tïhc Tlmcrtcnn jaargang 2,
30 JUNI 1963
B R
D G E
BETWEEN
EAST
A N
WEST
Indonesia's Recovery and Progress
Part I: a Parallel with the Indo Immigrant in the U.S.
E plvribus ylili!2
OARINc
ONIS^
In observing; the numerous difficulties, mistakes and troubles of the young State of
Indonesia, many Dutch-Indonesian immigrants developed a milder critique and even
respect for the Indonesians, because in many ways their own experiences in this new
life in America resemble those of Indonesia.
The Indo in the former Dutch East
Indies and afterwards in Holland was well
cared for by "Paatje Gouvernment". Pie
had no social and political responsibilities
and did not need to be active in the field of
commerce and industry. Surrounded by
social securities he drifted smoothly along
a series of salary-raises to his pension. No
Indo ever worried about the State budget
or the Defense of his country.
So lived the Indonesian. Holland did
everything. The Indonesian only had to be
an obedient and diligent servant. Prof.
Gerretson called Indonesia 'een loontrek
kende natie onder de zelfstandigenaties
(a wage-earning nation amongst the self
supporting) nations).
In American the Indo found himself
suddenly standing on his own feet. Lay-offs
were waiting round the corner every day.
Being a wage-earner was insecure. And many
tried to build up their own social position
by beginning an own business. All at once
they were confronted with the problem of
making their own money, and making own
living budgets with loans on hard terms.
Inexperience caused the making of many
mistakes and heavy losses.
Precisely the same thing happened with
Indonesia, when it gained its Independency.
Now they had to make their own budget,
manage their banking, put up their own
trade and industry, care for their own
defense. And this all in a country heavily
damaged by the war with Japan. Missing
any experience after many centuries of
colonial life. Indonesia stumbled from one
mistake to another blunder. But all this
time they learned and learned and became
more experienced and wiser.
Many observers are inclined to jeer at
the poor progress made in these first years,
and scoff at the sharp drop of the Rupiah.
Sharp protests were raised to any further
help of Indonesia. We therefore have the
greatest respect for America's continuing
interest in Indonesia's problems and the
follow up with serious investigations and
offering of further help.
President Kennedy ordered Professor
Humphrey of Tufts University to make a
serious study of Indonesia's problems and
advise ihe U.S. about ways of offering ad
equate help. Professor Humphrey traveled
to Indonesia and stayed there for a long
while, studying carefully all possibilities for
a quick recovery. On returning to the U.S.
the professor delivered what is generally
known as the Humphrey Report, a con
structive critique on the new Indonesian
Economy Plan, the so called Eight Year
Plan.
It is a very extensive report, but we will
try anyhow to tell about it to our readers
in rough outlines in this magazine, because
more knowledge about the true merits of
America's cooperation can be very profit
able for the Indo in future years. To know
nothing and only jeer and scoff is too stupid
an attitude.
On studying this 8-Year Plan we must
know first that there were an Economic
Urgency Plan and a Five Year plan before.
The Economic Urgency Programme was
set up in 1951 and was more or less a flop,
chiefly because of inexperience (the State
of Indonesia was at that time only one year
old!). The 5 Year Plan of 1956 already
brought marked improvement. But this new
Eight Year National Development Plan is
by far the cleverest and well-balanced plan,
not in the least because it was designed by
the National Planning Council with hard
work during a full year in close cooperation
with various government ministries.
To give our readers an insight in the
basic structure of this Eight Year Plan we'll
start with an example of an Indo in Amer
ica. planning to put up his own business
without money. Let us say, he wants to put
a service station, a shop or a little plant.
Now he can do two things: 1. he can have
another job and save up every month some
money till he has enough to put up his
business without help from others. A careful
study of this method learns him that this
method is a very slow method. Probably he
has enough money saved to start his business
when he is 60 or 65 years old. Then he is
ripe for pension and being a businessman
has no real sense anymore. So he considers
possibility no.2: go to a bank for a loan.
The loan must be big enough to: a. buy
all the necessary equipment for his business,
b. to pay maintenance and expanding dur
ing the first years. During these years he
must get his business so far that he is making
so much money, that during a second period
of years he can pay for his own living (and
his business) pay back his loan and still save
TWEE JAAR TROPICAL CLUB
In haar "stamzaal" Polonia Hall, Los An
geles, vierde de Tropical Club op 15 Juni jl.
haar tweejarig bestaan. Hoe was de avond?
Als antwoord daarop hoeven we slechts aan
te halen wat in het laatste bulletin stond:
Is de Club gegroeid tot wat zij nu is, een
recreatiecentrum, zonder pretentie, doch druk
bezocht en met veel gezelligheidEn zo was
het. Special attraction was de Spaanse dans
groep, die ongetwijfeld bij het publiek in de
smaak viel. They were great!
Dan was daar de Heer Wanrooy, die drie
korte stukjes op uitstekende wijze wist voor
te dragen doch ondanks dat voor een "be
tonnen muur" scheen te spreken. Ook al is
de Tropical Club een recreatiecentrum zon
der pretentie etc., deze voordrachtjes vielen
op deze avond heus niet uit de toon. Velen
van de aanwezigen zouden tot die conclusie
gekomen zijn indien zij slechts de beleefd
heid in acht hadden genomen te willen luis
teren. Is het werkelijk zo moelijk tien mi
nuten naar een ander te luisteren en alleen
maar beleefd te zijn? I wonder.
Jan Verkouteren en zijn "Oriental Kings"
zorgden voor Ballroom music. We konden
weer lekker dansen en "spinnen" in cle Eng
else Wals en jiven 1950 style!
The "Hurricane Strings" (Couwenberg en
Sigarlaki boys) took excellent care of the
"Surfbeat" waarop de jeugd verwoed "surf-
de." Al met al een gezellige, goed geor-
geniseerde, dus geslaagde avond.
We wensen de TROPICAL CLUB veel
succes toe in haar derde jaar en onze com
plimenten gaan naar de Uekert familie (or
ganizers) en allen die meegeholpen hebben
de Club een succes te maken.
MARIJKE STEEVENSZ
enough to build up his business stronger and
bigger. When this man makes a carefull
and extensive calculation, acceptable for the
bank, he will get his loan.
Exactly the same way the Eight Year
Program of Indonesia is planned: Three
years to "set up", five fears to consolidate.
In our next article we will show, how Indo
nesia plans to carry out its Program. Hereby
we must bear in mind that this plan is stu
died carefully by ministries of several gov
ernments and very intelligent professors of
economy. (To be continued)