Dictatorial powers for President Sukarno (Madiun affair)
Indische Courant voor Nederland front page (29 Sep 1948) on the Madiun affair: the KNIP working committee grants Sukarno full emergency powers for three months (25-1); Hatta blames 'PKI-Musso'; arrests of FDR communist leaders in Magelang, curfews in Kediri; Solo youth back the government. Soewarti of the labour party
FBIS, 15 December 1949: Lillah Suripno of Indonesia speaks
FBIS-monitored Xinhua text (15 Dec 1949) of a speech by Indonesian delegate 'Lillah' (Lily) Suripno at the Asian Women's Conference, Peking, 12 Dec. She thanks WIDF, surveys Indonesian anti-colonial history, the 1926-27 PKI revolts, Japanese occupation, women in guerrilla struggle, and calls for a PKI-led front of demo
Trimurti (Gerwis) at national unity meeting for 20 May (Harian Rakjat, 14 May 1952)
Harian Rakjat, 14 May 1952. Pp. 1 and 4 report a meeting convened on Ki Hajar Dewantara's initiative to organise commemoration of 20 May (National Awakening Day); S.K. Trimurti of Gerwis spoke first, backing the plan and urging concrete action; Perwari and Gerwis are named among the women's organisations present. The f
Mangunsarkoro (PNI) and Roem (Masjumi) cabinet formateurs
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 24 Jun 1953, p. 1: Sukarno appoints Mangunsarkoro (PNI) and Roem (Masjumi) as cabinet formateurs after Wilopo's fall; reports party programmes. Gerwis issues a statement urging a cabinet that protects working and pregnant women, curbs unemployment, raises education budgets, controls pri
What others write
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad press review (1954-09-20, p. 2): Jakarta papers commemorate the 1948 Madiun revolt as a communist plot; Medan papers criticise the information minister; and Malay and Philippine women and press react to Sukarno's second marriage, with Malay Ibu Kaum leaders saying Muslim public figures should n
Sukarno's second marriage
Dutch newspaper roundup (1954-09-21, p. 9) of Indonesian press reactions to President Sukarno's second marriage (to Mrs. Soewondo), called a serious blow to the women's movement. A delegation of women led by Perwari chair Mrs. Kortowijono visited the palace. Press is split; Indonesia Raya stresses women's long fight ov
Women's delegation at the palace: uproar over Sukarno's new marriage
Leeuwarder Courant, 21 September 1954, p. 3: Dutch roundup of the uproar over Sukarno's marriage to Hartini. A four-woman delegation led by Perwari chair Mrs Kartowijono visited the palace; Indonesian, Chinese and Malayan-region papers are quoted, some warning that the fuss helps the PKI, Indonesia Raya calling it a bl
Uproar over Sukarno's marriage not yet calmed: women's delegation received by the president
Provinciale Drentsche en Asser Courant (21 Sep 1954): uproar over Sukarno's marriage to Mrs Suwondo (Hartini). A four-woman delegation led by Perwari chair Mrs Kartowijono spent an hour at the palace. Indonesian papers divide; Keng Po fears PKI advantage, Indonesia Raya calls the marriage 'a great blow to the women's m
Sukarno's second marriage: Indonesian press deplores president's decision
Provinciale Overijsselsche en Zwolsche Courant (21 Sep 1954) survey of Indonesian press reaction to Sukarno's second marriage (to Mrs Suwondo): attacks on the 'palace clique', Keng Po's fear it will favour the PKI, Suara Rakyat and Pikiran Rakyat lamenting a presidential crisis. A Perwari-led women's delegation visited
Parliament on Sukarno's second marriage
Het Parool report (6 Oct 1954, p.108): parliament asks the government to clarify its stand on President Sukarno's second marriage, as the controversy causes the first rift in the year-old PNI-PKI coalition. A woman MP of the socialist fraction submitted the request, and parliament received a petition from women's movem
Sukarno's marriage
Tubantia/Twentsch Dagblad brief (7 Oct 1954): the Indonesian parliament asks the government's view on Sukarno's second marriage and, with communists voting against, agrees to consider a women's movement petition to deprive Muslim men of the right to marry more than one wife. Relevant to the polygamy campaign Gerwani an
Djakarta postpones the evil day (The Observer, 16 January 1955)
The Observer, 16 Jan 1955, p.7, Rawle Knox, 'Djakarta Postpones the Evil Day': impressionistic report from Jakarta on a lively, disorderly capital, the Ali Sastroamidjojo government's dependence on Communist support, Sukarno's drift from impartiality, the delayed first election and anti-Dutch boycotts. A passing quote
P.N.I. (analysis of the 1955 election result)
Het Parool column 'P.N.I.' (11 Nov 1955) analysing the 1955 Indonesian election result: the PNI did well despite corruption; Sukarno's second marriage (Hartini) had been thought to hurt him as it moved many prominent Indonesian women to militant counter-action, but the fight against polygamy was a concern of a handful
Mrs Salawati Daud elected to the new DPR; inauguration of parliament and Ali cabinet (Bintang Timur, 26 March 1956)
Front page (with pp. 2-4) of Bintang Timur, Jakarta, 26 Mar 1956, on the swearing-in of 217 members of the new DPR and Ali Sastroamidjojo's cabinet. Captioned photos show Sukarno with PKI member Mudigdo and Masyumi's Mangunpuspito, and welcoming Salawati Daud, a non-party PKI candidate from Makassar. Women MPs (13 in a
Harian Rakjat, 8 March 1957: Setiati Surasto on menstrual leave
Harian Rakjat issue of 8 March 1957 (International Women's Day), noisy OCR. Page 3 carries Setiati Surasto's women's-day article defending menstrual leave (cuti haid) for women workers under Labour Law 1951/1948. Elsewhere: a Gerwani branch (Blitar) reported gaining members, a Gerwani public lecture is announced, and t
Harian Rakjat, 9 March 1957: Umi Sardjono at the Women's Day exhibition
Harian Rakjat issue of 9 March 1957, very noisy OCR. Page 1 reports the International Women's Day exhibition (handicrafts, cooking, costumes, foreign stalls) in Jakarta, where Umi Sardjono (Gerwani leader) is among women leaders present alongside Fatmawati; the committee of ten women's organisations is chaired by Yahya
'The fathers are not pure': Mrs Fatmawati Sukarno: 'Let me form a cabinet'
Dagblad voor Noord-Limburg, 30 Mar 1957: Fatmawati, Sukarno's first wife, who left the palace after his 1954 marriage to Hartini 'to the great indignation of the Indonesian women's organisation', proposes in an open letter that a non-party woman form the new cabinet ('the fathers are not pure'). Page also covers anti-c
Masyumi leader warns against 'playing with fire'
Winschoter Courant (30 Mar 1957), news round-up. Relevant: Fatmawati Sukarno writes asking why a woman cannot form a cabinet, with a note that women's organisations took Sukarno's second marriage badly. Also Masyumi's Isa Anshary on cabinet formation, searches of Jakarta banks, and Aidit threatening a general strike un
45 members in total: National Council definitively formed by president and cabinet
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-06-15, p. 1): announcement of the 45-member National Council (Dewan Nasional) under Sukarno, with Roeslan Abdulgani as vice-chair and secretary-general. Functional-group seats include workers (SOBSI's Munir), youth (Sujono Atmo, PKI) and women's organisations: Mrs. S.K. Trimurti and Mrs.
Composition of national council completed (Sukarno chair)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (15 Jun 1957, p.1): the 45-member National Council is announced, chaired by Sukarno with Roeslan Abdulgani as vice-chair. Members include Munir (SOBSI workers), Sardjono (peasants), Henk Ngantung (artists), and S.K. Trimurti and Rasuna Said for the women's movements; Mrs Towoliu represents C
Composition of the National Council announced
Java-Bode, 15 June 1957, p. 1: government announces the 45-member National Council chaired by Sukarno, with Roeslan Abdulgani as vice-chair. Women's organisations are represented by S.K. Trimurti and Rasuna Said; other members include Sobsi's Munir, PKI's Sujono Atmo, painter Henk Ngantung, Towoliu and Siwabessy, plus
Composition of the National Council announced
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 22 Jun 1957, p. 1: government announces the 45-member National Council under Sukarno, with Roeslan Abdulgani as vice-chair. S.K. Trimurti and Rasuna Said are named as the two representatives of women's organisations; Henk Ngantung (artists) and Ahem Erningpradja (labour) also appear.
Installation and swearing-in of National Council does not undermine authority of cabinet and parliament
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-07-13, p. 1): Sukarno installs the 45-member National Council (Dewan Nasional) at the Istana Negara, swearing in 32 members, and stresses it does not undermine cabinet or parliament but assists, lends authority and bridges society and government. The full list names S.K. Trimurti and Rasu
Sukarno, the arch-intriguer: profile including the Hartini marriage
Long profile of Sukarno by C.H. Schaap in De Tijd (6 Feb 1958) tracing his career and manoeuvres. It notes that in Oct 1954 his marriage to Hartini caused general indignation among Indonesian women, who remembered his book "Sarinah", and that Fatmawati left him. Gerwani is not named.
Sukarno, the arch-intriguer
Nieuwe Haarlemsche Courant, 6 February 1958, p. 5: long profile of Sukarno by former correspondent C.H. Schaap, calling him an 'arch-intriguer' bent on absolute power, tracing his career to the 1957 cabinet. It mentions that his October 1954 second marriage to Hartini caused general indignation among Indonesian women,
Page 564 of the US State Department's Monthly Indonesian Press Survey (nos. 33-44, 1958), summarising the 25 Sept 1958 Nusantara. Suwardiningsih, PKI East Java committee and Constituent Assembly member, entered Kalisosok prison, Surabaya, on 22 Sept to serve a month (cut from six) for remarks about Hatta in 1953; thous
FBIS, 28 March 1959: Aidit broadcast speech (farewell to the Chinese people)
FBIS-monitored Xinhua text (28 Mar 1959) of D.N. Aidit's farewell broadcast to the Chinese people after a fortnight's PKI delegation visit. He praises the Great Leap and people's communes, defends them against 'imperialist lies', and argues peasant women welcome communal dining and nurseries because 'a smoky kitchen is
FBIS, 7 July 1959: Parties express support of Sukarno (1945 constitution decree)
FBIS summary (7 Jul 1959) of a broadcast report to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific on reactions to Sukarno's decree reinstating the 1945 constitution and dissolving the Constituent Assembly: Catholic Party, Democratic Youth, film union, PKI, economic congress and SOBSI supported it. Final line: the Indonesian Wo
Indonesia's New Governmental Bodies (OIR report, Oct 1959)
State Department intelligence report (13 Oct 1959) on Indonesia's new governmental bodies under Guided Democracy: Cabinet, National Advisory Council, National Planning Council. Appendices list members with functional-group labels, including S.K. Trimurti (teachers), Umi Sardjono (women), Rasuna Said and Emma Puradiredj
Women's Political Rights, 1960 (PKI Women's Department)
Brochure from the PKI Central Committee Women's Department (Feb 1960) for International Women's Day's 50th anniversary: Mudigdio's parliamentary speech, Law 68/1958 ratifying the UN Convention on Women's Political Rights, and PKI positions in the Konstituante.