Another look at the Jakarta Charter controversy of 1945

Elson explores the many unresolved puzzles that surround the history of the drafting of the Jakarta Charter in Jun 1945, the subsequent debates about its significance among Indonesian leaders seeking to draft a constitution, and its Aug 18 pruning. He argues that later Islamist reactions to the excision of the seven words, fueled by contemporary concerns and struggles, are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the Charter and of the fraught politics surrounding its development, and that Mohammad Hatta's actions in securing key amendments to the draft constitution were themselves panicked, unnecessary, and even counterproductive.