Aust. delegate sees Indonesia (Tribune, 2 September 1964)

Tribune (1964-09-02) - Aust. delegate sees Indonesia Source: Trove, National Library of Australia - https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article236849373 Date retrieved: 2026-10-17 OCR text (uncorrected) follows. 02 Sep 1964 - Aust. delegate sees Indonesia Tribune (Sydney, NSW: 1939 - 1991), Wednesday 2 September 1964, page 9 Aust delegate sees Indonesia f"There is no evidence of 'starving millions' in Indonesia," the NSW secretary of the Union of Australian Women, said on her return to Sydney from Indonesia recently.CHE is Miss Enid Hampson, and she had just attended the 10th Congress of Indonesian Women's Organisations (WAN-ITA)., Among delegations, to the Congress was one from West Irian (formerly West New Guinea)."The "The Opening Ceremony of the Congress was held, at the Bung Karoo Sports Palace on Friday, 24th July, 1964, where 9,000 women from many Islands and Regions of Indonesia, met with overseas guests to hear the main report by Mrs, H, Subandrio, President of WANITA-Overseas guests came from U.S.S.R., People's Republic of China Philippines, North Korea, North Vietnam, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and a delegation of two from the Women's ' International Democratic Federation, the General Secretary, Mrs. Rosa Yasovich Pantaleon and myself. "W ANITA itself comprises 4 0 women's organisations.Malaysia "President Sukarno laid emphasis on the role of women in carrying forward Indonesia's Revolution. He said that, unlike India, where the Revolution had stopped half-way because of the position of women (statement made by the late Prime Minister of India, Pandit Nehru), Indonesia's revolution would go forward because the women were an active part of the Revolution. He urged them to play an even more aetive role in defence of Indonesia's sovereign rights as a nation, and in building a self-sufficient society. "Malaysia and Food were the two main questions at the Congress. "The Food question was discussed from the angle of "changing the Menu"&mdash; r"'of changing food habits." "Rice is the main diet of the Indonesian people. Yet many products grow in abundance in this rich fertile land. There is cassava &mdash; the tapioca root. There is corn, which is eaten on the cob, ground into flour to. make biscuits, cakes, puddings and sweets. President, Sukarno stressed that this question was in the hands of women who had the say in the family. To tempt women; many differentfoods were on hand at Congress, to sample and recipes were available for many delicious dishes. Power station "A project nearing completion is the Hydro-Electric Power Station at Djjatiluhur. This is an Indonesian Government enterprise, which is being built by French Engineering and Industrial firms, with Indonesian engineers and technicians. "This is the first of a number to be built, and is important from three aspects. "Firstly, it will provide a better supply of electric power to the main cities of Java. "Secondly, it will irrigate more land for rice growing and eventually cut the import of rice by l/3r<k thus saving 30 million dollars a year.; "Thirdly, Indonesian Technicians and workers are acquiring the technical skills needed for other projects... a most important question for the industrial development of' Indonesia.Land reform "Land Reform, of course, is vital to a solution of the food problem in Indonesia. 'It was stated that the Land Reform Bill says that distribution of the crop must be on a 50/50 basis. Fifty percent to the landlord, 50% to the peasant. But this formula was not strictly observed and in many cases the peasants received only a 30% share. "The "Sydney Morning Herald" of 18.8.64, reporting President Sukarno's speech at the 19th Anniversary of Indonesia's Independence Celebrations, quoted the President as saying:-"I have received many reports about the sluggish implementation, obstructions and even sabotage of land refox'ni." He added "I agree to every pffnrt fn smash fchrone'h fchp ston-pages." "There is no doubt that the President's pledge will be warmly supported by the majority of the people, who are making' great efforts to overcome the poverty, misery and sufferings left behind after 350 years of Dutch Colonial rule. "I found Indonesian people warm, friendly and very interested in Australia's development. One day Indonesia will be a modern, industrial nation, and our country, which has already reached that status, should give more thought now to improving trade relations to the mutual advantage of both countries."