US Embassy despatches on PKI tactics and the SOBSI Women's Labour Seminar, May 1961

=== [PDF page 1] === COUFID i2TIAL Air Pouch PRIORITY FOREIGN FROM REF Ue Only SUBJECT: Amombassy DO NOTTYPE IN THIS SPACE (Security Classification) SERVICE DESPATCI- t TMADATE 7$DESP. '_No DJAKARTA STATHC. May 12 wAsIIINOrON. Eabassy telegram 3090, April 28, 1961 ACTION DEPT. REC D F OTHER MAY 1961 16 1961 Conservative Sources Attempt to. Interpret PKI Tactics and Intontions The Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) has won a limited victory with its acceptance as a legal party, in the opinion of Dr. Mohammed Room, senior loader of the former Uas jumi Party. It is true that the PKI was forced to compromise Communist doctrinal principles, he said in a conversation with the reporting officer on May 2, 1961, but he believes the Communists consider such compromise to be permissible for tactical purposes. A similar view was expressed in a separate conversation with Mr. A. Kamil, Acting Head, United Nations Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who argues that a Communist Party in the process of seeking power is permitted to follow policies which would be called "revisionism" in the case of a Party in power. Kamil's political connections are believed to be with the Army and conservative political parties. (11 explaining the background of the Party's compliance with Sukarno's Party Simplification edict, Dr. Roem stated that Army leadership, on the basis of a working paper he and other Democratic League Members had seen, had hoped to bring about the banning of the PKI under the terms of Penpres 7/59 on grounds Banning of the Rotary and other organizathat it was controlled from abroad. tions with foreign connections (Embdes 767), had been intended to pave the way for this step. When this failed, their next objective had been to establish requirements for amendments in the Party's constitution which would be unacceptable to the Party. Now that this has also failed (Embassy Telegram 3090) he does not know what the Army's next step will be. Dr. Room has heard that Party leaders are none too happy with present circumstances. Nevertheless, he believes they have accepted the necessity to compromise in order to preserve their legal status. He is of the opinion that a Party convention will be held and will ratify the amendments to the Party Constitution as required by the Three Minister Committee arid in accordance with the commitment of Party leaders. For the Charg erim:Rl d 'Affaires ad intHj Rolland H. Bushner Counselor of Embassy for Political Affairs sONFIDEN POL: nRT~iHB riiusner: m ija REPORTER llJJ TIA ACTION COPY - DEPARTMENT OF STATE The action office must return this permanent record copy to DC/R ale. with an endorsement of actiontaken. === [PDF page 2] === AIR POUCH MITED OFFICIAL USE WITH Cldsficadion) OFFICIAL C(Iiy FOREIGN SERVICE DE PATCII USE ONLY DO NOT TYPE IN THIS SPACE PRIORITY PORTIONS FROM Amembassy DJAKARTAML DESP. No. T111E 1MERMRTMI ASIlINGTON. NAM Air REFMA2316' ACTION DEPTH. U.COnly R CD TER SUBJECT: SOBSI Indonesian Women' aor Seminar Attracts TopdLeaders BEIN OFFICIAL USE ONLY: A National Seminar on Laooring Women sponsored by th Communist-dominatea SOBSI trade union federation in Djakarta May 11-14 was o16 sod among otoIrs the presence of First Minister (and, in the absence of Prieident Sukarno; Acting President) Djuanda; Mrs. Dr. Subandrio, wife of the Indonesian Foreign Minister and herself an officer of the Ministry of Health and prominent national women's leader; and Mrs. Aminah Hidajat, wife of Lt.-General (and Deputy Minister of Security) Hidagat. A message by Labor Minister Ahem also was delivered at the seminar, but it is unclear whether he appeared personally or sent a deputy (the latter is believed likely, as he was scheduled to depart for Belgrade on May 12). While the speeches of these leaders as reported were innocuous and seem little worth reporting, their presence on the, program was a tribute to the continuing prestige of SOBSI within high Indonesian circles and to SOBSI'a capacity to use prominent leaders not 5 considered sympathetic to Communist aims to the advantage of the PKI. Among other speakers were Minister for Liaison with People's Organisations 0) Soediojo; Mrs. Surjadarma, wife of Air Marshal'. Suraadarma, Chief of the Air Force; SOBSI Chairman Njono, who opened the seminar with an appeal for "political education" for women workers as a means of strengthening trade union activities and defending women's rights; M. H. Lukman, Deputy-Chairman of the PKI; Mrs. S. K. Trimurti, former Minister of Social Welfare and Labor in the Daogjakarta revolutionary government and a noted women's Marxist spokesman (Mrs. Trimurti was alleged by labor sources in 1960, perhaps erroneously, to have become a "deviationist" and to have dropped her PKI connections); Mrs. Parjani Pradono of the Central Board of the Communist-front women's organisation GERWANI; and se veaQlRussian and one Algerian labor representatives currently visiting Indonesia as theguests of SOBSI. The latter group includes Anatolojo Blatin, editor of the Soviet labor daily TRUD; Vadim Chaulitsky, Chairman of the Central Federation of all Soviet Trade Unions, and Chennafr Mohammad of the AlgeriafTrade Union. Federation.11 LAB: RLKinney/Jb REPORTER ACTION COPY= DEPARTMENT OF STATE no action once must return this permanent record copy to Dc/aI les with anendorsement of action taken. DECLASSIFIED thority JIYWNARA Dateg~!I~ === [PDF page 3] === Page LIMITED OFFICIAL USE islTH PORT: NS OF IC'iiaif4Y Encd. No. Desp. No~ From 6Djakarta women' s requirements in the light The theme of the seminar apparently was regard to uJdlIPOL (President of the IiPRS (People's Congress) decisions Year Development Plan. Accordng Eight the and Lanifesto) Political Sukarno's reached the following seminar the 1961), 15, (May service to ANTARA News decisions: revolutionary unity "1. There must be unity of workers and national must be strengthened. replaced uy supporters State's apparatuses must be re-tooled and of Manipol. be given 3. There must be democratic freedom to as wide as possible to tne workers. State-sector economy must strengthened. 5. Workers and the entire working people must take part in development activities. Workers' living standard must ue improved. of 1962 as already determined." Security must be restored at the end of cadres for developThe seminar reportedly also called for "education to "start immediately" Government the urged and ment activities in all fields" Emphasis (Eight-Year Development Plan) decisions. in the tdPRS the projects listed employment; protection children also was given to the right of women and from the struggle of workers, tais right, it was maintained, "was inalienable feudalist suppression." and imperialist from particularly womn-workers, seminar participants for "marriage A plea also allegedly was made by the Rights Declaration." Human the legislation based on Article lb LIMITED OFFICI AL USE that a good time was had oy all, COQENT: One would surmise from the accounts who, it seems possible, may participants non-Communist except several of the dignity to a Communist lending uneasiness have had slight twinges of since Mrs. Subandrio's year one than less sponsored affair. It is after all those in the cabinet sharply and husband, the Foreign Minister, was among organization. publicly attacked by the PKI, SOBSI's mother of the SOBSI seminar is The apparent success, or at least suoobs d'estime, of this most organizadynamism and imagination the out another illustration in Indonesia. Unfortunately, tionally effective of the Communist mediums in leadership of the non-Communist weakness relative the illustrative it is and position, have displayed leadership improving despite which unions, trade be termed persistence might what nor initiative sufficient as yet neither community in the image Indonesian the before in audacity to put themselves to broad problems. solution for working organizations determinedly ]=TATOFFICIAL USE WI'H OFFICIAL-U E-ONLY-POTIONS DECLASSIFIED AthoriyJLL lByJYWNARA DateI === [PDF page 4] === LIITED OFiICIAL USE 0FICIl PORT Page.------of Encl. No. Dcsp. No.0 Dara From INS and party-line leaders While ooth domestic and imported Communist starred prominently in Russians) visiting the and (i.e. Lukman and Sudinjo expectedtle Communist have night asone Seminar, Labor the SLThSI Women's (see list to have been extraordinarily softin substantial Line for this occasicnf appecars was due presumably this While aova). of decisions of Seminar the affair tne Army, without whose permission degree to requirements impose.y to bend SOBSI capacity tne could not have seenheld, it is illustrative while fact, unduly. position wit the wind as required without losing embarrassments, as in 1958, when SOBSI create nay line that classcolladorationist defend SOBSI's, and the PKI's, position does Chairmanlono felt called upon to necessary evils, it being time the for were national private entrepeneurs prominent Indonesian leaders who pursue occasionally serve to reassure those are at heart true nationalists or that the notion that the Indonesian Communists organization. SOBSI is not really a Communist For the Ambassador: Robert L. Kinney Labor Attaon6 POL:__ jiiPEDOrTICIAi USE W"H CAUSi -ONL TPORTi IS