Introduction to a story on the struggle against polygamy in West Java
De Waarheid, 24 Mar 1954, p. 5: editorial caption introducing a published story about a local victory against polygamy in West Java a few months earlier through united action. It says the issue is also on the agenda at the Gerwis congress that has just begun, attended by Rie Lips-Odinot. The story itself is not part of
Marriage Stir in Indonesia (Sydney Morning Herald, 21 September 1954)
Sydney Morning Herald, 21 Sep 1954, p. 1 (AAP-Reuter): a deputation from 30 Indonesian women's organisations, headed by Mrs Katowijono of Perwani, protested to Sukarno over his marriage to a second wife, Mrs Suwondo, without the first wife's consent. Press debate; women leaders say it dealt the women's movement a bad b
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
Indonesian women fought ten years for their rights
Libération, Paris (21 Sep 1954, p.6), badly garbled page with a column '...et les femmes!': after Sukarno's second marriage to a divorcee, a feminist organisation says his private life cannot be separated from the presidency, and that Indonesian women fought ten years for their rights so the marriage is a heavy blow. N
Indonesian women and Sukarno's second marriage
Libération, Paris (21 Sep 1954, p.6), snippet extract: four representatives of Indonesia's women's leagues were received by Sukarno to ask why he took a second wife; 'Indonesian women have fought for ten years for their rights, and the President's second marriage has been a heavy blow for us.'
Indonesian women rise up against Sukarno's second marriage (extract)
Le Lorrain (30 Sep 1954, p.10), snippet extract: Indonesian women rise up against Sukarno's second marriage; recalls his secret June marriage to Hartini Suwondo, a 31-year-old divorcee and mother of five.
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, polygamy and Indonesian women
Point de vue (14 Oct 1954, p.9), '7 jours du monde' column: a three-sentence note that Sukarno has two wives and many troubles after marrying Mrs Suwondo (Hartini), whose husband divorced over her relations with the president; Indonesian women disapprove and launched a violent press campaign. Gerwani not named. Other c
Sukarno, polygamy and Indonesian women (extract)
Point de vue (14 Oct 1954, p.9), snippet extract: Sukarno, president of the young Indonesian Republic, has two wives and many troubles; the Koran allows polygamy but Indonesian women view it with disfavour; he is the only polygamous Indonesian leader.
Mme Suharti, president of the Indonesian Women's Movement; Sukarno and polygamy (extract)
La Presse (17 May 1955, p.10), snippet extract of the polygamy feature: unrest in Indonesia over Sukarno's marriage to Hartini, in which Mme Suharti, president of the 'very communist-leaning' Indonesian Women's Movement (Gerwani), took advantage; Hartini's pregnancy surfaced as the Bandung Conference drew attention.
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
Active in the elections
Java-Bode, 29 November 1955, p. 2: partly missing statement by the Gerwani central board secretariat, on the 'first lady' debate, urging women to be active in the Konstituante elections and to focus on a democratic marriage law, not on the first-lady status. It rejects privileges derived from a husband's position and c
'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
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,
Sukarno, the master intriguer
Profile of President Sukarno in the Curaçao weekly Amigoe di Curaçao (18 Feb 1958, p. 4), portraying him as a charming but ruthless 'master intriguer' and authoritarian. It narrates his career and notes women's indignation at his 1954 marriage to Hartini despite his book Sarinah. Gerwani is not mentioned.
Sukarno, the master intriguer [duplicate]
Second copy (different Delpher ID) of the Amigoe di Curaçao profile of Sukarno, 18 Feb 1958: an unflattering account of him as authoritarian master intriguer, from 1920s nationalism to the 1957 cabinet. Mentions the general women's indignation at his marriage to Hartini despite writing Sarinah. Gerwani is not named.
Soviet Woman, 31 Aug 1962: 'We Have Many Common Grounds', interview with Hartini Sukarno
Soviet Woman, 31 Aug 1962, p. 21: interview with Hartini Sukarno during her Moscow visit, on Soviet-Indonesian women's friendship. She says Indonesian women stand shoulder to shoulder with men in the West Irian struggle, joining military training and the Volunteer Corps, and thanks the USSR for support. Also an unrelat
Record of Mao Zedong and Jiang Qing's Reception of Hartini Sukarno, 29 Sep 1962
Chinese Foreign Ministry record (not reviewed by Mao) of Mao Zedong and Jiang Qing receiving Hartini Sukarno in Beijing, 29 Sept 1962, with Deng Yingchao, Wang Guangmei, Chen Yi and Ambassador Sukarni present (Wilson Center; trans. David Cowhig). Topics: assassination attempts on Sukarno, West Irian settlement, Nasakom
Over 300 foreign guests come to Beijing to celebrate National Day (Renmin Ribao, 1 October 1962)
Renmin Ribao, 1 Oct 1962, p. 4 (Xinhua): list of over 300 foreign guests arriving in Beijing for China's 13th National Day, headed by Hartini Sukarno and including W.E.B. Du Bois. Indonesian entries include a BTI delegation, Pemuda Rakjat, student leaders and an army colonel; Mrs Sudarso is named as Gerwani's represent
Over 300 foreign guests come to Beijing to celebrate National Day (Renmin Ribao, 1 October 1962)
Renmin Ribao, 1 Oct 1962, p. 4 (Xinhua): list of over 300 foreign guests arriving in Beijing for China's 13th National Day, headed by Hartini Sukarno and including W.E.B. Du Bois. Indonesian entries include a BTI delegation, Pemuda Rakjat, student leaders and an army colonel; Mrs Sudarso is named as Gerwani's represent
How it turns out - that's what matters!
Algemeen Dagblad feature by H.N. Appel from Jakarta (1964-04-10) on Indonesia's new elite, its revolutionary rhetoric and economic hardship. Briefly describes women as playing a small, decorative role in a 'men's society', noting Sukarno's second wife Hartini at a party. Gerwani is not mentioned.
Still three wives
Brief Amigoe di Curaçao item, 17 Sept 1966, on Sukarno's wives. It states Hartini, his 42-year-old second wife, is a 'leading member' of Gerwani, which was banned after the failed coup. Also recalls Mochtar Lubis's 1957 imprisonment for criticising the marriage. Claim of Hartini's Gerwani leadership is made without evi
Press (Christchurch), 8 Oct 1966, short item with photo: anti-Communist students demonstrating in Jakarta demand the arrest and trial of Hartini Sukarno, the President's second wife, for economic deviation, affiliation with Communist leaders and patronage of Gerwani, whose members are said to have played a major role i
Students Demand Trial for Mrs Hartini Sukarno (Press, Christchurch, 8 October 1966), photograph clipping
Photograph-only clipping from the Press (Christchurch), 8 Oct 1966: demonstrators with banners and flags in Jakarta, one banner partly legible; illustrates the students' demand to try Hartini Sukarno for patronage of Gerwani. No caption text in this clipping.
Students Demand Trial for Mrs Hartini Sukarno (Press, Christchurch, 8 October 1966), caption clipping
Caption clipping from the Press (Christchurch), 8 Oct 1966: anti-Communist students in Jakarta demand Hartini Sukarno's arrest and trial for economic deviation, affiliation with Communist leaders and patronage of Gerwani, 'whose members are said to have played a major role' in the killing of six Army generals in Octobe
Arrest of Sukarno's Wife Denied (Canberra Times, 7 October 1968)
Canberra Times, 7 Oct 1968, p. 4 (AAP-Reuter): Presidential Secretary Colonel Sutikno denies reports that Hartini, Sukarno's second wife, had been detained, saying she was last questioned about 18 months earlier over reports she was a member of the banned Gerwani. Also notes Armed Forces Day and army command changes.
Arrest of Sukarno's Wife Denied (Canberra Times, 7 October 1968), duplicate
Canberra Times, 7 Oct 1968, p. 4 (AAP-Reuter): Presidential Secretary Colonel Sutikno denies reports that Hartini, Sukarno's second wife, had been detained, saying she was last questioned about 18 months earlier over reports she was a member of the banned Gerwani. Also notes Armed Forces Day and army command changes.
Mrs Hartini not under arrest
Amigoe di Curaçao, 9 Oct 1968: presidential secretary Colonel Soetikno denies that Hartini, Sukarno's second wife, has been imprisoned or recently questioned; she was last interrogated a year and a half earlier on suspicion of membership of the banned Gerwani.
Women's Movements in Indonesia through the Ages (Muhadjir Darwin, 2004)
Muhadjir Darwin's survey (March 2004) of Indonesian women's movements from precolonial heroines through the 1928 Women's Congress, Fujinkai, Kowani and the Sukarno-era polygamy campaign against Hartini, to the New Order. Short historical overview.