UNEASY COMRADES

Abstract

This article focuses on the friendship between two maritime workers and unionists – Tuk Subianto from Indonesia and Eliot V. Elliott from Australia – initially forged during the struggles in Australia against Dutch and British colonialism in Indonesia in 1945. Their communication into the 1960s was largely possible through their shared involvement with international networks of left-affiliated unions like the World Federation of Trade Unions. Despite the WFTU executive's sustained focus on Europe, the organisation had members from diverse racial and national groups which enabled communication between people at the periphery, like the Australians, Indonesians and Indians. Their relationship foundered, however, on Elliott's failure to recognise the importance to Tuk Subianto and his maritime union of the network of decolonising nations, which were often linked through shared ‘non-alignment’ like India and Indonesia, or even opposition to the European focus of formal left-wing structures like the WFTU. There were thus two different transnational networks operating as the vehicle for Tuk Subianto to be ‘overseas’, and his old Australian comrade was for various reasons only participating in one of them, which became increasingly inadequate to sustain their alliance.

Notes

*My thanks to the IMW anonymous reviewers for their important questions and helpful suggestions. This study arose from research undertaken as part of an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant, with Devleena Ghosh, Stephen Muecke and Michael Pearson, on Intercolonial networks of the Indian Ocean. Each of my co-researchers has offered helpful advice, as have Kate McGregor, Julia Martínez and Adrian Vickers. Particularly important has been Suzan Piper, who has contributed valuable research, analysis and translations of Indonesian language academic and labour sources. Cornelia Betzler has translated from French-language sources. In India, research on attitudes to and sources on Indonesia has been greatly assisted by Pranay Sharma, Pallab Sengupta and the CPI librarian, P.K. Balachandran.

¹Gerakan Wanita Indonesia, the Indonesian women's movement, a coalition of left-wing women's organisations, 1950–65

²Katharine McGregor (2012), this issue.

³There are many accounts in the Australian press, discussed in the literature cited, but see also the Indian coverage in the Communist Party of India (CPI) weekly, People's War, 7 October, 21 October and 4 November 1945.

⁴The majority of iconic ships immobilised in Sydney including those named in the film Indonesia Calling had been crewed by Indians, Tribune, 23 October 1945, p 1, ‘Indians prevent Dutch getaway’, and 26 October, p 3, ‘Indians defy Dutch, enter Lido’, 30 October 1945, ‘Indians establish complete Dutch ship boycott’. The Indian CPI reported this dispute, see People's War, 7 October and 21 October and 4 November 1945 noting the ‘Heroic role of Indian seamen’, CPI Library, New Delhi.

⁵Department of External Affairs series, National Archives of India (Delhi); reports of the National Federation of Indian Women (1957 and 1962), CPI Library (Delhi).

⁶Healy (2007) cites the date as May 1946, from her husband Mick's own later (1975) recollections but the May 1947 date is more reliably sourced from various Bendera Buruh issues in 1953 and from extensive contemporary details by Jacques Leclerc: ‘Figures de direction en Indonésie: Harjono et le bureau de S.O.B.S.I.’(Figures of leadership in Indonesia: Harjono and the S.O.B.S.I. office), Le Mouvement Social, 173 (1995): 185-91; also in Sedjarah Gerakan Buruh Indonesia, Dewan Nasional SOBSI, Jakarta, 1958.

⁷Australian Security Intelligence Organisation [henceforth ASIO] CAMPBELL, Clarence Hart ‘Steve’. 1933–1947, vols 1-5, (Series A6119/79. Opened with exception: 6 June 1997), National Archives of Australia (henceforth NAA).

⁸See photographs and memorials in Bendera Buruh, including 13, VII/3, 1953, p.3 and Bendera Buruh 25, VIII/10-11, 20 November 1958, p .2; Soe Hok Gie (1969): Simpang kiri dari sebuah djalan, MA thesis, University of Indonesia.

⁹ Bendera Buruh October 1953.

¹⁰ See Lewis (2003).

¹¹Eliot V. Elliott, probably delivered to the Third World Trade Unions Congress, Transport Unions, WFTU, Vienna, October 1953. In bundle of correspondence from this Congress in mid 1954 file, E183/21/8, NBA.

¹²See his published articles in 1953 and 1954 for his criticism of Stalin, E183/21/8, NBA.

¹³Eliot V. Ellliott, 1953: ‘Our Indonesian neighbour’, Communist Review, February 1953, pp. 37-42; 20 Jan 1953, J. Woddis, WFTU Publications to E.V. Elliott, on delays in publication of article relating to Australia, E183/21/8, NBA.

¹⁴Correspondence between Eliot V. Elliott, SUA and WFTU, MUA Series, Noel Butlin Archives.

¹⁵Report by J. Tudehope on Asian Maritime Conference, 5-14 October, 1953, E183/21/8, NBA.

¹⁶Attitude of the Indian Government to the proposed move in the UN on the claim on West Irian by Indonesia. External Affairs, Z/54/1751/9 (1) (S), NAI.

¹⁷Reports on Surabaya to the Department of External Affairs 1956-7, ‘External’ 33-R&I/56(S)-III, NAI.

¹⁸The Indian position reflected its own concerns. While India had been and remained strongly supportive of Indonesian independence from the Dutch, it had been deeply concerned since partition in 1947 that Pakistan would seek to build an alliance with Indonesia ‘as an Islamic nation’ (see for example, NAI External Affairs files:14(4)-X.P.P.; 4(8)-B.L.(Secret); 60(45)_X.S.; 12/11-X.P.P./53S) which would be hostile to India. These fears could be expected to make the Indian diplomatic staff particularly attentive to any Indonesian criticism of Pakistan or the American support for Pakistan. And they were also sensitive to Indonesian criticism or misrepresentation of India.

¹⁹Reports on Indonesia to the Department of External Affairs, B.F.H.B. Tyabji, Report of 1 February 1956, ‘External’33-R&I/56(S)-II, NAI.

²⁰ Ibid. Translation by Indian diplomatic staff.

²¹ Times of Indonesia and Indonesia Raya, cited in Reports on Indonesia to the Department of External Affairs, B.F.H.B. Tyabji, Report of 1 February 1956, ‘External’ 33-R&I/56(S)-II, NAI

²²Ibid, Reports on 1 February 1956, then 9 January 1957

²³Ibid, Report of 1 February 1956

²⁴Report of the Second National Conference of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), Vijayawada, June 1957, p. 38, CPI Library, Ajoy Bhavan, Kotla Marg, New Delhi. 324.354NF

²⁵ NFIW Conference Reports, 1962, Delhi, p. 35 (re Cairo); 1975, Calcutta, p. 10-11 (Cairo) and p. 24 (Ulan Bator).

²⁶Tuk Subianto, Seamen's Journal, June 1956, pp. 3-4.

²⁷Reports on Surabaya, 2 May 1956, ‘External’ 33-R&I/56(S)-III, NAI.

²⁸Reports on Indonesia, B.F.H.B. Tyabji, Report of 1 February 1956, ‘External’33-R&I/56(S)-II, NAI

²⁹ Seamen's Journal, June 1956: 2: ‘Facts re Indonesian seamen’, history of 1945 black ban of Dutch shipping; pp. 3-5 contain an AGM report, largely Elliott delivering report from Committee of Management but also some extracts of Tuk Subianto speech at end p. 3 and box, p. 4; Tuk Subianto writes: ‘Indonesian report … national independence’, pp. 15-17; ‘Australian seamen express appreciation’, p. 20; Tuk Subianto writes: ‘Impressions of Australia’, p. 23.

³⁰ Seamen's Journal, June 1956: 3-5, report of AGM, largely as delivered by Elliott from Committee of Management.

³¹John W. Burton: ‘Report on the Bandung Conference’, p. 4, NAA, A 6122; 1933; Cecily Burton (1955), ‘Report on Bandung’, Meanjin, September, pp. 395-9.

³²ASIO ‘Report: South Australia’, nos. 3995 to 4000, all dated 31 May 1955, extracted section re ‘Decisions of the 17^th National Congress’. Full Report 12/26/1 Vol 6, NAA.

³³Wilfred Burchett, ‘Bandoeng was a great victory for world peace’, The Guardian, 5 May 1955.

³⁴ Seamen's Journal, September 1958, pp. 12–13.

³⁵ Seamen's Journal, September 1958, pp. 42–3.

³⁶ Seamen's Journal, January 1963, p. 7; p. 17, image used in the campaign against Ampol in 1962–63; February 1963, p. 1: SUA call for ‘Australian crews’ as opposed to WFTU call for ‘Australian wages’, in reproduced cable of support, same issue, p. 28.

³⁷United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (West New Guinea).