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)

Moesson Digitaal Tijdschriftenarchief

American Tong Tong | 1963 | | pagina 1