Speech to Women's Group (Sukarno at Perwari anniversary)

=== [PDF page 1] === SPEECHES BY PRESIDENT SUKARNO REPORTED Speech to Women's Group Djakarta Domestic Service in Indonesian 1315 GMT 17 December 1965--B (Transcribed Speech by President Sukarno at Perwari--Indonesian Republican Women's Association--anniversary rally in Djekarta on 17 December) (Summary) "Sisters, do you know who this sister is? She is Herlina, whom I declared a national hero." Herlina joined other Trikora (West Irian liberation campaign} volunteers to liberate West Irian. "You see that Herlina is a small person; however, she has a great spirit." An earlier speaker said that "greater than a human being is the idea, spirit, occupying his heart. That is true." Indeed I have said that frequently. I have mentioned Jesus, Mohammed, other Prophets, and leaders of nations such as Mao Tse-Tung, Lenin, Mahatma Ghandi, Mustafa Kemal, Karl Marx, Gladstone, Roosevelt, and many others. However, each time I have spoken of these great men I have always said that greater is the spirit occupying the heart of each of them. "Greater than the greatest man is the idea living in him," Therefore, it is possible that a great idea lives in a small human being. Look at Herlina; she is small but her spirit is great. In one of my earlier speeches, I quoted Mahatma Ghandi. Ghandi said that an idea can break prison walls. A human being can be detained in the physical sense, but his ideas cannot be put in irons. It is as if his ideas break the prison walls and walk in all directions. It is for this reason that another great man said that an idea has legs. Thomas Carlyle wrote in his "Heroes and Hero Worship" about Jean Jacques Rousseau as follows: One can certainly put Rousseau in a steel cage but not his spirit. I talk about this because I want to ask you to conduct an introspection. You must find out if you carry a great idea, You, one by one, as a Perwari member must do this; after that, Perwari as an organization aiso must conduct an introspection. Only if each one of you possesses a great idea and Perwari also has a great idea, only then will you and Perwari stand as an effective force of the revolution, I have said that an absolute requirement of being a revolutionary is that he must match his words with his deeds. Only then can he be called a revolutionary. I hope that each one you and Perwari can match your words with your deeds. "Right now, it is a fashion for one to call himself a progressive revolutionary." In fact, however, he is not progressive. Our revolution is both progressive and revolutionary. One must be truly progressive and also revolutionary. The French revolution was a progressive one because it sought to bring an end to feudalism, If you seriously strive for the realization of socialism, then you are truly progressive and revolutionary. === [PDF page 2] === In case you turn to the opposite direction, you are in fact a "retrogressive revolutionary.” Therefore, you must realize that a revolutionary can be either progressive or retrogressive. In the past Z once spoke about Hitler. Hitler was a revolutionary. He overhauled the entire political system and introduced fascism. Mussolini did the same in italy. Both were revolutionary leaders, but both were "retrogressive revolutionary." (Editor's note: at this point Fresident Sukarno, at his request, was joined by Madame Faiconi, presumab..y the wife of the Italian ambassador, to help the Fresident with the pronunciation of Mussolini's slogan: /Kiredere, obedere, combatere=-phonetic/. Madame Falconi joined the -resident and was greeted with applause. } In Indonesia, one must carry out sociodemocracy, otherwise he is not progressive put retrogressive. Those who are progressive must accept the land reform program. “Anyone who opposes land reform is a retrogressive revolutionary although he vehemently declares every day that he is a progressive revolutionary." I have said ali this because I want to ask you to conduct an introspection. You must find out if you are already progressive revolutionary. You must find out if you are upholding the five charms of the revolution. “Are you true to Nasakom, my sisters?" Could it be that you only like the Nas and dislike the Kom?" Another charm of the revolution is Pantjasila. Pantjasila is the receptacle of the state and its ideals. "Some people say: I like Pantjasila, but without the Kom." This implies that they are using the Pantjasila as an instrument to fight other groups in our society. If you accept the five charms of the revolution, you must take them in their entirety. "T have ordered the establishment of a special tribunal to try those who are directly involved in the Gestok (1 October Movement}. In my order I underlined the world ‘direct! because I do not want innocents to get punished. "Sisters, last night I issued an order to Koti. You, journsalists,. note down everything I am going to say. I am not going to punish only those who are directly implicated in the Gestok or Gestapu; those (?who are trying to veer our revolution to the right) also will be punished." Many people "who were not involved with Gestok or Gestapu have been killed." I have ordered that those responsible for the innocent killings must be punished. "(?From now on) if there are those who take the law into their own hands, who kill and slaughter others (several words indistinct) shall be (?eradicated). That was my order to Koti last night, sisters. I want you to know all this." At this moment each one of us has the task of safeguarding the revolution because there is an attempt to veer our revolution from the left to the right. This threat does not only come from outside but from within the country itself. ‘Therefore, I ask all of the Indonesian people to see to it that nobody turns our revolution to the right. I ask Perwari to do this, and I ask each one of Perwari members to do this. I ask you to prevent our revolution from veering to the. right." I am asking the entire nation to safeguard the revolution. === [PDF page 3] === Indonesians of both sexes must work together to realize Indonesian socialism. Indonesian women alone cannot do it. Indonesian men alone cannot do it. The entire nation, both men and women, must work together to realize Indonesian « socialism.