Indonesian Fascist Party Partai Fasis Indonesia | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | PFI |
| Founder | Notonindito |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Dissolved | 1933 |
| Ideology | Fascism Javanisation Javanese chauvinism[1] Constitutional monarchism[2] Confederalism[2] |
| Political position | Far-right |
TheIndonesian Fascist Party (Indonesian:Partai Fasis Indonesia,Dutch:Partij Fascist Indonesia orIndonesische Fascistische Partij,PFI) was a short-livedfascist political party founded inBandung,Dutch East Indies in the summer of 1933 by aJavanese economist and politician namedNotonindito.[3] Although it did not last long and is poorly documented, it is often cited as an example of how European fascist ideas could manifest themselves in an Asian context, as well as appearing in conspiracy literature exaggerating its importance.[4][5][6][7]
Notonindito, the party's founder, was already well acquainted with Europeans and European society in the Indies in his youth through his membership in theTheosophical Society.[8] In the early 1920s he had traveled to Europe to complete his education, first inThe Hague and then inBerlin, where he finished a doctorate in Economics and Commerce.[9][10] After his return to the Indies, he became involved in theIndonesian nationalist movement, at first in theSarekat Islam Party in 1927 and thenSukarno'sIndonesian National Party in 1929, eventually becoming its chairman inPekalongan.[11][12]
In the early 1930s in the Indies, the influence of fascism was being increasingly felt, with organizations such as the Netherlands Indies Fascist Organization (Dutch:Nederlandsch Indische Fascisten Organisatie, NIFO) andFascisten Unie. These organizations appealed to expatriateGermans living in the Indies, as well as someDutch andIndo (mixed race) people.
In the summer of 1933, newspapers inJava reported that Notonindito has broken his ties with theIndonesian National Party and founded his own party which he called thePartai Fasis Indonesia (Indonesian Fascist Party).[2] The party was said to have as its goal an independentJava with a descendant ofSutawijaya (founder of theMataram Sultanate) as its constitutional monarch.[2] The party also wished the Indies to become a confederation of such independent kingdoms with a non-aggression pact with theNetherlands.[13]
Reaction to the new party was generally quite negative in the Indies press.[14] Newspaper,Sikap, thought that such a project was against the interests of the common Indonesian and that a twisting of Javanese historical figures intoFascist mythology was poorly considered, whereas the editors ofDjawa Barat thought the party was counterproductive and harmful.[15] Notonindito quickly denied to newspapers that he had "accepted the offer" of this party to become its leader.[16][17]
The emergence of the PFI (Partai Fasis Indonesia) in theIndonesian Nationalist movement was met with resistance from other nationalist groups. For example, a newspaper associated with the Indonesian National Party,Menjala, stated that solutions to the Indies' problems should be found in the present, not in the Feudal past.[18] TheIndonesian National Party (PNI), Notonindito's former party, also opposed the PFI's ideology. In its daily publication,Menjala (Menyala), the PNI criticized the PFI, stating that "the Indonesian people do not move because they smell the smoke of thekemenjan, because they hear the sound of theketoprak gamelan, because of the same red or green blood."[19] The PNI emphasized that the Indonesian independence movement was not about reverting tofeudalism orreactionary nationalism but was instead grounded in revolutionarypopulist nationalism, rejecting fascist principles.[19] Criticism of the PFI appeared in the nationalist movement newspaperHarian Pemandangan, which dedicated a column and special coverage to the organization. The newspaper described the PFI as a continuation of the Javanese Nationalist Committee, an ethnonationalist organization led bySoetatmo Soerjokoesoemo in 1914. It characterized Javanese nationalism as "... a movement which is as old as Italy'sFascism."[19] The paper further argued that Notonindito and the PFI represented a reimagining of the ideas of the Javanese Nationalist Committee.[19] Despite this opposition, some leftist figures and groups, includingTan Malaka,Sutan Sjahrir, and evenMohammad Hatta, later accused the PNI andSukarno of exhibiting fascistic tendencies in the post-independence period, which they saw as a threat to Indonesia's democracy.[20][21]
Under constant pressure from critics, Notonindito quickly denied to newspapers that he had "accepted the offer" of this party to become its leader.[22][23] Notonindito eventually announced his temporary withdrawal from politics, stating:[24]
"For the time being, I am stepping back from the political stage."
However, this withdrawal became permanent, effectively marking the end of Notonindito's political career and the dissolution of the PFI as a political organization. Unlike the fascist movements in Italy and Germany under Mussolini and Hitler, the PFI did not have the opportunity to implement its political programs. Nonetheless, investigation byDe Locomotief seemed to indicate that the party did indeed existed and that it had a few dozen members at that time.[13] It is unclear what happened to the party soon after.
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