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This Week in History
April 26-May 2, 2015

The Bandung Conference

Bandung, Indonesia
April 18-24, 1955

Sukarno, first President of Indonesia, in 1949
 

"Perhaps now more than at any other moment in the history ofthe world, society, government and statesmanship need to be based upon the highest code of morality and ethics. And in political terms, what is the highest code of morality? It is the subordination of everything to the well-being of mankind...”.

These words of President Sukarno were in the opening presentation at the April 1955 Asian-African Summit held in Bandung, Indonesia, which was celebrated at the 60th Anniversary conference this week. Representatives of 92 African and Asian nations gathered in Indonesia to celebrate this milestone, and the progress toward a New International Economic Order today, under the leadership of the BRICS. It was not lost on any of the participants that two of the leading nations in the BRICS were also key players in Bandung--China and India--and that the proceedings of this event would have a lasting global impact for the good.

The Spirit of Bandung became the driving concept behind the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was established in 1961, and adopted "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" which are still invoked by the leading Asian nations today.

 
Leaders of the Bandung conference in 1955. From left: Indonesian President Sukarno and his wife; Indonesian Vice President Hatta and his wife; Ne Win of Burma and his wife; Indian Prime Minister Jawarhalal Nehru. Sukarno, in his opening speech, described the conference as “the first international conference of colored peoples in the history of mankind.”

A major focus was to stop the threat of war at that time, between the United States and China. That threat was seen as part and parcel of the ongoing legacy of colonialism, which the 25 national leaders in Bandung were committed to combatting, through a mobilization for peace, and for scientific and technological progress. Looking to the anti-colonial tradition of the USA, President Sukarno said, 

The battle against colonialism has been a long one, and did you know that today is a famous anniversary in that battle? On the eighteenth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy five, just one hundred and eighty years ago, Paul Revere rode at midnight through the New England countryside, warning of the approach of British troops and of the opening of the American War of Independence, the first successful anti-colonial war in history. About this midnight ride the poet Longfellow wrote:  "A cry of defiance and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo for evermore.”

The BRICS heads of state and Alexander Hamilton (far right).

The 60th celebration held this past week and a fuller elaboration of the original Bandung Conference will be featured in the May 1 edition of EIR. Read it, confront the reasons for the lost opportunities of that time, and learn the lessons from it. America can and must ensure that, this time, America heeds the implicit call to resurrect its own republican, anti-colonialist tradition, in collaboration with these nations representing a majority of humanity, and join with the BRICS. 

The full opening speech of President Sukarno of Indonesia can be found here:  http://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/address_given_by_sukarno_bandung_17_ to_24_april_1955-en-88d3f71c-c9f9-415a-b397-b27b8581a4f5.html                

Excerpts from the opening speech at Bandung, April 17, 1955 by President Sukarno of Indonesia:[1]

Great chasms yawn between nations and groups of nations. Our unhappy world is torn and tortured, and the peoples of all countries walk in fear lest, through no fault of theirs, the dogs of war are unchained once again.

Yes, there has indeed been a "Sturm über Asien" - and over Africa too. The last few years have seen enormous changes. Nations, States, have awoken from a sleep of centuries. The passive peoples have gone, the outward tranquility has made place for struggle and activity. Irresistible forces have swept the two continents. The mental, spiritual and political face of the whole world has been changed, and the process is still not complete. There are new conditions, new concepts, new problems, new ideals abroad in the world. Hurricanes of national awakening and reawakening have swept over the land, shaking it, changing it, changing it for the better....

Perhaps now more than at any other moment in the history of the world, society, government and statesmanship need to be based upon the highest code of morality and ethics. And in political terms, what is the highest code of morality? It is the subordination of everything to the well-being of mankind.

But today we are faced with a situation where the well-being of mankind is not always the primary consideration. Many who are in places of high power think, rather, of controlling the world.

Yes, we are living in a world of fear. The life of man today is corroded and made bitter by fear. Fear of the future, fear of the hydrogen bomb, fear of ideologies. Perhaps this fear is a greater danger than the danger itself, because it is fear which drives men to act foolishly, to act thoughtlessly, to act dangerously. In your deliberations, Sisters and Brothers, I beg of you, do not be guided by these fears, because fear is an acid which etches man's actions into curious patterns. Be guided by hopes and determination, be guided by ideals, and, yes, be guided by dreams!....

The battle against colonialism has been a long one, and do you know that today is a famous anniversary in that battle? On the eighteenth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy five, just one hundred and eighty years ago, Paul Revere rode at midnight through the New England countryside, warning of the approach of British troops and of the opening of the American War of Independence, the first successful anti-colonial war in history. About this midnight ride the poet Longfellow wrote:

"A cry of defiance and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo for evermore."

Yes, it shall echo for evermore, just as the other anti-colonial words which gave us comfort and reassurance during the darkest days of our struggle shall echo for evermore. But remember, that battle which began 180 years ago is not yet completely won, and it will not have been completely won until we can survey this our own world, and can say that colonialism is dead....

War would not only mean a threat to our independence, it may mean the end of civilisation and even of human life. There is a force loose in the world whose potentiality for evil no man truly knows. Even in practice and rehearsal for war the effects may well be building up into something of unknown horror.

What can we do? We can do much! We can inject the voice of reason into world affairs. We can mobilise all the spiritual, all the moral, all the political strength of Asia and Africa on the side of peace. Yes, we! We, the peoples of Asia and Africa, 1,400,000,000 strong, far more than half the human population of the world, we can mobilise what I have called the Moral Violence of Nations in favour of peace. We can demonstrate to the minority of the world which lives on the other continents that we, the majority, are for peace, not for war, and that whatever strength we have will always be thrown on to the side of peace.

Our task is first to seek an understanding of each other, and out of that understanding will come a greater appreciation of each other, and out of that appreciation will come collective action. Bear in mind the words of one of Asia's greatest sons:

"To speak is easy. To act is hard. To understand is hardest. Once one understands, action is easy."

—Sun Yat Sen

[1] Source: http://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/address_given_by_sukarno_bandung_17_ to_24_april_1955-en-88d3f71c-c9f9-415a-b397-b27b8581a4f5.html