Feature:69yearson,theBandungSpiritremainsaliveintheGlobalSouth_GuangmingOnlineJAKARTA,April21(Xinhua)--"FewcitiesinhistoryhavewonsomanyheartsandmindsasBandung,"thelateHonoraryPresidentofthePeople'sRepublicofChina,SoongChingLing,commentedontheIndonesiancity.ThehistoricAsian-AfricanConference,alsoknownastheBandungConference,washeldinthecityonApril18,1955.ItmarkedthefirsttimethatthecountriesoftheGlobalSouthunitedtoopposeimperialismandcolonialismindefenseoftheirsovereignrightsandamoreequitableworld.Leadersandrepresentativesof29AsianandAfricancountries,whichhadjustwonindependenceafterdecadesofbeingruthlesslydeprivedbyWesterncolonists,proposedtheBandungSpiritwith"solidarity,friendshipandcooperation"atthecore,initiatingtheNon-AlignedMovementandSouth-Southcooperation.Today,almostsevendecadesaftertheconference,theBandungSpiritcarrieson,inspiringcountriesintheGlobalSouthtoembarkonanewpathofcommondevelopmentthroughwin-wincooperationundertheframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiativeandotherplatforms.BIRTHOFNEWASIA,NEWAFRICASituated768metersabovesealevel,Bandunghascooleryear-roundtemperaturesthanmostotherIndonesiancities.DuringtheDutchcolonialperiod,itwasknownasthe"ParisofJava."In1809,toimproveJavaIsland'sdefensesystemandfacilitatethetransportationofsoldiersandsupplies,HermanWillemDaendels,theGovernor-GeneraloftheDutchEastIndies,orderedtheconstructionofaroadstretchingabout1,000kmacrossJavaIslandfromwesttoeast,whichwouldlaterberenamedAsia-AfricaStreet.AttheopeningceremonyoftheAsian-AfricanConference,inathree-storymilkywhitebuildingonthesideofthestreet,Sukarno,Indonesia'sfirstpresident,appealedforawakeningonbehalfoftheSoutherncountries."Thisisthefirstintercontinentalconferenceofpeopleofcolorinhumanhistory,"notedSukarnoinhisspeech."Wherever,wheneverandhoweveritappears,colonialismisanevilthing,andonemustbeeradicatedfromtheearth,"hesaid."IhopethatitwillgiveevidenceofthefactthatweAsianandAfricanleadersunderstandthatAsiaandAfricacanprosperonlywhentheyareunited,andthateventhesafetyoftheworldatlargecannotbesafeguardedwithoutaunitedAsia-Africa,"headded."Ihopethatthisconferencewillgiveguidancetomankind,willpointouttomankindthewaywhichitmusttaketoattainsafetyandpeace.IhopethatitwillgiveevidencethatAsiaandAfricahavebeenreborn,nay,thataNewAsiaandaNewAfricahavebeenborn."ThenChinesePremierZhouEnlai,wholedaChinesedelegationtoattendtheconference,proposedtheFivePrinciplesofPeacefulCo-existence.TheseprinciplesbecameacrucialcomponentoftheBandungSpiritandwerelateracceptedbythevastmajorityofcountriesworldwideasthebasicnormsofinternationalrelationsandthebasicprinciplesofinternationallaw."TheBandungConferencein1955canbeseenasasymbolicmoment.Atthistime,thenon-Westernworldloudlysaidthatitmustbetakenseriouslyinworldpolitics,"wroteAmericanhistorianImmanuelWallerstein."TREACHERY,BRIBERY,MASSACRE,MEANNESS"ColonialismwasthestartingpointoftheprimitiveaccumulationofcapitalintheWest.EuropeancolonistswhobelievedinwhitesupremacyandthelawofthejungleinvadedAfrica,theAmericasandAsia,wheretheyslaughteredandplunderedwildly,causingwavesofbloodshed.In1619,theNetherlandsseizedJayakarta,thetradingcenteronJavaIsland,andrenameditBatavia,whichistoday'sJakarta.TheDutchtookBataviaastheheadquartersoftheDutchEastIndiaCompany(VOC)intheEastanduseditasastrongholdtocolonizeIndonesia.Bythemiddleofthe17thcentury,theVOC'stradevolumeaccountedfornearlyhalfofthetotalglobaltradeatthattime."ThehistoryofthecolonialadministrationofHollandisoneofthemostextraordinaryrelationsoftreachery,bribery,massacre,andmeanness...Wherevertheysetfoot,devastationanddepopulationfollowed.Banjuwangi,aprovinceofJava,in1750numberedover80,000inhabitants,in1811only18,000,"wroteKarlMarxinhisbook"Capital."Initsnearly200-yearhistory,theVOCwasinvolvedinabout800armedconflicts,largeandsmall.JanPieterszoonCoen,whotwiceservedasGovernor-GeneraloftheVOCduringitsearlyyears,wasknownforhisruthlessness.In1621,inordertomonopolizethenutmegtrade,heorderedthemassacreofmostofthe15,000residentsoftheBandaIslands.Hewasthenknownasthe"ButcherofBanda"bythelocals.In1830,theDutchcolonialauthoritiesintroducedthe"CultivationSystem,"requiringlocalstouse20percentoftheirlandtocultivateexportcashcropssuchasindigo,coffee,andsugar.Thecolonialauthoritiesexpropriatedsomuchlandthatthelocalshadalmostnolandtogrowfoodcrops,leadingtomassstarvation."TheDutchcolonialrulerswhotookovertheseislands,liketheDutchEastIndiaCompanyinthepast,wereonlyinterestedinmakingmoneyanddidnotcareaboutthelivesofthelocalpeople,"wroteBritishwriterElizabethPisaniinherbook"Indonesia,Etc.:ExploringtheImprobableNation.""TheycutdownthejunglesofSumatratoplantrubbertreesandcocoatrees.TheyeradicatedjunglesinJava,Sulawesiandotherislandstoobtaincoffee,tea,sugarandtobacco.Theyvigorouslydevelopedlandtodigtinmines,goldminesandoil.Foraperiod,theDutchdrewhalfofitsnationalincomefromIndonesia."Duringitsover300yearsofcolonialrule,theDutchalwaysplayedtheroleofpredatorsandpursuedabarbaricapproachofkillingthegoosethatlaysthegoldeneggs.ThishasledtotheabnormaldevelopmentoftheIndonesianeconomyandhascompletelyreducedittoarawmaterialsupplierfortheDutch.BAMBOOSPEARSTheWestJavaPeople'sStruggleMonumentiserectedinnorthernBandung.Themonument's17basaltsteps,45-meter-diameterplatformandeighttoweringbamboo-shapedstonepillarswerespeciallydesignedtocommemoratethedayofIndonesia'sindependence,Aug.17,1945.MohamedRikrik,anarratorofthemonument,saidthatintheSundanesecultureofWestJava,bamboorepresentsfreedom.ThestonepillarswerebuiltintheshapeofabamboospearbecausebamboospearsweretheprimaryweaponusedbytheIndonesianpeopletofightagainstthecolonists.Inthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury,theoppressedpeopleofAsiagraduallyawakened,andtheIndonesians'callsforindependencebecameincreasinglylouder.In1908,anativenationalistpoliticalsocietynamedBudiUtomowasformed.In1912,thefirstpoliticalparty,theIslamicAssociation,wasestablished."AsignificantdevelopmentisthespreadoftherevolutionarydemocraticmovementtotheDutchEastIndies,toJavaandtheotherDutchcolonies,withapopulationofsome40million...theage-olddespotismandtyrannyoftheDutchGovernmentnowmeetwithresoluteresistanceandprotestfromthemassesofthenativepopulation,"VladimirLeninwroteinhisarticle"TheAwakeningofAsia"in1913.ROOSTERCROWSBECAUSESUNRISESBuiltin1907,theIndonesiaIndictmentMuseuminBandungwasfirstusedbytheDutchcolonialauthoritiestotryanti-Dutchpeople."ThisiswhereSukarnostoodfortrial.Inthetwo-daytrial,Sukarnosuccessfullydefendedhimself,"saidDedeAhmad,themuseum'snarrator.In1927,SukarnoandothersformedtheIndonesianNationalAssociation,laterrenamedtheIndonesianNationalParty,tostrivefornationalindependence.Twoyearslater,theDutchcolonialauthoritiesarrestedSukarnoonchargesof"launchingarebellion."Duringthetrial,Sukarnodeliveredalengthydefensespeechentitled"IndonesiaAccuses,"enumeratingthecrimesoftheDutchcolonistsandadvocatingtheIndonesianpeople'sjuststrugglefornationalindependence."Infact,thesundoesnotrisebecausetheroostercrows,buttheroostercrowsbecausethesunrises!Thetruthis,inIndonesiaaswell,thenationalmovementwasbornoutofimperialism,whichwasidolizedbytherulingclass,andnotleastfromtheeconomicdrainagesystemthathasbeenoperatinginthecountryforcenturies.Imperialismisaprincipalinstigatorandaprincipalcriminalwhoincitesrebellion,thereforebringimperialismtojustice!"Sukarnosaidinhisdefensespeech.Sukarno'svoiceofjusticearousedenthusiasticresponsesfromtheIndonesiansandpanicfromtheDutchcolonists.HewassentencedtofouryearsinjailandsenttoBandungprison.SukarnobecameIndonesia'sfirstpresidentafterindependencein1945andsuccessfullyledtheIndonesianpeopletodefeattheDutchcolonialists'attempttorecolonizeIndonesiathroughwar.HeassertedthatcolonialistswouldnotbewillingtoacceptdefeatinAsiaandAfrica,andnewlyfoundedcountriesmustunitetoopposecolonialismandimperialism.In1955,theAsian-AfricanConferenceinitiatedbySukarnoandotherswassuccessfullyheldonAsia-AfricaStreet,only1kmawayfromthetrialsitewhere"IndonesiaAccuses"wasdelivered.ThisconferencesymbolizedtheawakeningandunityofthepeopleofAsiaandAfrica.MUTUALDEVELOPMENT"Wehaveallwitnessedtheinjusticeofthecurrentworldeconomicorder.Wemustrejecttradediscrimination.Downstreamindustrialdevelopmentmustnotbehindered.Wemustcontinuetospeakoutforequalandinclusivecooperation,"saidIndonesianPresidentJokoWidodo.InlateAugust2023,attheBRICSleaders'meetinginJohannesburgSouthAfrica,WidodocalledoncountriesintheGlobalSouthtounite,safeguardtheirrightstodevelopment,andopposeactionsthathinderprogress.Bandung'sTegalluarrailwaystationwasinauguratedonSept.7lastyear.ItisoneofthefourstationsintheJakarta-BandungHigh-SpeedRailway,alandmarkprojectundertheBeltandRoadInitiativejointlybuiltbyIndonesiaandChina.Thehigh-speedrailhasshortenedthetraveltimebetweenJakartaandBandungfromoverthreehoursto40minutes,bolsteringeconomicactivitiesandjobopportunities."Iamveryhappy,andtheIndonesianpeoplearealsoveryhappybecauseourhigh-speedrailwayistheonlyoneinSoutheastAsia.Withthisinfrastructure,wecanlaythefoundationforprogress.Themostimportantthingis,itwillalsoenhanceIndonesia'snationalcompetitiveness,"Widodosaidbeforethecommercialoperationoftherailway.BambangSuryono,presidentoftheJakarta-basedthinktankNanyangASEANFoundation,saidthatWesterncountrieshaveachievedtheirmodernizationthroughenslavingandexploitingothercountries,devastatingthepeopleofthosecountries."ThroughsolidarityandcooperationwithChina,IndonesiaparticipatesinthejointconstructionoftheBeltandRoadInitiativeandachievesmutualdevelopment.ThisprovesthatcountriesintheGlobalSouthcanembarkonanewdevelopmentpath,"headded.HANDINHAND,SHOULDERTOSHOULDEROnApril22,2015,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingdeliveredaspeechentitled"CarryForwardtheBandungSpiritforWin-winCooperation"attheAsian-AfricanSummitheldinIndonesia."Sixtyyearsago,leadersfrom29AsianandAfricancountriesattendedtheBandungConference,givingbirthtotheBandungSpiritofsolidarity,friendshipandcooperation,galvanizingthenationalliberationmovementthatsweptacrossAsia,AfricaandLatinAmerica,andacceleratingtheglobalprocessofdecolonization,"Xisaidinhisspeech."TheBandungSpiritunderthenewcircumstancesretainsstrongvitality.WemustcarryforwardtheBandungSpiritbyenrichingitwithnewelementsconsistentwithchangingtimes,bypushingforanewtypeofinternationalrelationsfeaturingwin-wincooperation,bypromotingamorejustandequitableinternationalorderandsystem,"andbybuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureforhumanitysoastobringaboutevengreaterbenefitstothepeopleinAsia,Africaandotherpartsoftheworld,hesaid.InBandungtoday,theJakarta-BandungHigh-SpeedRailwaytrainsspeedby,embodyingtheBandungSpiritof"solidarity,friendship,andcooperation"inthenewera.IndonesianmusicianAndyQiuwroteasong,"MoveForwardtoRealizeYourDreams,"fortherailway.Asthelyricsgo,"Handinhand,shouldertoshoulder,aslongasweareunited,nothingisimpossible."Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.