2017 marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia.

It is a significant milestone because of the good relations that both countries have painstakingly built up over the years.

Things have not always gone smoothly, however, as the early years of our ties were fraught with difficulty and challenges.

Nonetheless, it is worth revisiting the past to draw on a valuable lesson in magnanimity and diplomacy.

The MacDonald House bombing

Last Friday (Mar. 10) marked the 52nd anniversary of a tragic event in Singapore's history - the MacDonald House bombing.

At 3.07pm on Mar. 10, 1965, a bomb planted by two Indonesian marine commandos at MacDonald House building in the Dhoby Ghaut area, killed three and injured about 33 others.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="507"] MacDonald House after the bombing in 1965. Source: NAS [/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="733"] MacDonald House after the bombing in 1965. Source: NAS[/caption]

The bombing was part of Indonesia's Confrontation (1963 to 1966) with Malaysia, which Singapore was still a part of back then.

Osman bin Haji Mohamed Ali and Harun bin Said, the Indonesian marines responsible for the bombing, were caught while trying to escape Singapore by sea (using a plank). They were subsequently charged, tried, found guilty and sentenced to death for the murder of three civilians in the bombing.

The marines were hanged three years after the bombing on Oct. 17, 1968.

Rocky start for newly established Singapore-Indonesia relations

What occurred from the time of the attack in 1965 to the execution of the marines in 1968?

Singapore became independent (1965), the Confrontation ended (1966), and diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia were officially established on Sep. 7, 1967, barely a month after ASEAN was created with Singapore and Indonesia among the founding members.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Founding members of ASEAN in Bangkok. From left: Foreign Ministers Thanat Khoman of Thailand, Narciso R Ramos of the Philippines, S Rajaratnam of Singapore, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia and Adam Malik of Indonesia. Source NAS[/caption]

Against the backdrop of developments in the case of the Indonesian marines, Singapore's first Ambassador to Indonesia P.S. Raman was appointed in Jun. 1968, about four months before their execution.

While viewed as criminals in Singapore, the marines were regarded as war heroes in Indonesia.

However, clemency appeals by the Indonesian government were refused by Singapore. As a result, their execution soured the newly established diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia.

In Jakarta, public anger over the marines' execution saw a mob sacking the Singapore embassy and the residences of Singapore's diplomats. They burned the Singapore flag and threatened to kill Raman.

To avoid the mob during the ordeal, Raman and his staff operated from Hotel Indonesia. Ambassador-at-large Bilahari Kausikan, Raman's son who was with his father during that period, would recall in a Straits Times commentary that there were daily demonstrations in the square in front of the hotel, and contingents from the Indonesian commandos would march by the hotel "shouting threatening slogans" in a bid to intimidate the embassy staff.

Magnanimous acts that brought forth better relations

In May 1973, six years after Singapore-Indonesia ties were first established, and five years of difficult bilateral relations as a result of the marines' execution later, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) made an official visit to Indonesia.

On that visit, Lee Khoon Choy, who had gained a deft understanding of Indonesian culture after replacing Raman as the Singapore Ambassador, advised LKY to scatter flowers on the marines' graves at Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta. The gesture was a symbolic act, which in Indonesian (particularly the Javanese) culture, served to pacify the souls of the executed marines.

LKY took Lee's advice, recounting in his memoirs From Third World to First:

"If there was to be genuine friendship with President Suharto, the episode over the hanging of the two marines had to be closed with a diplomatic gesture that addressed 'Javanese beliefs in souls and clear conscience'. They proposed that during the official wreath-laying at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, after paying respects to the slain generals of the 1965 coup, I go to the graves of the two marines and scatter flowers on them. K.C. (Lee Khoon Choy) thought this the key to an improvement in relations because the Indonesian generals placed great store by this gesture. I agreed."

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="561"] Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew scattering flowers onto the marines’ graves. Source[/caption]

The Indonesians were deeply moved by the gesture.

The magnanimity in both Singapore's gesture and Indonesia's willingness to close and move on from the issue, paved the way for warmer relations between both countries.

It was on this foundation that the high level of cooperation that exists between Singapore and Indonesia today was built.

Top image from irememberSG.

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