'Unguided' Democracy in Indonesia:

...never has there been so little food and clothing available...

...Ex-Vice President Hatta, who visited America recently, and who resigned as Vice President in protest against Sukarno's policies, has publicly given the Democratic League his blessing, which, in view of his great moral authority in Indonesia, is significant...

...More sensational was the refusal of Sartono, the Speaker of the dissolved Parliament —for he was a leader of Sukarno's own Nationalist party (PNI) and Sukarno's life-long friend...

...The U.S...

...Can he stem the decline in the peoples living standards in the shortest possible time...

...Today there are signs in Jakarta of weariness about the whole business of fighting the rebellion...

...Their friendship was so close that on Sukarno's recent trips abroad, he named Sartono Acting President...

...Sukarno appointed 30 Communists from the PKI and it is estimated that of those appointed from the functional groups at least 30 others are Communist members or followers...

...They are now walking on eggs, trying to retain their "legal" status...

...The League's dissatisfaction with the new Parliament came not only because it was hand-picked by Sukarno, but also because it gave added strength to the Indonesian Communist party (PKI...

...The resentment at Sukarno's high-handed—and pro-Communist— actions has stirred up opposition among several outstanding national figures...

...and it will be increasingly difficult to do so as time goes on, since the rebels control great areas of territory between the major cities and can still count on the support of a substantial sector of the population...

...He isn't finding this easy to do because it is known that sections of the Army, especially the younger officers, favor the Democratic League...

...If another social explosion occurs from the accumulated dissatisfactions of the opposition groups, Sukarno, who wants nothing so much as to keep himself in power, will probably continue to play one against the other, weeding out those groups who have gotten too powerful, seeking support wherever he can find it for any new balance he thinks desirable...

...Sukarno's opposition to the Democratic League has betrayed touches of megalomania unusual even for him...

...There must be a serious effort at a meeting of minds, at discussing issues and disaffections, at seeking a middle ground for mutual agreement...

...So far the Government, with all Indonesia's materiel and personnel at its command, has not been able to destroy them...

...Sukarno has steadily concentrated power into his own hands, and is now President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Com-mander-in-Chief all in one...

...During his recent visit to Tokyo, just before his return to Jakarta, he launched a violent diatribe against the League...

...The Masjumi, for instance, is playing a leading role inside the Democratic League and can serve as a bridge between the various sections of the opposition...

...On his return to Jakarta...

...never have wages (already low) been able to buy so little...

...But it is a testimony to the extent and depth of dissatisfaction with Sukarno's rule that the League has gained such a following...

...Our uncritical acceptance of and aid to Sukarno's authoritarian regime cannot but compromise our standing with the opposition elements who for so long have fought an uphill battle for a decent, democratic Indonesia...

...This will not work...

...Has the people's welfare been achieved or not with his system, the people's welfare which Sukarno himself has described with all his fantasy...

...Most of the members of the Democratic League appointed to the new Parliament took their seats—though they denounced the Parliament itself— since they were afraid a boycott would lead the Government to dissolve the League by decree...

...The League promptly refused...

...The rebels are not overly powerful, but they have been able to continue as an organized force and to maintain their mobility...

...But even if Sukarno does succeed in suppressing it for a time, the tension will not disappear, for the causes of the tension will remain and even increase...

...He has usurped Nasution's powers as Minister of Defense, and appointed Air Force Chief Surya-darma, a well-known fellow traveler, as Chief of Staff...

...Writing recently in the Moslem magazine, Pandji Masjarakat (The People's Banner), he discussed the present crisis of Indonesia: "What is happening is a crisis of democracy, or a democracy in crisis...

...Undoubtedly, the extremely low production rate in Indonesia has come about partially because of their efforts...

...It is not impossible that Sukarno may eventually align himself with the Air Force (thoroughly infiltrated by Communists), the PKI itself and its union appendage, SOBSI...

...Can he halt the continuous inflation in not too long a time, an inflation which drives people to despair...

...The first opposition to Sukarno's authoritarian regime has recently appeared: the Democratic League, a coalition of the Masjumi—the largest Moslem party in the country—the Upholders of Independence (IPKI), the Indonesian Socialist party (PSI), the Labor party (Partai Buruh), the Protestant party (Parkindo), the Catholic party and a few courageous members of the second Moslem party, the Nahdatul Ulama (NU...

...he has personally appointed a cabinet and a powerful Advisory Council and his new hand-picked Parliament was just installed this June...

...Of the 261 members originally appointed to the new Parliament, half were to come from the political parties and half from the so-called functional groups —labor, farmers, women, youth, intellectuals, etc...

...Never have prices for essentials been so high...

...If he does, Indonesia would definitely be in danger of subversion by world Communism...

...For once Sukarno had to give in to prevent the two chief Moslem parties from uniting in this cause and forming a powerful opposition bloc...

...Irresponsibility, amateurism and inefficiency produce Unguided Democracy in Indonesia By Harry Goldberg INDONESIA TODAY is wallowing in uncertainty and confusion, its people stricken by poverty, its social and political institutions disintegrating rapidly, its economy weak and stagnant...

...The organization of the Democratic League was extremely difficult, since the regime is still operating under the dictatorial Army emergency rules imposed several years ago and is HARRY GOLDBERG, Who has lived in Indonesia, is with the AFL-CIO International Affairs Department...

...Hatta's concern with the people's welfare is crucial...

...The rebels have been able to weaken even further the already grave economic situation in the country, both by denying Jakarta control of the economy in the regions they successfully patrol and by raids against large plantations elsewhere...

...Sukarno will try to suppress the Democratic League, for a dictator— which to all intents and purposes he now is—cannot admit any organized opposition...

...It is distinctly possible that the different centers of opposition will move toward contact with each other...

...About 50 per cent of the Indonesian budget is now assigned to military efforts to destroy the rebels, and with so little of the rest of the budget applied to economic recovery—which would be impossible anyway because of the impossible governmental system, the incredible increase of the bureaucracy and the substitution of innumerable and overlapping plans in place of practical achievement—Indonesia's economic future seems dim...

...Communist strength in Parliament was so great that even NU party leaders, formerly docile under Sukarno's flattery, rebelled and demanded that the religious bloc of Moslems in Parliament be strengthened...

...Sutomo is a patriot of unblemished history, who led the Surabaya uprising in East Java in 1945 that helped spark Indonesia's successful revolution...

...empowered to stamp out any opposition movements...

...The new Parliament now has 283 seats...

...Under President Sukarno"s policy of "guided democracy,'' real democracy lias withered, opposition political parties have been denied significant power and even the elected Parliament has been dissolved...

...Sukarno immediately pressed for dissolution of the League...

...must do some serious re-examination of Indonesia's dangerous and delicate situation...

...He undoubtedly would like to try to get rid of Nasution altogether, though this would not be easy in view of the central, perhaps decisive, role the Army plays and will continue to play, and in view of the mounting dissatisfaction with Sukarno inside the Army...

...If this is not done, there can only be disaster ahead for Indonesia...

...All of this is an inevitable result of years of political irresponsibility, amateurism and bumbling inefficiency in the economic field...

...After a two-hour session with Premier Djuanda, the Government "advised" the League to disband or face official action...

...He has already downgraded Nasution, with whom he was joined in a rather uneasy dual-power relationship...

...But even with this increase there are 80 Moslems to 60-65 Communists, where in the old elected Parliament of 270 there were 115 Moslems to 50 Communists...

...There can be no reversal of this process of steady, overall deterioration within the present setup, especially with the rebel activity in Sumatra and the Celebes still very much alive...

...Sukiman, an ex-Prime Minister, a Masjumi man, refused to accept Sukarno's appointment of him to the Parliament...

...Just as sensational was the legal suit filed with the Supreme Court of Indonesia by Sutomo, accusing Sukarno of violating the 1945 Constitution...

...Never have the common people of Indonesia suffered so much...

...never has production been so low...

...Nasution, for instance, has tried to contact the rebels and persuade them to "change their minds...

...One senses that even Nasution and Djuanda have changed their minds about annihilation of and revenge against the rebels...

...never have transport and distribution been so disrupted...

...But his attempts have really been efforts to convince the rebels to surrender and come back to be forgiven...

...Only Sukarno stands in the way of possible reconciliation...

...Thus, soon after his return from Japan, he appointed 22 new members to Parliament—all of them Moslems...

...Sukarno's actions, which have deviated far from the foundations of the Constitution, may be seen as the natural consequences of this crisis of democracy...

...But there is an objective yardstick which can be looked upon as decisive in the matter...

...16 from the party and six from its labor, women and youth groups...