I got busy yesterday cutting grass and didn’t get around to mentioning that August 17 is a very special day in Indonesia.
Back in the 1970s, one August 17th I was in Jakarta, Indonesia — it’s easy to remember that day, because it was Indonesia Independence Day. On August 17, 1945 a group of nationalists declared Indonesia’s independence from the Netherlands. The day was designated a national holiday by government decree in 1946.
Indonesia had been under Dutch colonial rule for over 300 years until its independence was declared in 1945. The struggle didn’t end with the declaration of independence —the struggle for their freedom and liberation took four more years of turmoil and diplomacy before Queen Juliana of the Netherlands formally granted Indonesia her independence.
I remember Independence Day in Jakarta being a huge celebration. Buildings were decorated with large red and white banners. Today, the stores all offer special Independence Day discounts.
The Constitution of Indonesia recommends every Indonesian fly the national flag in front of houses, office buildings, schools and public institutions throughout the country on Independence Day. Diplomatic offices abroad are requested to fly the national flag on August 17 to commemorate the national holiday. At 7 A.M. local time on August 17, cities and regencies throughout Indonesia hoist the national flag in a ceremony held at their respective city halls.
Indonesia was formerly known as the Dutch East Indies, and is comprised of over 17,000 islands, making it the largest island nation in the world.
The Grasberg mine in West Papua, Indonesia, is the biggest gold reserve in the world, and — the second biggest copper reserve.
Even though “Bahasa Indonesia” is Indonesia’s official language, there are more than 700 other languages and dialects spoken throughout the islands.
Indonesia’s motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal lka” means “Unity in Diversity.”
Happy (belated) Independence Day.
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