Australia’s Post WWII Relations with Indonesia
Australian Defence Force Journal No. 125, July/August 1997
(responsed to ‘Australia’s Post WW2 Relations with Indonesia’ by Lieutenant Commander P. Flynn, RAN)
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the article “Australia’s Post WWII relations with Indonesia”, in Australian Defence Force Journal, no.120. Sept/Oct 1996 by Lieutenant Commander P. Flynn. RAN.
I would like to comment on one important issue, the role of Indonesian Chinese in the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
Not many articles published in Australia on Indonesian issues are encouraging. Then I said to myself: Gee, I wish this article was published by The Age or The Australian which are read by Australian people nationally. Then the misunderstanding between two countries could be reduced to a level of harmony”. Especially, the article was written by a member of the Australian Armed Forces. Unfortunatelly, the Australian Defence Force Journal is read by members of Armed Forces only or people who work with the ADF. The readers are limited!
But there is one point in which the author makes one single error which is “….the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), whose membership consisted to a large extent of ethnic Chinese”. It is not true! The majority of Indonesian Communist Party’s members are Indonesian – from all walks of life such as : farmers, train workers, intellectuals, members of Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI). Most support comes from farmers and train workers and only a few (or none) ethnic Chinese who were farmers or train workers.
For an example, non 23 May 1964, the Chairman of PKI, Aidit, together with 58 members of high ranking PKI officials went to villages (turba = turun ke bawah) to find out and to prove that the majority of poor peasants supported PKI’s programs against landlords.
At the time, Indonesia was still an agrarian society. Therefore, there were ethnic Chinese who became members of PKI, but they were a minority!
There was Baperki (Badan Permusyawaratan Kewarganegaraan Indonesia – Indonesian Citizenship Consultative Council) founded on March 13, 1954 by a Chinese Indonesian, Siauw Gik Tjahn, a close associate of PKI, and it was a small ethnic Chinese social organisation with the majority of the members being ethnic Chinese. Lee William in “The Future of the Overseas on South East Asia” stated that “Baperki until banned in 1965, the most important organisation of ethnic Chinese community”. (Oei Tjoe Tat, 1995 : 79). The party was banned because the party was pro-Soekarno.
It may be true that the PKI was funded by the rich Chinese businessmen. Doak Barnett reported in 1955 that it was a belief in Indonesia that the contribution from Chinese businessmen “make up a significant source of PKI ample political funds” (Hindley :117).
Kahin also mentioned that PKI taps the Chinese business community for “substantial funds”. Some Chinese pay willingly, but undoubtedly they usually do so because of persuasion or pressure from the Chinese embassy or pressure from the Communist controlled labor unions and the threat of retaliatory in case of non-compliance (Hindley: 117).
Therefore, it was true that a substantial part of PKI funds come from the large Chinese business community but their membership in the party was a minority.
(Ditolak diterbitkan dengan alasan ‘don’t rock the boat’ untuk
menjaga keharmonisan etnis di Australia)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Bung Karno
ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF BUNG KARNO
Soekarno was born on the 6th June 1901. It was not only the dawn of a new new day but of a new century. According to Javanese tradition, one born at the moment of sunrise is predestined for greatness. Soekarno was a child of the dawn.
Once his mother said to him , “Son, you are looking at the sunrise. And you , my son, will be a man of glory, a great leader of your people, because your mother gave birth to you at dawn.”
Many years later to his only sister he often said:"Sister, one day the universe will be in my hands'.
Indonesian history has proved that Soekarno was one of the greatest leaders, together with Hatta as Dwitunggal (duumvirate). Many Indonesians believe that without Soekarno, Indonesians would not have achieved their independence or that it would have been achieved much later.
Soekarno himself once admitted that he made mistakes. Who does not? Gandhi made mistakes, Lenin made mistakes, even prophets made mistake because all of them were human.
There is an area in which not many people understand Soekarno and this is regarding his views on women. As a matter of fact, Soekarno contributed a lot to women’s struggle towards equality. Here is a quotation from the sixth chapter of his book, Sarinah.
Today we are already independent. We already possessed a state. We already have the Republic. What are the women’s activities in the Republic of ours, what should the woman’s activities be in the struggle of out Republic? These are extremely important questions that must be thoroughly understood by all the leaders of the Indonesian women. If possible, let there be not even a single woman who does not understand, let not a single one amongst them be left behind! Without being of communist persuasion , I can admire Lenin’s saying,” Every cook must be able to participate in politics” It is for all women of Indonesia that I write this book. So that they comprehend, so that they take part in the struggle, so that they have a guide in the struggle. Whereas La Passionaria (Dolores Ibarouri) called in the Spanish Revolution: “ Women of Spain, be revolutionary – there is no revolutionary victory if there are no revolutionary women!” I say, “Women of Indonesia, be revolutionary – there is no revolutionary victory if there are no revolutionary women, and there are no revolutionary women if there is no revolutionary guide!”
So, actually Soekarno continued Kartini’s struggle toward emancipation of women in Indonesia.
Soekarno was born on the 6th June 1901. It was not only the dawn of a new new day but of a new century. According to Javanese tradition, one born at the moment of sunrise is predestined for greatness. Soekarno was a child of the dawn.
Once his mother said to him , “Son, you are looking at the sunrise. And you , my son, will be a man of glory, a great leader of your people, because your mother gave birth to you at dawn.”
Many years later to his only sister he often said:"Sister, one day the universe will be in my hands'.
Indonesian history has proved that Soekarno was one of the greatest leaders, together with Hatta as Dwitunggal (duumvirate). Many Indonesians believe that without Soekarno, Indonesians would not have achieved their independence or that it would have been achieved much later.
Soekarno himself once admitted that he made mistakes. Who does not? Gandhi made mistakes, Lenin made mistakes, even prophets made mistake because all of them were human.
There is an area in which not many people understand Soekarno and this is regarding his views on women. As a matter of fact, Soekarno contributed a lot to women’s struggle towards equality. Here is a quotation from the sixth chapter of his book, Sarinah.
Today we are already independent. We already possessed a state. We already have the Republic. What are the women’s activities in the Republic of ours, what should the woman’s activities be in the struggle of out Republic? These are extremely important questions that must be thoroughly understood by all the leaders of the Indonesian women. If possible, let there be not even a single woman who does not understand, let not a single one amongst them be left behind! Without being of communist persuasion , I can admire Lenin’s saying,” Every cook must be able to participate in politics” It is for all women of Indonesia that I write this book. So that they comprehend, so that they take part in the struggle, so that they have a guide in the struggle. Whereas La Passionaria (Dolores Ibarouri) called in the Spanish Revolution: “ Women of Spain, be revolutionary – there is no revolutionary victory if there are no revolutionary women!” I say, “Women of Indonesia, be revolutionary – there is no revolutionary victory if there are no revolutionary women, and there are no revolutionary women if there is no revolutionary guide!”
So, actually Soekarno continued Kartini’s struggle toward emancipation of women in Indonesia.
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