INDONESIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A000100070003-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 18, 2000
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: August 27, 1953
• Content Type: BRIEF

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NSC BRIEFING 27 August 1953
President Sukarno's independence day speeches on 16 and
17 August gave little indication of the policies which the new
Indonesian government will adopt. While their moderate tone
probably points to those policies he would prefer, his views
cannot be interpreted as a clear outline of the course which
will be followed by the cabinet. Except in cases of crises,
he normally assumes the role of an impartial chief of state
largely divorced from policy making and the business of
government.
On 16 August Sukarno mentioned security measures against
dissident forces, and referred specifically to the Darul Islam,
a fanatical Moslem organization against which the Communists
and National Party leaders of the present cabinet are conducting
a violent propaganda campaign. He also mentioned the Bambu
Runtjing, an important element among the 5,000 Communist-led
dissidents. In speaking of foreign aid, he mentioned both
TCA (Technical Cooperation Administration) and the Colombo
Plan, stating that aid was being "continued with good results."
He pointed out that important regulations, which a few months
ago provoked criticism from leftist elements in parliament,
have so far produced satisfactory results. In discussing
rubber, he made no reference to seeking new markets in China
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as members of the cabinet have done, but stated that the quality
of Indonesian rubber should be improved and that the decrease
in Indonesia's foreign exchange which resulted from the slump
in rubber prices should be offset by increased production of
other products.
In his 17 August speech, he emphasized that Indonesian
democracy is "still in a process of growth" and must be per-
mitted to seek "its own form, its own accent." He said that
the new cabinet was the result of democratic efforts and "truly
evidence" that Indonesia would not abandon democratic parliamen-
tary procedure. He stated forcefully that the army should not
interfere in politics and that the government should bring
charges against any member of the armed forces who did so --
a statement which could be used by the cabinet to rid the army
of anti-Communist officers.
To date the new government has taken no definite steps.
Its working program, adopted on 13 August, differed little from
that of previous cabinets. The program is to be presented to
parliament early in September.
The chief threat presented by the cabinet does not appear
to be the imminence of a complte Communist takeover or the .
imposition of strikingly leftist policies. The danger lies in
the opportunity presented for widespread Communist infiltration
of the various government departments and agencies, the armed
forces and the national police. Although Sukarno might take
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drastic steps in the event of a Communist coup or marked
cooperation with the Communist bloc, he is unlikely to
recognize a creeping form of Communism and take steps to
halt it.
So far anti-Communist elements in the army and parliamen-
tary opposition appear to have adopted a policy of watchful
waiting, limiting their activities to democratic processes.
There are no firm reports of plans by rightist elements for
a coup d'etata
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