Indonesia Land Of Contradictions

Press, Volume C, Issue 29511, 12 May 1961, Page 2

Indonesia Land Of Contradictions

“An Indonesian woman might spend the equivalent of a month’s salary on one skirt,

yet these beautiful and expensive batikdyed skirts arejiot exported to earn money for

the country.” This was one of the many contradictions of Indonesia, said Mr Alan Prime, guest speaker at a meeting of the Canterbury (N.Z.) Travel Club yesterday.

Mr Prime returned recently from South-east Asia, where

he was an adviser on technical education for the Colombo Plan.

He showed an example of batik cloth, and described the long and complicated waxing process used in the dyeing. •'Even the cheapest method is very expensive," he said. But the Indonesians regarded this dress as their national heritage, and export was extremely limited. Place Of Women The place of women in Indonesian life puzzled Mr Prime when he first saw a family out walking. "The iiusband stalked ahead, the children came in the middle, and the wife scuttled along in the rear.” But this seemed to be a custom from jungle life, when the husband’s place was in the front to protect his family from dangerous animals.

Guards in the street also surprised Mr Prime. “In Indonesia there is probably a good reason for them—we have to realise that the customs are different from ours, and not necessarily worse.”

Even the most menial clerk in Indonesia had servants in his house. There was a great surplus of labour, and in a snop it might take several assistants to serve one custrmer, each tak'ng a small t art in a strangely complicated transaction. Salary scales were very low in the Government service. and had to be supplemented by second jobs, said Mr Prime. The high unemployment rate meant that thefts were rife. “The windows of houses have closelylatticed grills, to prevent anyone breaking in, as there are prowlers about the house all the time. If you have a window open, you cannot go out of the room for a moment,” he said.

Few Refrigerators Since refrigerators were rare in all except the most modern homes, Indonesian cooks bought food for each meal. “This means that the housewife must be a very good manager, to see that the cook does not run out of staple foods at the last minvte,” he said.

Mr Prime and his family found the heat the most try-

ing factor in Indonesia. Tt is was aggravated by the Ind _nesiaus’ tradition that a wind

gave them a co’d and they refuted to go into a room where a fan was working. ‘ But they are altogether a very kind and friendly people,” said Mr Prime. He was impressed with the high prestige of Britain in Indonesia—the Indonesians felt that the British had got out of tneir colonies "like gentleman. ” New Zealand also had a high rating in Indonesia, because of its youth, and ’ack of wars against other people, or oppression of native peoples. /‘Our reputation is better than we deserve,” said Mr Prime. New Zealand could do a great deal by friendship and practical help to assist Indonesia with its many problems.