Evening star., 1949-01-02
By George Weller

In forcibly liquidating the 1ndo-
nesian Republic, the Dutch have
blown up the finest dixie in their
empire-the dixie against commu-
nism.
They have destroyed, perhaps
forever, the strongest anti-Com-
munist native government in Asia
and they have blundered into one
of the cleverest traps of interna-
tional communism.
In Southeast Asia, as in South
east Europe, the hardest dixie
against Communist dictatorship has
not been Dutch arms, but the virile
resistance to communism of the
grassroots parties of center and left.
Elsewhere than in Indonesia, the
Reds have destroyed the liberal
parties by splitting them from in
side. Coalition cabinets have been
eaten alive by Communists getting
control of the ministries of army,
interior and justice, then using
soldiers, police and law to purge the
democratic moderates as traitors )"
In Indonesia, the Communists
tried and failed. But what RED
terrorism failed to do the Dutch
have done. The Dutch have wiped
out the entire span of Indonesian
parties and Parliament, thereby re-
lieving the Communists of their
most awkward maneuver.
Beat Reds at Own Game
From Moscow's angle, it is better
that the Dutch be in power as
fascist imperialists" fighting the
heroic Communists" than that a
native government be winning
honors without Communist aid. Ma
tive governments like Indonesia s.
with Communists excluded and try
ing hard to stab the national belly
from underneath-are anathema to
the Soviets.
Yet the republic, while surrounded
by Dutch armies and blockaded by
the Dutch Navy, beat the Soviet
strategists at their own game last
September.
Acting on orders of a Comlntern
conference in Calcutta, Muse Su-
parto, top Indonesian Communist
with % years of Moscow training
behind him, loosed a rebellion on
the hard-beset little cabinet in
Jogjakarta.
The republic stamped it's bare foot
on the revolt. Muse was killed.
The leading agitator organizers,
Sardjono and Alimin, later we're ar
rested by republican police. The
veteran Communist, Tan Malakka
was already locked in a republican
prison for an attempt last year to
wreck the republic by kidnapping
the liberal, highly educated Premier,
Soetan Sjahrir.
Communists Rescued
Though many under informed
American observers nave scrambled
the Indonesian government in the
same pot with its Communist
enemies, the republic has actually
been engaged in a successful at
tempt to throw off the Moscow virus
and remain free.
But the Communists, even in fail
ure, showed the Dutch the way to
smash the republic. The Dutch,
from different motives, have carried
out by assault the attack the Com
munists used by subterfuge.
The Dutch have also rescued the
Communists from hard dilemma.
The Communists had been unable
to build their usual phony front OF
resistance" because the several
other parties Of the republic beat
them to the draw. With its pro-
gram already at work in non-Com-
munist hands, the Communist Party
was weak in leadership and numbers.
But the Communist slogan is al
ways Sharpen the conflict" This
aim was accomplished in two moves,
September and December:
September-Confront the repub-
lie with an armed revolt with the
aims of weakening the government
and provoking 1t into suppressing