putterings 476 < 477 > 478 index
obvious lesson(s), never brought forth
...It has also been proved that our outspoken campaign against the political puttering of the central leadership gave it a powerful push in the direction of this insight; had we not brought forth this criticism, had we, in order to preserve our “influence,” tagged along uncomplainingly behind that leadership and only agitated in a “diplomatic” manner, the CSI would never have learned this obvious lesson.
— quoted (in translation) from a note from the editor of Het Vrije Woord, regarding the slow, moderate and ineffective policy of Central Sarekat Islam (CSI) ca 1916-17, from the perspective of the ISDV (Indische Sociaal Democratische Vereeniging), forerunner of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), in
Ruth T. McVey her The Rise of Indonesian Communism (1965) : 25
(full text, via google books) : link
three scans “removed” from archive.org (20240917)
other writing and/or translations by Ruth T. McVey are available via hathitrust : link
—
Ruth T. McVey (1930 - ), historian of Indonesian politics
wikipedia : link
where I learn that “She has since relocated to Montisi, Italy, where she lives on an Olive oil farm.”
This Ruth is not the Ruth Mann McVey who was my grandmother (link). I still remember an afteroon — one of many (or at least several) I would spend in the soon-to-vanish bookstores on Hollywood Boulevard ca 1970 — where I spied this book, probably noticing first the name of its author. I would have been dimly aware of Indonesia at the time, thanks to news reports of events in and after October 1965 — murky wirephotos of riots, reports about the Communists. Unknown to me, of course, my later diversions into and around Indonesia, ca 1977-1983 — not so much later, in retrospect — that would nowhere and inadvertent elsewheres.
My father hung around some of those bookstores ca 1940-42, maybe on his lunch breaks at Lear Avia (link).
Here are some posts about Hollywood Blvd’s bookstores, at Bookstore Memories : link :