KOMPAS.com – One of the reasons Why is Indonesia not a member of the British Commonwealth? it is because independence does not come from the colonization of this country.

Indonesia became independent after being colonized by the Dutch and then Japan. Britain occupied this island nation in Southeast Asia for five years from 1811 to 1816.

The surrender of Indonesia by Britain to the Netherlands happened in the London Covenant or London Covenant which was signed on August 13, 1814.

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Examples of two Commonwealth countries are India and Malaysia, which became independent from British rule on August 15, 1947 and August 31, 1957, respectively.

Quote from the official site The RepublicThe Commonwealth of Nations is a union of countries formerly ruled by Great Britain.

The Commonwealth is also one of the oldest political associations of countries in the world.

Initially, various countries under the British Empire were granted different freedoms. The semi-independent states were called the Dominions and their leaders attended conferences with Britain from 1887.

The 1926 Imperial Conference then took place, attended by the leaders of Australia, Canada, India, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa.

At the 1926 conference, Britain and the Dominions agreed that they were all members of an equal community within the British Empire.

They all owed allegiance to the King or Queen of England, but England did not rule them. This community is simply called the British Commonwealth of Nations or the Commonwealth.

Subsequently, the Dominions and other territories of the British Empire gradually became completely independent of England.

India, for example, became independent in 1947. It wanted to be a republic that did not owe allegiance to the British king or queen, but also wanted to remain a member of the Commonwealth.

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At a meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London in 1949, the London Declaration stated that republics and other countries could become part of the Commonwealth. This is where the modern Commonwealth was born.

King George VI was the first head of the Commonwealth and Queen Elizabeth II succeeded him on his death. However, the King or Queen of England does not automatically become Head of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth member states decide who is the head of the Commonwealth.

Requirements to register as a Commonwealth country

In 2022, the number of Commonwealth countries is 56, whether or not the British colonized it.

The last four countries to join the Commonwealth are Rwanda, Mozambique, Gabon and Togo. All have no historical connection with the British Empire.

To register as a Commonwealth country, the requirements are as follows:

• The requesting state must, as a general rule, have historical constitutional relations with existing members of the Commonwealth, except in exceptional circumstances.
• In exceptional circumstances, submissions should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• The applicant country must accept and adhere to the fundamental values, principles and priorities of the Commonwealth as set out in the Commonwealth Declaration of Principles 1971 and contained in other declarations.
• The candidate country must demonstrate its commitment to: democracy and the democratic process, including free and fair elections and representative legislatures; the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary; good governance, including trained public services as well as transparent public accounts; and the protection of human rights, freedom of expression and equal opportunity.
• The candidate country must accept Commonwealth norms and conventions, such as the use of English as a medium of inter-Commonwealth relations, and recognize Queen Elizabeth II (before her death) as Head of the Commonwealth
• New members should be encouraged to join the Commonwealth Foundation, promote strong civil society organizations and businesses in their countries, and promote participatory democracy through regular civil society consultations.

List of Commonwealth countries Can you see more here.

Also read: List of Commonwealth countries

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