'Mabuhay ang Filipina!': The Independence of the Philippines in the Imaginations of Indonesian Freedom Fighters in the Context of the Dutch-Indonesian War

Abstract

This study discusses a pivotal but forgotten aspect in the history of Indonesia-Philippines relations, namely how the Indonesian freedom fighters, who were in conflict with the Dutch, responded Philippine independence, which was proclaimed and acknowledged on July 4, 1946. This study, using Indonesian print media published between June-July 1946, shows that Indonesian freedom fighters devoted considerable attention to Philippine independence and they showed it with various expressions and mediums, including speeches, writings, editorials, congratulatory letters, news and photographs. The Indonesian nationalists not only congratulated the Philippines on its independence, but also made Philippine independence a momentum to evaluate and reflect on the struggle for Indonesian independence, including by using the Philippines as an example of how a young country can educate its people, emancipate its women and have an important position in the international world, mainly because of its good relations with the United States. Indonesia and the Philippines were also narrated to have close relations, both as brothers and as neighbors, and have the potential to build cooperation in the future. These perspectives contributed to providing moral strength and confidence for Indonesian fighters in defending their independence in the context of the Dutch-Indonesian war and postwar decolonization in Asia.