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Panjang Umur Nusantara!
Panjang Umur Nusantara!: The rise of the Nusantaran Confederation
For centuries, the minor states of Nusantara (OOC: TTL’s term for Maritime Southeast Asia) have been squabbling with each other since the fall of the Majaphit Empire in the 16th century and so have become the pawns of their neighbors with Malaya falling under French control and the Moros becoming part of Nan Lusang. With the exception of Aceh and Borneo, the Nusantaran states were largely weak and defenseless but the rise of nationalist sentiments made many Nusantaran intellectuals feel that Nusantara would be stronger as a unified nation as opposed to squabling Kingdoms. Gradually, ideas of Nusantaran unity seeped into the popular consciousness of the people of Nusantara along with the aristocrats of Nusantara with movements calling for a united Nusantara which would be a strong force in the world arising. The Nusantaran “Persekutuan” (Federation) movement gained many adherents in the 1920s and 30s due to the rise of the Unified Indian State, with it’s radical state atheism and policies of uniformity and militarism, being percieved by many as a threat which should be confronted as a united front of the peoples of Nusantara. The Persekutuan movement was supported by the Empire of the Great Shun, the colossus of East Asia, as the Shun Dynasty sought new allies in East Asia as a counterweight to the Unified Indian State. Among the major proponents of “Persekutuan” among the Nusantaran elite was Sultan Kuwat of Banten. He envisioned a federation of Nusantaran states united in a federation. He was aided in this by Suhendra Budiaman, a nationalist intellectual who was head of the “Congress of United Nusantarans”, a nationalist movement dedicated to the creation of a united Nusantara.
Suhendra Budiaman, head of the Congress of United Nusantarans
In the aftermath of the French Flu, voices for federation among the states of Nusantara grew more vocal as many in the Nusantaran business class believed that a unified Nusantara would be able to recover faster than the collection of statelets which Nusantara had and many Nusantarans believed a Nusantaran Federation would be more able to stand up to the Unified Indian State than the collection of kingdoms which Nusantara was. In the 1930s, the “Congress of United Nusantarans" had become a mass movement calling for the unification of Nusantara, a movement few of Nusantara’s leaders would be able to ignore. With the exception of Aceh, where a Purple Unitarian regime had arisen after the September Coup, the leaders of the various kingdoms and statelets of Nusantara agreed in February 1938 to convene a convention on the unification of Nusantara into a “Nusantaran Confederation" pattered after the Italian Confederation and with the encouragement of Shun China.
The Convention was held in the city of Banten, the center of the Nusantaran Persekutuan movement, which pushed for the unity of the peoples of Nusantara under one banner and was marked by divisions between Javans, Sundans, Balinese, Sulawasians, Sumatrans, and Borneoans. The minor statelets of Java, (Southern) Sumatra, the Sunda Islands, and Sulawasi did not want Borneo to become more powerful while the Sultan of Borneo had the goal in having the Sultanate of Borneo be the dominant player of the proposed “Nusantaran Confederation”. Over the next year, the Convention ironed out the details of how the government of the Nusantaran Confederation was to be organized with the head of state of the Nusantaran Confederation being the “Kepala Negara” or “Head of State”, a title which would be elected by the “Council of Rulers” or “Dewan Penguasa” for life, which also served as a upper house for the Nusantaran Confederation with each of the rulers of the constituent states having one seat and one vote for the upper house. The Kepala Negara appointed a Chief Minister from the major party in the lower house, the “Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat”, which was elected by the people of the Confederation. Under the Banten Constitution, the government of the Nusantaran Confederation would be responsible for affairs which were considered to be of importance to the entire Nusantaran Confederation like foreign and defense policy while the local rulers retained control over local affairs. The Banten Constitution was formally approved on April 21, 1939 after 14 months of deliberation.
With the Banten Constitution formally approved upon, the Banten Convention became the nucleus of the interim government of the Nusantaran Confederation, which was formally inagurated to much fanfare amongst the peoples of Nusantara on July 1, 1939. The first Kepala Negara of Nusantara was Sultan Kuwat of Banten, the main voice behind the Persekutuan movement, who was elected by the Dewan Pengusa the next day to the post. The Nusantaran Confederation almost immediately joined the East Asian Security Association as a full member on July 9 as well. One of the first acts of Sultan Kuwat as Kepala Negara was to name Suhendra Budiaman, his ally and the leader of the “Congress of United Nusantarans”, Chief Minister of the Nusantaran Confederation. Elections were scheduled to be held in early 1940 but Nusantara would have to fight for it’s unity soon and it’s struggle would solidify the new Nusantaran Confederation and strengthen the national identity of Nusantara.
For centuries, the minor states of Nusantara (OOC: TTL’s term for Maritime Southeast Asia) have been squabbling with each other since the fall of the Majaphit Empire in the 16th century and so have become the pawns of their neighbors with Malaya falling under French control and the Moros becoming part of Nan Lusang. With the exception of Aceh and Borneo, the Nusantaran states were largely weak and defenseless but the rise of nationalist sentiments made many Nusantaran intellectuals feel that Nusantara would be stronger as a unified nation as opposed to squabling Kingdoms. Gradually, ideas of Nusantaran unity seeped into the popular consciousness of the people of Nusantara along with the aristocrats of Nusantara with movements calling for a united Nusantara which would be a strong force in the world arising. The Nusantaran “Persekutuan” (Federation) movement gained many adherents in the 1920s and 30s due to the rise of the Unified Indian State, with it’s radical state atheism and policies of uniformity and militarism, being percieved by many as a threat which should be confronted as a united front of the peoples of Nusantara. The Persekutuan movement was supported by the Empire of the Great Shun, the colossus of East Asia, as the Shun Dynasty sought new allies in East Asia as a counterweight to the Unified Indian State. Among the major proponents of “Persekutuan” among the Nusantaran elite was Sultan Kuwat of Banten. He envisioned a federation of Nusantaran states united in a federation. He was aided in this by Suhendra Budiaman, a nationalist intellectual who was head of the “Congress of United Nusantarans”, a nationalist movement dedicated to the creation of a united Nusantara.
Suhendra Budiaman, head of the Congress of United Nusantarans
In the aftermath of the French Flu, voices for federation among the states of Nusantara grew more vocal as many in the Nusantaran business class believed that a unified Nusantara would be able to recover faster than the collection of statelets which Nusantara had and many Nusantarans believed a Nusantaran Federation would be more able to stand up to the Unified Indian State than the collection of kingdoms which Nusantara was. In the 1930s, the “Congress of United Nusantarans" had become a mass movement calling for the unification of Nusantara, a movement few of Nusantara’s leaders would be able to ignore. With the exception of Aceh, where a Purple Unitarian regime had arisen after the September Coup, the leaders of the various kingdoms and statelets of Nusantara agreed in February 1938 to convene a convention on the unification of Nusantara into a “Nusantaran Confederation" pattered after the Italian Confederation and with the encouragement of Shun China.
The Convention was held in the city of Banten, the center of the Nusantaran Persekutuan movement, which pushed for the unity of the peoples of Nusantara under one banner and was marked by divisions between Javans, Sundans, Balinese, Sulawasians, Sumatrans, and Borneoans. The minor statelets of Java, (Southern) Sumatra, the Sunda Islands, and Sulawasi did not want Borneo to become more powerful while the Sultan of Borneo had the goal in having the Sultanate of Borneo be the dominant player of the proposed “Nusantaran Confederation”. Over the next year, the Convention ironed out the details of how the government of the Nusantaran Confederation was to be organized with the head of state of the Nusantaran Confederation being the “Kepala Negara” or “Head of State”, a title which would be elected by the “Council of Rulers” or “Dewan Penguasa” for life, which also served as a upper house for the Nusantaran Confederation with each of the rulers of the constituent states having one seat and one vote for the upper house. The Kepala Negara appointed a Chief Minister from the major party in the lower house, the “Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat”, which was elected by the people of the Confederation. Under the Banten Constitution, the government of the Nusantaran Confederation would be responsible for affairs which were considered to be of importance to the entire Nusantaran Confederation like foreign and defense policy while the local rulers retained control over local affairs. The Banten Constitution was formally approved on April 21, 1939 after 14 months of deliberation.
With the Banten Constitution formally approved upon, the Banten Convention became the nucleus of the interim government of the Nusantaran Confederation, which was formally inagurated to much fanfare amongst the peoples of Nusantara on July 1, 1939. The first Kepala Negara of Nusantara was Sultan Kuwat of Banten, the main voice behind the Persekutuan movement, who was elected by the Dewan Pengusa the next day to the post. The Nusantaran Confederation almost immediately joined the East Asian Security Association as a full member on July 9 as well. One of the first acts of Sultan Kuwat as Kepala Negara was to name Suhendra Budiaman, his ally and the leader of the “Congress of United Nusantarans”, Chief Minister of the Nusantaran Confederation. Elections were scheduled to be held in early 1940 but Nusantara would have to fight for it’s unity soon and it’s struggle would solidify the new Nusantaran Confederation and strengthen the national identity of Nusantara.
- Whiteshore
- Word Count: 870