Struggling Through Money: Local Banknotes of Republic of Indonesia During the Independence Revolution in the Residency of Lampung

Abstract

— Money function during the revolution in Lampung Residency was not limited to its traditional function as an economic transaction, but also as a media of struggle in defending the sovereignty of Indonesia. This research focuses on exploring information related to events that occurred during the revolution in the Lampung Residency, especially in the monetary sector, namely the Local Banknotes of the Republic of Indonesia or ORIDA . The research uses a historical method that includes heuristics, source critic, interpretation, and the last stage is historiography. The results showed that the Lampung Residency during the independence revolution issued a monetary policy, independent from the Government of the Province of Sumatra and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia. This policy issued by the acting resident Gele Harun Nasution and Regent Akhmad Akuan aims to maintain the existence of the Lampung Residency as part of the sovereign Indonesian government. The acting resident issued the local banknotes that are only valid in several areas in Lampung with varying nominal. The monetary policy issued by the Resident of Lampung in Tanjungkarang-Telukbetung and Regent of North Lampung Regency in Kotabumi made the Lampung residency free from the economic and political crisis and the Dutch were unable to control the Lampung Residency region during their military aggression in 1947-1949.