INTERIM REGIME

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22582, 10 March 1948, Page 5

INTERIM REGIME

EASTJNDIES TRANSITION PERIOD NO REPUBLICAN MEMBERS I N.Z.P. A.—Reuter—Copyright.) (11 a.m.) BATAVIA, March 9. The interim Federal Government of 18 members, with the Lieut.-Governor, General, Dr. H. van Mook. President, has been constituted in Indonesia. A Netherlands-East Indies information service communique, in announcing this, says that the interim Government has a share in deciding and mpiementir.g the Government policy during the transition period until the United States r.f Indonesia is formed in union with :he Netherlands Kingdom. It named eight Indonesians and 10 Dutchmen as members. There are no Indonesian Republicans. Talks between the Dutch and Republican leaders about Republican participation might begin this week. During the transition period, the constitutional position of the Lieut.-Gov-ernor-General, and his de jure responsibility would remain unchanged, says the communique. The de facto Government would rest, however, with Dr van Mook and the interim Government. The interim Government superseded the provisional Federal Council which 1 had prepared the interim organisation and had recommended that a conference of member States be held to decide the form of the representative body that ’ should be adopted for the new Government.

The interim Federal Government comprises 11 departments of general Government, managed by secretaries of State, involving the reorganisation of at least five departments of the former Netherlands East Indies Government. Commanders of the Army, Navy and the Netherlands East Indies AttorneyGeneral would be the interim Government members, but their functions have not been converted to secretaries of State. In addition, the three tasks of security, self-government and foreign affairs have been entrusted special secretaries who might eventually establish their own departments. Members of the Interim Government were installed today by Dr. van Mook. He told the assemblage that the Government reorganisation left the door wide open for participation by the Indonesian Republic as a state. In that form, it would be very welcome. There was nothing he would like better than to see the whole of Indonesia reunited politically.