself. To sustain development and obtain needed
capital and technology, even the non-aligned movement members were forced to
seek at least temporary alliances with one of the superpowers during some point
in their early histories. This is not to
mention many of the Conference participating countries suffered distinctively
pro-American or pro-Soviet coups later on, and the Third
World leaders could do little to assist in any way.
But, seen from a “micro”-level, it feels that, as the host
of the Conference and an eager initial supporter of the global South’s
independent agenda, Indonesia does show a strong heritage of independent
politics and social development that is in almost stark contrast to neighbors
with deeper, more comprehensive ties to colonial masters (Philippines,
Malaysia, and Singapore are all prime examples in Southeast Asia). The collective behavior of the Indonesian
people is still a fertile ground of “non-alignment” today.
First of all, upon walking through the cities and towns of Indonesia , it
is refreshingly surprisingly to see just how little foreign influences there
are. Aside from leftover architectures,
loanwords, and kitsch themed restaurants, the Netherlands features very little in
the lives of all Indonesians, both at the official or grassroots level. Like other Western countries, it is largely
seen as “just another country over there.”
Other Western countries like the US also have not managed to
culturally gain ground among the people.
Maybe being a Muslim majority country does help to stay
independent in identity. TVs still
recite calls for prayers at set hours, and traditional Muslim wears are common
even in the trendiest of shopping streets.
Yet, devotion to Islam has not made the country conservative or
exclusive. Many Indonesian girls go
around without headscarves and even in short-pants that display their entire
naked legs and contours of their buttocks.
The contrast of such with traditional garb illustrates a sense of
liberal inclusiveness.
Foreign languages remain highly, well, foreign. English is not spoken by common people, and
if one is spoken to on the streets in English, it is probably best to suspect
scam artist (the author was charged maybe five times the market rate for a
short taxi ride by a driver with proficient English, a rarity even in
Jakarta). It is as if people think they
don’t need to learn. Unlike in Manila , foreign language
schools are few and far in-between, while working overseas is not something
that many people seem to consider.
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