1953 – 2021
Official record (Risalah Perundingan) of the Indonesian parliament (DPR RI), 1953, vol. II, sittings 12-25 (from 30 January 1953). It covers the debate on the election bill for the Konstituante and DPR, army and defence bills, emergency laws and private-land restitution. Gerwani is not discussed. The only direct trace
De Nieuwsgier item (28 Nov 1955) reporting a Gerwani central board statement: speaking of the president's household while ignoring the fight for a democratic marriage law is pointless. It urges women to vote so the Konstituante secures women's rights per the UN Declaration, citing the forced marriage of Maisuri of Tanj
De Locomotief, 29 Nov 1955: statement by Gerwani's central board (OCR partly garbled) calling for a democratic marriage law, citing the Maisuri forced-marriage case as proof that women's constitutional rights are violated. It urges women to be active in the Constituent Assembly elections and argues the 'first lady' deb
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
De Locomotief, 30 Nov 1955: Gerwani's central board announces its proposals for marriage regulation to the coming Constituante: marriage without coercion, free choice and equal rights; abolition of child, forced and purchase marriages and mistress-keeping; polygamy to be forbidden in principle, and if allowed on religi
Whole scrambled page of De Locomotief, 30 Nov 1955, with the fullest text of Gerwani's four-point marriage programme for the Constituante: no coercion, abolition of child, forced and purchase marriages and mistresses, polygamy forbidden in principle, divorce open to both sexes before a court and support for divorced wo
Indische Courant voor Nederland, 3 Dec 1955, p. 3: statement by the Gerwani central board secretariat, citing the Maisuri case, that women's constitutional rights are not respected without a democratic marriage law. Urges women to take part in Konstituante elections and rejects the 'first lady' debate as divisive and a
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1955-12-29, p. 3): ahead of the Constituent Assembly, Gerwani's central board announces its marriage-law programme: abolish feudal, forced, child and purchase marriages and concubinage; equal rights for spouses; in principle ban polygamy, or if allowed on religious grounds regulate it by law (
Scan of the original Konstituante membership form (c. 1956) for Ny. Amir Sjarifuddin (Djaenah), PKI member of the Constituent Assembly. The OCR is nearly all noise; the form's headings (birth, education, career) are visible but no entries can be read. Her biography is legible in the companion transcription GA-00125.
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Ny. Amir Sjarifuddin (Jaenah), PKI member no. 60 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 11 December 1911 in Pontianak, with MULO education; teacher at HIS and Perguruan Rakyat 1930-35, active in Indonesia Muda and Perkumpulan Isteri Indonesia. From 1950 she sat on the leaders
Scan of the original Konstituante membership form (c. 1956) for Nj. Maimunah, PKI member of the Constituent Assembly. The OCR is almost entirely noise, with only form headings legible (education, career dates); no entries can be read. Her biography is legible in the companion transcription GA-00127.
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Nj. Maimunah, PKI member no. 392 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 11 May 1908 in Padang, living in Bukittinggi; P.A.M.S. Jakarta graduate. Career: teacher at HIS and girls' schools in Padang, Medan, Payakumbuh/Padang Panjang, secretary of an emergency hospital 1948-49.
Scan of the original Konstituante membership form (c. 1956) for Nj. S.D. Soesanto, PKI member of the Constituent Assembly. The OCR is almost entirely noise; only form headings (birth, education, career) are partly legible and no entries can be read. Her biography is legible in the companion transcription GA-00129.
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Nj. S.D. Soesanto, PKI member no. 202 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 22 February 1914 in Yogyakarta; Taman Siswa teacher training. Taught in Yogyakarta, Godean and Kebumen, belonged to Isteri Sedar and PIA, served in Perwari Yogyakarta, headed a TNI women's inspectora
Scan of the original Konstituante membership form (c. 1956) for Nj. Setiati Surasto, PKI member of the Constituent Assembly. The OCR is almost entirely noise; only form headings (birth, education, career) are partly legible and no entries can be read. Her biography is legible in the companion transcription GA-00131.
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Nj. Setiati Surasto, PKI member no. 340 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 23 February 1920 in Banyuwangi, MULO educated. Civil servant in the Education Ministry 1941-50, KNIP member 1945-49, secretary of SOBSI Jakarta 1945-49, DPKS member and secretary of Sarpubri's regi
Scan of the original Konstituante membership form (c. 1956) for Nj. Suwardiningsih, PKI member of the Constituent Assembly. The OCR is almost entirely noise; only form headings (birth, education, career) are partly legible and no entries can be read. Her biography is legible in the companion transcription GA-00133.
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Nj. Suwardiningsih, PKI member no. 129 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 25 June 1926 in Kudus, Muhammadiyah MULO educated, living in Surabaya. Worked at the customs office in Kudus 1944-47 and headed the education section of the TNI women's inspectorate in Bojonegoro 19
Scan of the original Konstituante membership form (c. 1956) for Suwarti Bintang Suradi, PKI member of the Constituent Assembly. The OCR is almost entirely noise; only form headings (birth, education, career) are partly legible and no entries can be read. Her biography is legible in the companion transcription GA-00135.
Konstituante.Net member profile (transcribed) of Suwarti Bintang Suradi, PKI member no. 15 of the Constituent Assembly. Born 1 August 1914 in Ngawi, Kweekschool and AMS educated, living in Jakarta. KNIP working committee member in Surakarta and nationally 1945-50, member of the RIS parliament and the unitary Parliament
Page (seq. 1010) of the US 'Monthly Indonesian Press Survey' (nos. 11-21, 1956) listing 1955-56 Constituent Assembly members by region. Under the PKI group (80 seats), East Java (27) names Njoto, Njono, Tan Ling Djie and Suwardiningsih, whom the sweep identifies as a Gerwani member; the page does not say so.
Bintang Timur, 17 July 1956, p. 3 (four-page issue). Continues the published lists of candidates/elected members for the Konstituante by party; among the PKI-and-allies list (OCR columns interleaved with NU, Masyumi and regional lists) appear Setiati Surasto and Suwardiningsih, alongside Nyoto and others. Remainder is
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item (1956-11-20, p. 2): the Constituent Assembly forms a five-member committee to arrange the election of its chairman: Slamet (PNI), Ali Imbido (NU), Muh. Hidajat (Masyumi), Mayrengsay (Partai Katolik) and Mrs. Suwarti (PKI), identified in the archive as Suwarti Bintang Suradi.
Java-Bode, 20 November 1956, p. 2: Constituent Assembly meeting in Bandung to elect its chair; five candidates (Abidin, Dachlan, Njoto of the PKI, Wilopo, Yamin) are reduced to Dachlan (Islamic front) and Wilopo (Pancasila front) after three withdrew. Mrs Suwarti (PKI) sits on the five-member election committee. No Ger
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad 'Bandung in short' column (1957-01-02, p. 2), partly unreadable. Relevant items: Gerwani's regional congress will end with a reception on 3 January at the Gedung Jajasan in Bandung to announce its decisions; Gerwani Tasikmalaya sent a statement to the Constituent Assembly wanting the constituti
Short Algemeen Indisch Dagblad item 'Constitutie 1945' (1957-01-02): the Constituent Assembly secretariat received statements from Semarang youth, individuals, Gerwani Tasikmalaya, Sebda and Ex-TP Solo, all wanting the constitution grounded in the spirit of the 1945 Proclamation and Pancasila.
Harian Rakjat, 18 Feb 1957, p. 3: mixed news page on Sukarno's Konsepsi and Middle East/Suez. Names Ny. Setiati Surasto and Suwarti in the PKI faction list of a 13-member Konstituante committee (with Aidit, Nyoto, Munir), and an Indian peace-council statement (Kitchlew, Rameshwari Nehru). Both are Gerwis/Gerwani figure
Suluh Indonesia, Jakarta, 15 May 1957 (four pages, OCR noisy). Lead item: Ny. Salawati Daud, MP (defence section, South Sulawesi), denies that the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika Congress held in Makassar had the backing of Konstituante and parliament members from East Indonesia, and says she will raise it in parliament. Page 3 c
FBIS-monitored Xinhua item (14 Sep 1957): the Chinese ambassador's wife, Mme Huang Chen, gave a reception in Jakarta on 13 Sept for a 12-member Indonesian women's delegation leaving for China, led by Mme Hadjot (fifth vice-chairman of the Constituent Assembly); the group would attend China's National Day. Official-circ
Report by Indian MP Geeta Mukherjee on Gerwani, attached to a WIDF circular of 21 April 1958, based on talks with her neighbour Suwarti Bintang Suradi, WIDF Secretariat member and Gerwani organisation chair. It covers Gerwis's 1950 origin and renaming, the Third Congress, membership growth (to 460,000 by August 1957),
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
Page (seq. 329) of the US State Department 'Monthly Indonesian Press Survey' (nos. 45-58, 1959-60) listing the PKI fraction in the Constituent Assembly, including Mrs Setiati Surasto, Mrs Suwarti Bintang Suradi, Mrs S.D. Susanto, Miss Suwardiningsih and Mrs Djaenah Amir Sjarifuddin, plus the fraction's executive. It al
Tribune (Sydney), 18 Feb 1959, p. 4: brief Jakarta dispatch reporting that Gerwani, 'the influential Indonesian women's organisation', called on women to struggle for a democratic marriage law and demanded the Constituent Assembly guarantee women equal political, economic, social and family rights, as Parliament prepar
Tribune (Sydney), 18 Feb 1959, p. 4: brief Jakarta dispatch reporting that Gerwani, 'the influential Indonesian women's organisation', called on women to struggle for a democratic marriage law and demanded the Constituent Assembly guarantee women equal political, economic, social and family rights, as Parliament prepar
Api Kartini (mid-1961) report on the exhibition at Gerwani's 10th anniversary (from 5 June 1961), with an interview of chair Umi Sardjono on Gerwani's history. Founded 4 June 1951 (first congress Surabaya, 17-22 Dec 1951), 185 branches, membership from 6,000 to 710,000, 326 kindergartens, 23,000 election workers; six m
Tempo feature (2 Oct 2021, Hussein Abri and Stefanus Pramono) on Umi Sardjono's legislative career: Konstituante (1955) and DPR-GR (1959-65). She pushed immigration reform (no spousal permission), a marriage law banning polygamy with minimum age 21 (opposed by Aisyiyah, Muslimat NU), the 1960 agrarian law for women far
English edition of Tempo's 'The Feminist in Two Councils' (4 Oct 2021, Hussein Abri) on Umi Sardjono as legislator (Constituent Assembly 1955, DPR-GR 1959-65). It covers her immigration reform, marriage-bill push (minimum age 21, ban on polygamy, Maisuri case, 115 harmful marriages) opposed by Kowani's Islamic groups,