Next week we will be welcoming Professor Woonkyung Yeo from Seoul National University to speak about the origins and politics of the Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO) in Indonesia. To prepare for Professor Yeo’s visit, this week we’ll be featuring the keynote address Sukarno, the first President of Indonesia, delivered regarding the genesis of GANEFO in April 1963.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, my dear Brothers and Sisters, I have not prepared a written speech and you know I am not very strong in English. English as you know is a foreign language for me. I ask you Mr. Chairman, shall I speak it right away in English or shall I speak in Indonesian and have it translated into English. How is it? Chairman Maladi said that I have to speak in English. O.K. In bad English.
It is very embarrassing to me, because as I said before, English is not my language, it is not yours, not yours, not yours, not yours. But I have also often said, that the spoken word is the language of the heart and as you know I am always speaking the language of the heart.
Now something about the GANEFO, Ganefo, Games of the New Emerging Forces.
Now my dear friends, let me tell you this fact that several years ago the great philosopher Bertrand Russell, a very great historian and a very great philosopher, divided mankind into two blocks, mankind of 2600 million people, now already 3000 million people.
According to Bertrand Russell they are divided into two great blocks, two big communities of people. One community is that of people who stand behind the famous Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and the other half standing behind the Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx. But I said that Bertrand Russell is not right in saying that the world is divided into 2 communities, one standing behind the Declaration of Independence and the other behind the Communist Manifesto. I said that there is a third community of people, especially living in Asia and Africa.
later I have been pondering about this deeper and now I have come to another conclusion: I mean, that mankind now–to my opinion–is not exclusively divided into three communities, one community, standing behind the Declaration of Independence, one community standing behind the Communist Manifesto, a third community standing not behind the Declaration of Independence, not behind the Communist Manifest, but standing on its own principles, on own identity, on own aspirations, the Asian-African peoples especially.
Look, I think it would be better to say that mankind is divided in two communities: the community of the Old Established forces, and the community of the New Emerging Forces!
The New Emerging Forces, that is the community of peoples, who want to be free, who want to be independent, who want to be not exploited, who want to be not dominated by other peoples, who want to be of a new world of …… to have a new world of …… prosperity, who want to be standing on own identity, who want to live up to the idea of, as I said it in my key-note speech for the Journalists’ Conference, THE FREEDOM TO BE FREE!
Those words, freedom to be free, are also words, if I may say so, made by me, in response of President Roosevelt’s Freedoms, …… you know that, four freedoms of President Roosevelt: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear, freedom from want, Roosevelt’s four freedoms.
I said there is another freedom, there should be another freedom, not only freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear, freedom from want, …… but freedom to be free! And I explained already in my key-note speech for the Asian-African Journalists’ Conference, what I meant with freedom to be free.
The freedom of people to be standing on own identity, to live in liberty, to live in peace, to live in a new world without exploitation de l’homme par l’homme, etc. etc.
Now these peoples, the peoples, who are against imperialism, against colonialism, peoples who are against exploitation de l’homme par l’homme, these peoples, I now call them the peoples of the New Emerging Forces!
Against the peoples, or against the system of the old established forces, the old established forces who are fighting against freedom, fighting against the new ideas of men, fighting against world-peace. The old established forces, who want to stay on their places now, the place of domination, of exploitation-colonialism, etcetera, etcetera.
Now these New Emerging Forces, my dear friends, they are to be found among the Asian peoples, African peoples, Latin American peoples and the peoples of the Socialist countries.
We, peoples of Asia, we want to be free, independent, to live in a new world of happiness without exploitation de l’homme par l’homme!
We, peoples of Africa, we want to be free, to be independent, to be not dominated by another nation, by other nations, …… we want to live in happiness, without being exploited …… without being exploited by other peoples.
We, peoples of Latin America, we also want to live in freedom, in independence, to live our own life, to live our own identity, to live without being exploited by other peoples!
And so are the peoples of the Socialist countries. They have all these views, the same aspirations, the same ideals as we do!
And all the peoples of Asia, of Africa, of Latin America, of the Socialist countries …… I combined them in one name: the New Emerging Forces.
And there is another group …… a very small group …… the group of the Old Established Forces, the forces of imperialism, the forces of colonialism, the forces of capitalism, the forces of the old established order! ……
And now I explain to you what I mean with t “New Emerging Forces”, but now about sports! The G-A-N-E-F-O! Games of the New Emerging Forces!
Speaking about games, speaking about sports, I remember very well, the ideals put forward by, for example, the founder of the International Olympics, Coubertin, Baron de Coubertin. He said, when he established the Olympic Games, the modern Olympic Games–you know the Olympic Games are not new! Ancient Greece already had its Olympics. The world Olympic is a Free Word–Baron de Coubertin said that sports are just a means, means to produce men, means to restore the national community, means to build the nation, means to create international understanding and goodwill. Means to build an international structure which encourages the flowering of international respect, friendship and peace.
We agree completely, with this idea of Baron de Coubertin. I repeat, Coubertin said that it is just a means to produce men, means to restore the national community, means to build the nation, means to create international understanding and goodwill, means to build an international structure which encourages the flowering of international respect, of friendship and peace. Who of you is against this? Nobody is against this! Then the International Olympics have been established, but what do we see? We see, that this, this thing put forward by de Coubertin has not ben achieved! No! That even the International Olympic Games sometimes are against this. In their practice they are betraying this. And that is something very sad to us, Indonesians, because we Indonesians, we have joined the Olympic Games.
The experience that the very practice of these Olympic Games are against what Baron de Coubertin had said. And we Indonesians, we are living in a revolution, a revolution which pursues the brotherhood of men, a revolution which pursues independence, a revolution which pursues own identity, which pursues freedom to be free!
When I was standing here on this platform, yes, standing on this very platform for the XIIth PATA Conference (Pacific Area Travel Association) I explained to them what the aims are of the Indonesian Revolution.
There are three aims.
The first, to establish a strong Indonesian Republic, a Republic with a territory from Sabang to Merauke in West Irian. A republic standing one democratic principles, unitarian–not a federal republic of the United States of Indonesia, but unitarian–standing on own soil and territory, between Sabang in the northern part of Sumatra and Merauke in West Irian. That is the first aim of the Indonesian Revolution.
The second aim is, to establish in this Republic a society of men, living justly and prosperously without exploitation de l’homme par l’homme–an “Indonesia adil dan makmur”.
The third aim is, to establish a new world-order of friendly brotherhood of men, among nations irrespective of colour or skin, black, yellow, white or green, black or blue, under the skin men are one. To establish a brotherhood of men. That is why we are so pro the ideals of those who were and are standing not he ideals of Coubertin.
We gladly joined the international Olympic Committee, because we thought of the ideals put forward by Baron de Coubertin. But what did you experience in the International Olympic Games? Their behaviour has shown that they are just an imperialistic tool and include politics! We have had some very painful experience with the Asian Games!
What did you experience, you, the so-called Communist China! Were you not excluded from these International Games, because you are said to be communist?
When the excluded North-Korea, when they excluded North-Viet Nam, is that not politics?! The International Olympic Games have proved to be openly an imperialistic tool. They said to have sports without politics in the Olympic Games; to have them only among nations who are not communistic, who are not against colonialism; and even the International Olympic Committee, have excluded Indonesia from the International Olympic Games, why? Because we in the meeting of the Asian Games have behaved not pleasantly to their concept. Now after that experience, we Indonesians thought, let us better talk, speak, frankly …… frankly! The International Olympic Committee said: Sports are sports, do not mix sports with politics! But it is not true …… their behaviour has shown that they mix sports with politics!
When they exclude Communist China …… is that not politics?
When they are not friendly to the United Arab Republic, is that not politics? When they exclude North Korea, is that not politics? When they exclude north Viet Nam, is that not politics? Now I propose to be frank! Now let us frankly say; sports has something to do with politics! Indonesia proposes now to mix sports with politics!
And let us now establish the Games of the New Emerging Forces, the G-A-N-E-F-o! G-A-N-E-F-O–Olympic Games between the nations of the New Emerging Forces! Games of Asian Peoples, Games of African Peoples, Games of Latin American Peoples and Games of Socialist Countries’ Peoples! Games of all New Emerging Forces–against the Old Established Order! Because we cannot exclude our lives from these principles of hoping to live independently, hoping to live on our own identity, hoping to live without being exploited by men, hoping to live in happiness in a just and prosperous society on our own soil, hoping to live in brotherhood and friendship with other nations. Because of that, I have instructed the minister of Sport of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Maladi, to venture to establish the Games of the New Emerging Forces. And I am very happy to hear from Minister Maladi, that his first venture was very successful. Today, in Djakarta, have gathered 9 Nations at the first preparatory, first preliminary conference for the establishment of the G-A-N-E-F-O.
I asked, when I entered this hall, His Excellency Albaran Lopez, the Ambassador of Mexico: “Is Mexico going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O?” His answer was: “Mexico is going to join the G-A-N-E-F-o!” (Applause). I asked His Excellency Fahmi a few days ago: “Is the United Arab Republic going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O?” And how was your reply? “Sure! The U.A.R. is going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O!” (Applause). I even asked President Liu Shiau Chi, when he came here a few weeks ago: “Is China, so-called Communist China, R.R.T., going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O?” “Sure! R.R.T. is going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O!” (Applause). “Is Cuba going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O?” “Sure! Cuba is going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O!” (Applause).
So I am very happy to learn from Minister Maladi that already today at least 20 countries are going to join the G-A-N-E-F-O. I hope these 20 countries will expand to 30, to 40, to 50, to all countries of the New Emerging Forces, so we can continue our fight against imperialism, continue our fight against colonialism, continue our fight to establish a New World-order of happiness, of brotherhood of men, also on the field of sports.
Thank you, gentlemen, my brothers and sisters!
This is my plea to you:
LET US NOW ESTABLISH THE GA-NE-FOR: THE GAMES OF THE NEW EMERGING FORCES!
Thank you! (Applause).