Sultans of Swing (States), the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation of 1963:
Indonesia
Indonesian domestic affairs remained in a volatile state long after its independence in 1949. While the people of the vast country were united at first in their goal to rid themselves of their Dutch overlords, sectarian differences slowly began to reemerge in the decade that followed. In an attempt to stabilize the nation, president Sukarno made efforts to reform the government, greatly centralizing power for himself in the process. Many political parties supported his efforts, such as the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which drew the ire of the West. Sukarno established a cabinet around himself consisting of members from many of the major political parties. Yet the stability brought by the new political system— known as the guided democracy— proved to be short-lived.
Sukarno had pursued an aggressive anti-colonial policy across the islands of southeast Asia, especially in modern Papua New Guinea. While Indonesian efforts to annex all of New Guinea had failed, Sukarno’s commitment to ridding the region of outsider influence never faltered. In line with his foreign policy, Sukarno never fully declared for Communism, despite much of his support coming from Communist domestic and international groups. Although the westerners are long gone (nominally, at least) by 1963, to Sukarno, the unification of Malaysia could only mean one thing: the reassertion of British influence in the region.
Chair:
Cate Kanapathy
Crisis Manager:
Yu Fan Mei
Cate Kanapathy is in Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service Class of 2027. Though currently undeclared, she hopes to major in Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a minor in Computer Science. Cate went to high school just twenty minutes away from Georgetown in North Virginia and therefore considers herself an honorary D.C. local. Cate has been involved in the International Relations Club’s administrative boards, as well as staffing both NAIMUN and NCSC. In fact, her first experience with IRC was during her senior year of high school, where she competed in NAIMUN and fell in love with Georgetown’s international relations community. Besides pretending to be involved with international conflicts, Cate enjoys reading, exploring the city, and running. Cate is super excited to meet everyone and see what amazing ideas you all come up with!
Yu Fan Mei is a member of the Georgetown Class of 2027 studying Mathematics with minors in Computer Science and Biology. Growing up in the Massachusetts hometown of former President John Adams, Yu Fan has always been fascinated by both history and international affairs. His Model UN journey started in his junior year of high school and he has never looked back, competing regularly with team GUMUN. Outside of MUN, Yu Fan is an avid listener of Two Steps from Hell. While he definitely can’t use their music to study, it is always on his mind— whether he’s composing his own music, going on a late night run, or reading a good book with their music in the backdrop. Yu Fan is excited to serve as the Indonesia Crisis Manager and can’t wait to see what delegates come up with!
Grand Crisis Manager:
Tony Yuan Li
Tony Li is a member of the Walsh School of Foreign Service’s class of 2025, majoring in International Political Economy. Tony was born in Singapore and has spent most of his life on the sunny island, briefly spending a few years abroad in Beijing. At Georgetown, Tony competes with the school’s Model UN team and has also served as an Under-Secretary-General for JCCs in NCSC 51 and Crisis Manager for NAIMUN 61. Aside from Model UN, Tony spends his time organizing events for Club Singapore, playing Mahjong with friends, and getting his Duolingo streak up for Indonesian. Tony is honored to be serving as the Grand Crisis Manager for Sultans of Swing (States), and hopes to give delegates an unforgettable NCSC experience!
USG: Michelle Giovinazzo
This committee is in the Joint-Crisis Organ, and your Under-Secretary General is Michelle Giovinazzo. Committees in this organ are small, interactive crisis committees with joint elements between two competing sides.
If you have any questions about your committee, please reach out to m.giovinazzo@modelun.org.