In 1978, the Dutch government presented a paper called "De problematiek van de Molukse minderheid in Nederland" (The Problems of the Moluccan Minority in the Netherlands). In this booklet, an overview was given of the governmental policy for the near future toward the Moluccan minority. Also, the Dutch position concerning the Moluccan wish for an independent Republic of the South Moluccas (the Republik Maluku Selatan) was stated, & an explanation was given for the adherence of many young Moluccans to that ideal. These three points are criticized here on the grounds of research done on the Moluccan community. The standpoint of the Dutch government concerning an independent Republic of the South Moluccas is that on juridical, historical, & factual grounds, no support will & may be given to this aim. Some comments are presented on the juridical & historical aspects, but the focus is on the view of the government of the factual situation. The continuing aspirations of many Moluccans to realize a South Moluccan Republic is explained by the Dutch government by means of the "disappointment-hypothesis." This explanation is as follows: many Moluccan youngsters could not meet the demands of the modern Dutch society; so, in their disappointment they turned away from it & looked for a compensation that was quickly offered to them by the dream of a Moluccan Republic. The Dutch government infers from this hypothesis that adherence to the Moluccan Republic is only at the individual level. It tries, therefore, to eliminate those things that stand in the way of an assimilation of the Moluccan into the Dutch society, supposing that the Moluccans will forget their political aspirations & become real citizens of the Dutch society "without giving up their Moluccan identity." The policymakers fail to consider that the movement to establish a free Moluccan state could also be regarded as an effort for collective emancipation. This viewpoint is especially emphasized by many Moluccan organizations. The Dutch government considers the isolationist tendencies that can be observed in the Moluccan community as a hindrance for the individual Moluccan to find his way into the Dutch society. The government fails to see this isolation as a necessary phase of an emancipation process. If research will be done in the future into the Moluccan minority, it has to start from the symbolic-interactionist point of view & pay due attention to the different definitions of the situation. Modified AA.
