Indonesian Turmoil

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28161, 27 December 1956, Page 6

Indonesian Turmoil

The army insurrections in! Sumatra may not eventually be 1 very important in themselves. Their real significance, as the • New York Times ” has pointed out, is that they show how tm stable the whole political life of Indonesia has been, at least, since the ambitious President Sukarno and the Nationalist Party in Java wrecked the shortlived federal constitution and proclaimed the unitary republic, ; This Jed |o bad government because in many parts of these scattered islands it was government without the consent of the people. It was bad government too, because the attack on federal sentiment occupied troops and resources badly needed to stamp out the banditry and disorder, left as legacies from a guerrilla war of independence. The Gov-

ernment has, in fact, neither stamped out the natural desire for regional self-government by peoples who are not Javanese, nor restored civil order. Voting in the first election, completed only this year, took two months, because the Government lacked control of a large part of its territory. Two by-products of this confiicinn have been the power of the army (the hign command of which at present supports President Sukarno) and corruption in public life. Some Indonesians have thought despairingly of an army junta as a possible method of' ending the turmoil; but, as they! have been reminded by the Nationalist newspaper. “ Suluh * Indonesia ”, this solution might instead end the republic itself, with not one but many military juntas. The revolts in Sumatra almost seem a fulfilment of the warning. Before he left political

life. Dr. Hatta, one of the strong' rnd respected public figures in; Indonesia, bluntly told political | leaders that if they did not root, out corruption it would break : the republican regime as it had; broken the Kuomintang in[ China. In this difficult situation Dr. Sukarno, the father of the republic and the idol of the peasants, has not been able to I play the part of a Nehru. His i i task would have been easier [if he had maintained the ■ federalism that seemed so suitable for a nation of 80.000,000 i people of different races and ; 1 religions inhabiting a large ; archipelago; and easier if he had ;tried to retain the good will of: Dutch civil servants. 3 ln spite •of his great prestige he often seems helpless to guide or control the warring factions. His latest attempt to do so is not encouraging, because he has shown impatience with demo-; cracy. In his address to the constituent assembly, which is; drawing up a constitution for Indonesia, President Sukarno urged the delegates to prepare a constitution which would prevent the growth of a capitalist system and at the same time guarantee freedom of religion and fundamental human rights. In other speeches he has attacked the freedom of political parties and has advocated a “ guided democracy ”. After ' travelling to many countries, 'President Sukarno has returned to Jakarta apparently impressed by the Chinese Communist regime. Army insubordination may be one threat to democracy in Indonesia. A graver one may be the easy transition from “ guided democracy ” to totali-