{"id":6025,"date":"2021-11-06T08:09:32","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T08:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/galodevwp.com\/stage8\/?p=6025"},"modified":"2021-11-06T08:32:14","modified_gmt":"2021-11-06T08:32:14","slug":"wsa-executive-committee-annual-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.subud.org\/wsa-executive-committee-annual-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"WSA Executive Committee Annual Updates 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic caused havoc in people\u2019s lives. Infection rates and deaths resulting from the virus reached alarming figures. The world economy was affected, and recession was unavoidable. To contain the virus, countries had to close their borders and apply social restrictions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The devastating conditions caused concern for the WSA officers, especially in relation to the safety and wellbeing of Subud members around the world. For those reasons, the WSA issued advisories to Subud members, recommending adherence to their respective governments\u2019 health protocols and\u00a0 vigilance in facing the crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost all WSA activities in 2020 had to adapt to the \u2018new normal\u2019, and the safety of WSA officers was our priority. However, the officers were able to maintain connectivity through online gatherings, supported by the International Helpers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As conveyed by the WSA Chair, Nahum Harlap, in the WSA FYI Newsletter (March 2020 edition), \u201cthe extraordinary events around us touch us all and create opportunities to learn about ourselves and surrender that which needs surrendering.\u201d He also advised us to look after one another, especially isolated Subud members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2020 highlights<\/b><\/h1>\n

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Visiting the Australian National Congress\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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The WSA started the year by attending the Subud Australia National Congress from 11 to 18 January 2020 in Currimundi on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. There were 15 WSA officers present: six International Helpers, three WSA team members, one Zone Representative, three WSA Archives team members, and two Wing \/ Affiliate Chairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the officers were given opportunities to present their responsibilities and function to the congress delegates. The WSA Executive Chair, Suyono Sumohadiwidjojo, shared an overview of the participatory system of the Subud democracy, the WSA organizational structure, and the relationship between international Subud organizations. Suyono also shared the draft WSA financial accounts of 2019 and thanked Subud Australia for their consistent annual contribution. In the end, Suyono presented a short film about the next World Congress in Kalimantan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the Subud Australia National Congress, we witnessed the contribution of the <\/span>latihan kejiwaan<\/span><\/i> Subud to the harmony of the congress meetings and events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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WSA Archives in Canberra\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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After attending the Australian National Congress, the WSA Executive Chair, WSA <\/span>Deputy<\/span> Chair, WSA Archives Subcommittee Chair, and two International Helpers, flew to Canberra to visit the WSA Archives facility. The trip was part of an action plan recommended by the World Subud Council (WSC) during the 2019 WSC Meeting. The council requested that the WSA Executive Chair and the WSA Archive Subcommittee Chair visit the site and consider mid-and long-term solutions for the archives issue in Canberra, <\/span>where the lease for the existing facilities is expiring soon, so an alternative is needed<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The group made several visits to the preservation unit where the WSA archival collections were safely managed and protected. We were astonished by the amount of good-quality archival materials in Canberra. Thank you to Amalijah Thompson, who has dedicated her time to taking care of these precious materials relating to the development of Subud. <\/span>We also visited the location for the proposed permanent WSA Archives facility, <\/span>located next to the Subud Canberra building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The visit confirmed the importance of a permanent home for the archival collections in Canberra. The WSA Executive Chair brought back to Indonesia the archival backup set of the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) produced by the Memnon project, which contains the unedited digitized recordings of Bapak\u2019s Talks, to be duplicated and stored at the WSA Archive in Cilandak.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the Australian National Congress, the WSA Archives Subcommittee Chair presented the challenges the WSA Archives faced in Canberra. We greatly appreciated the USD 18,219 grant from Subud Australia for the initial architectural planning of the proposed permanent facility. The strong support of Subud Australia as the host country of the WSA Canberra Archive has been a major stimulus and source of encouragement for the WSA Archives Subcommittee, and we are very conscious of the responsibility and accountability this support confers on us.<\/span><\/p>\n

The WSA Archives became the most discussed agenda item in WSA meetings. The topics discussed related to the proposed WSA Archive facility project in Canberra, the WSA Archives Subcommittee, the existing collection and current status of the WSA Canberra Archives, the resignation of the WSA Canberra archivist, and plan for a digital repository. The WSA Directors have shown great interest on the topic of preserving the archival collection as evidence of the development of Subud in the world. See pages 33-34 of this Annual Report for a more detailed report on WSA Archives by the Subcommittee Chair, Matthew Moir.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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WSA Endowment Fund\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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In accordance with the Congress resolution of the 15th Subud World Congress in Freiburg in 2018, a major milestone was achieved. In 2020, the WSA legally established the WSA Endowment Fund, and lodged it with the Muhammad Subuh Foundation (MSF).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The WSA Endowment Fund will help to finance the work of the WSA into the future through its investment earnings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After lengthy consideration of all options, the WSA Directors decided to entrust the Fund to MSF as it has the capacity to manage this Fund within its regular work, without the necessity of creating an additional WSA organizational structure to manage the Endowment Fund.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other benefits of MSF holding the Fund include:<\/strong><\/p>\n