Jakarta diary: International Women's Day
Java-Bode, 11 February 1957, p. 2: Jakarta women's organisations formed a committee to prepare International Women's Day on 8 March: chair Mrs Jahja Malik (Perwamu), vice-chair Mrs Hermen, first secretary Mrs Kusnan of Gerwani, second secretary Mrs Darpin Busono (Baperki), treasurers Mrs Mandagi and Mrs Prawoto.
Terror in Central Sumatra: Banteng Council arrests PKI members and Gerwani leaders
De Waarheid, 28 Feb 1957, p. 7: short report that the rebel 'Banteng Council' in Central Sumatra has set up a terror regime, arresting PKI members, unionists and democrats, and placing prominent members of the women's organisation Gerwani under 'town arrest'. SOBSI in Jakarta decided to call protest strikes. Early repo
'One-man factions' in parliament disappointed
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad political roundup (1957-03-02, p. 2) on Sukarno's 'conception' of gotong-royong cabinet: one-man MP factions complain of exclusion, Nasution meets Sukarno, PNI Surabaya rallies, Natsir attacks the plan. An 'Adhesion' item says declarations of support came from the youth council DPI, Gerwani Ban
Chief of staff's delegation returned: Sumual prepared to meet Nasution before 15 March
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-03-09, p. 1): army envoys report from Makassar on Lt.-Col. Sumual's 2 March proclamation of martial law in TT-VII; parliament debates sending observers, proposing a group including Mrs. Ch. Salawati (PKI); the PKI central committee calls the move anti-republican and linked to SEATO. Cover
Lt-Col Sumual willing to account in Jakarta
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 16 Mar 1957, p. 1: after the East Indonesian military proclamation, parliament considers sending observers to T.T. VII including Mrs Ch. Salawati (PKI); the PKI central committee condemns Sumual's action as linked to Colonel Lubis and SEATO subversion.
'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
Classified advertisements, Java-Bode 1 April 1957
Java-Bode, 1 April 1957, p. 3: a page of classified advertisements (bookkeeper wanted, midwife wanted, tractor and car for sale, bank holiday notice, pharmacy opening). The 'Trimurti' in it is N.V. Trimurti, a firm seeking typists, not S.K. Trimurti. No relevance to Gerwani or Indonesian politics.
President Sukarno appoints himself formateur: striving for extra-parliamentary cabinet
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (5 Apr 1957, p.1): Sukarno appoints himself formateur of an extra-parliamentary emergency cabinet at a Negara Palace meeting of 75 invited prominent figures (69 present). Six invitees were absent, including Mrs Pudjobuntoro and Mrs S.K. Trimurti. Nasution, the service chiefs, police chief an
Accounting of inventory by Dr Hatta already handed over
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-04-06, p. 2): after press reports that Hatta had not accounted for the Fonds Kemerdekaan Indonesia, Hatta's secretary and fund chair Sumanang explain the fund's gold and silver jewellery was handed to the Fonds Nasional and partly used for guerrilla financing in 1948-49. Sumanang says S.K
Responsibility for the Independence Fund: not Hatta but Sumanang
Java-Bode, 6 April 1957, p. 2: statements by Hatta's secretary and Mr Sumanang clarifying that responsibility for the Fonds Kemerdekaan/Fonds Nasional jewellery lies with Sumanang, not Hatta. Sumanang says part of the gold funded guerrilla activity around Yogyakarta and suggests Mrs Trimurti, wife of Sayuti Melik, can
Accusations against Hatta refuted (Fonds Nasional)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (8 Apr 1957, p.1): Hatta's secretary and Mr Sumanang rebut press claims that Hatta failed to account for the 'Fonds Kemerdekaan Indonesia'/'Fonds Nasional'; they describe how its gold and silver jewellery was handled during the revolution. Mrs Trimurti, wife of Sajuti Melik, is said to be ab
Responsibility for the Fonds Kemerdekaan
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 27 Apr 1957, p. 3: Hatta's secretary and Sumanang explain that the Fonds Kemerdekaan became the Fonds Nasional under Sumanang, who took responsibility for its gold and silver jewellery used for guerrilla funding in 1948-49. S.K. Trimurti is cited as able to confirm that her husband Saju
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
Parliament fairly sympathetic to emergency law
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (19 Jun 1957, p.1): parliamentary debate on the state-of-emergency bill replacing the colonial SOB regime. Speakers (Munir/PNI, Tambunan, Soeprapto, Amin Iskandar, Arudji Kartawinata) mostly accept it. Mrs Salawati Daud (PKI) stresses her faction's view that the law must primarily protect th
Close of general debates on state of emergency
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-06-20, p. 2): report of the closing general debates in parliament on the state-of-emergency (SOB) bill, with 24 speakers from PNI, Parkindo, Pembangunan, NU, PSII, Masyumi and PKI. Mrs. Salawati (PKI) warns against abuse of power and weak oversight, wanting the law aimed at separatists an
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.
SOBSI and price rise
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1957-07-10, p. 2): on 6 July a SOBSI National Council delegation led by Setiati Surasto met Labour Minister Samjono about rising prices of daily necessities, suggesting that labour unions be involved in solving the problem; the minister promised attention and SOBSI will meet other m
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
National council installed by President Sukarno
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (13 Jul 1957, p.1): Sukarno installs the National Council (42 members sworn in), saying it will not displace cabinet or parliament. Named members include Munir, Sardjono, Henk Ngantung, S.K. Trimurti and Rasuna Said (women's movements) and Katjasungkana. Bahder Djohan and Herawati Diah decli
Biographies of National Council members
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-07-31, p. 3): continued biographies of National Council members. Soerastri Karma Trimurti, representing women's organisations, born Surakarta 1912, teacher-training and economics studies, jailed by the Dutch 1933-36, attended the 1953 Copenhagen international women's congress, and wrote b
Visit to the National Council
Java-Bode, 16 August 1957, p. 2: a Yugoslav vice-president's party visited the National Council and was received by vice-chair Roeslan Abdulgani and members including the attorney-general, Ahem Erningpradja, S.K. Trimurti and Siwabessy. Other members were meeting on normalising the internal situation.
Veterans bill in parliament
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (20 Aug 1957, p.2): parliament begins first-round debate on the veterans' welfare bill; eight members speak, among them Mrs Salawati Daud (PKI). Minister Chaerul Saleh adds an oral statement and says a veterans law is needed to register veterans and define them. The government will accept am
Yugoslav-Indonesian talks in the palace
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 28 Aug 1957, p. 1: Yugoslav vice-president Vukmanovic-Tempo holds talks with Sukarno in Jakarta and visits the National Council, where S.K. Trimurti is among the members who receive him; he sees the council as a step toward democracy.
PKI protest over arrests in Minahassa
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-08-29, p. 3): the PKI central committee publishes North Sulawesi branch protest against arrests in Minahasa starting 20 July 1957 (about 30 detained, mostly PKI) and the sealing of the Manado PKI office. Listed detainees include Karel Supit and Mrs. Wuntu-Ottay of the Gerwani leadership i
In an alley of Kebon Sirih
Photo caption item in Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-09-09, p. 2): municipal councillors investigate living conditions of low-end sex workers in an alley of Kebon Sirih, Jakarta. Two women councillors speak with the women: Mrs. Musmini (Gerwani) standing left and Mrs. Amartiwi Saleh (PSI) in the middle.
Satisfied with decisions of national conference: general debates on normalisation of the country's situation
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1957-09-27, p. 2): parliamentary general debates on the national conference results and Soekarno-Hatta cooperation. PKI women MPs speak: Nungtjik A.R. calls the results a merit of the cabinet and asks for a gotong-royong cabinet; Mrs. Suharti Suwarto criticises regional councils and military a
Indonesian parliament wants more concrete Sukarno-Hatta cooperation
Ons Noorden (27 Sep 1957) on the parliamentary debate after the national consultation conference. PKI MP Suharti Suwarto sharply criticised the revolutionary councils in Sumatra and Celebes for arresting local communist leaders, warning the conference decisions cannot work until they are freed. Other speakers urge Suka