This book relates the circumstance that led to the establishment of the State of East Indonesia on December 24, 1946 following the Den Pasar Conference, Bali, and her political, economic, social and cultural policies until her dissolution on August 16, 1950 when the United States of Indonesia of which the State of East Indonesia was an integral part, was disbanded on August 15, 1950 through a proclamation read by President Sukarno before the joint session of the Provisional People’s Representative Body and the Senate of the United States of Indonesia, in Jakarta.

During her existence of more than three years the State of East Indonesia was a state which possessed a democratic life were upheld by the government where the principles of democratic life were upheld by the government as attested by the militancy, dynamism, vocal utterance and freedom of the Provisional People’s Representative Body of the State of East Indonesia in taking the initiatives to defend the aspirations of the people of the State of East Indonesia and in persistently conducting political and social supervision over the policies of the incumbent Government of the State of East Indonesia.

Although during the three years of her existence the State of East Indonesia maintained the principle of federalism as the government structure as unanimously agreed upon by the Provisional People’s Representative Body of the State of East Indonesia, the Government of the State of East Indonesia, especially after the cabinet under Ide Anak Agung Gede Agung assumed power on December 15, 1947, brought to bear its utmost to bring into being cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Indonesia in Yogyakarta with a view to undertaking together the realization of the wish of the people of Indonesia, namely the achievement within the shortest time possible of free and sovereign United States of Indonesia. This political policy was named “political synthesis” by the Prime Minister Anak Agung Gde Agung and aimed to forge the solidarity and close cooperation between the government of the State of East Indonesia in Makassar (Ujung Pandang) and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia in Yogyakarta.

The details of what has been concisely described above can be found in the pages of this book which tells objectively and based on historical facts the story of political developments in and the policies of the Government of the State of East Indonesia with regard to national political issues at the time.