SHIFTING POWERS AND REIGNS IN INDONESIA
INDONESIA
3
Though there is not much to tell about the Indo Group in its "Century of Oblivion",
in observing the general history of Indonesia during this period (roughly from 1775 to
1900) we may get at least an impression of the circumstances, responsible for the
slow progress of the group. In fact in this century a great many very important
changes took place, political and social, with the Dutch as well as with the Indo
nesians. These afflicted the small margin between both peoples (and in this margin the
Indo lived!) in often very rapid succession.
Spotlight on Dutch-Indonesian History (X)
Let us first observe the general trend
of all these changes: a. European civili
zation and power were coming up, b. In
donesian civilization and power were de
clining in the same time. The idea of col
onization was not yet born. Europeans came
to the East just to trade - and protected this
trade with fighting when necessary. To
modern standards Europeans in the begin
ning of the 17th century were rather bar
baric. We learned at school about the many
murderous wars, the torture chambers, the
witch-trials, etc. etc. Indeed many great
ideas were born in the same time, but they
were carried by a very few; the masses took
up very slowly. Getting rich was often
nothing more than: hit,grab and run.
An example may illustrate this. On its
way to find the passage to the Spice Islands,
the little fleet of Houtman sighted a rich
Portuguese merchant ship on its way home.
A considerable part of the Dutch crew
thereupon asked Houtman permission to
attaque the merchant, rob its rich load and
return at once to Holland, the purpose of
the voyage then being established: to bring
back to Holland the richesses of the East!
We might compare this with an immigrant
on his way to the U. S. (with the purpose
of getting rich), and thinking it easier to
rob an American trader on the boat to New
York
Luckily Houtman was wiser. But many
great navigators in those days were just
pirates. Many a national flag was just a
disguised Jolly Roger! That was about the
year 1600. But in a hundred years great
changes took place. Europeans began to
understand eastern peoples better. And at
last a time came about which historian
Bernard Vlekke in his clever study "Nus-
antara" could write with satisfaction: "In
the eighteenth century the Europeans began
to undestand!" After hundred years!
In the same hundred years the Indo
nesian kingdoms and sultanates went down
deeper. Of the once powerful kingdoms of
Dhoho and Sriwidjaja nothing was left at
the end of the seventeenth century but some
hundred small and always quarrelsome and
warring sultanates. Indonesian piracy came
up in a frightening pace. Historian De
Graaf even speaks of an "epidemic". Malay,
Javanese, Buginese, Mindanaoan, Atchin-
ese and other pirates roamed thearchipelego
"from Sabang to Merauke" and from Sangir
to Surabaya. The Buginese built their fa
mous "korra-korra", a kind of cruisers, and
the Moro's from the Philippines came down
with mighty "three-deckers" with big can
nons and even built a stronghold at Sunda
Strait. Many sultans called on the Dutch
for help, and anxious to save their trading
possibilities, the Dutch moved in wherever
they could, cautiously avoiding to take sides
in dangerous conflicts.
On Java the two great Sultanates, Ma
taram (East Java) andBantam (West Java)
were in a poor state. Continous little wars
had devastated kampongs and crops. The
Sultans were deep in debt, trying all the
time to get out of their troubles by alter
nately taking sides with rebels or with the
Dutch. In Mataram it was the dangerous
Balinese general Surapati, who caused the
most destruction. Once an ally of the Dutch,
he became an ally of Sultan Amangkurat
against the Dutch after an insult by a
Dutch officer, but shortly thereafter he
turned against Amangkurat and became an
independent rajah in the far eastern part
of Java. In Bantam a bloody war went on
between Sultana Ratu Sjarifa and Kiai
Tapa. Looting troops even came in the
direct environs of Batavia, burning down
Dutch settlements and killing all its inhabi
tants. By all these wars both sultanates
were practically ruined and though poli
tically independent, economically they were
vassal states of the V.O.C. (the Dutch East
Indies Company!-please note: there was
still no Dutch government in Indonesia!).
In all these ordeals the Dutch in Batavia
lived undisturbed and unharmed, but the
many outposts in the Sultanates were often
attaqued and sometimes massacred. About
the Indo's there is no record at all. Only
the names of the biggest and strongest Indo
families, the Dezentjés and the Weyn-
schenks, are periodically mentioned. But
what about the smaller and lesser Indo
families? They lived like the "kanchil be
tween the elephants" in the old Indonesian
fable, in which the kanchil (a pygmy deer
or chevrotain) tries to seperate two fight
ing elephants and is crushed to death. As
an absolute minority the Indo of course
did not try to seperate, did not dare to take
sides, but was often crushed to death any
way.
How many Indo's were killed through
out this century? No facts and figures are
available. Even of the many Indo's killed in
the War of Indonesian Independence fif
teen years ago there is no record. Only
some "approximates" with the greater part
reported as missing". All centuries it has
been like this: in times of peace and pros
perity there was small chance for them to
climb to higher ranks in the society, in
times of war and need the unprotected and
poor were killed or starved without any
record. It is the unknown but inborn notion
of this bitter history that makes Indo's up to
this day shy and backdrawn; as the only
possibility to survive was bein unnoticed,
many Indo's try to live unnoticed even in
this Free America under a wide assortment
of other "identities": Americans ("Yanks!")
Dutch, Indonesians, etc. etc.
But why then didn't the Indo's take sides?
Too easily the answer is sought in cowardice
or lack of principality. The key to this rid
dle is: intermarriage and a great loyalty to
family ties. An Indo, married to an Indo
nesian woman, couldn't take up the sword
against the family (or the people) of his
wife, or on the other side against the people
of his Dutch (fore-)father. It wouldn't have
been wise besides: for truly after some time
the powers would shift again and revenge
would kill the innocents.
It has been like this in the Indonesian
war for independency after World War II:
in remote villages and kampongs many in
nocent Indo families were massacred by
Indonesian mobs. On the other side Indo's
who took up weapons for the Indonesian
cause, were killed by Dutch guns. It has
been like this throughout the XVIIth and
XVIIIth century. Even in the beginning of
this century in remote parts of Indonesia,
when a rebellious fanatic started a little war,
Indo's got killed and their whole family,
wife and children slaughtered. During the
uprising in 1926 in Bantam many an inno
cent Indo family was massacred in Rangkas-
betung and Serang.
Returning to the historic scene of the wars
in Mataram and Bantam, and observing
carefully the family ties of the Dezentjé's,
we find strong and sound relations with
As everybody knows by now, relations be
tween Holland and Indonesia are restored
again. The consul of Indonesia in Holland
will be Mr. Sjarif. The Dutch attaché in
Indonesia will be drs. Barkman. An Indo
nesian economist, dr. Sidik, will open office
in Holland. By the Contactgroep Export-
deskundigen" (Council of Contact for Ex
porters) a special Dutch team will be in
stalled for industrial and advising technical
enterprisings. The Dutch Trade Union
(Verbond van de Nederlandse Groothandel)
installed a special Committee for trade with
Indonesia. President is Mr. J. R. Voute (a
well known and respected name in the for
mer Dutch East Indiesand a reader of
Tong-Tong by the way!).
Furthermore there are press reports that
Sabang will soon become a free port( vrij
haven) like Singapore. All these facts indi
cate the return of an economically sound
Indonesia. The United States offered finan
cial aid and many American enterprises are
already busy to establish sound relations for
the near future.
Like all revolutions in history did, this
Indonesian revolution is nearing its end.
Soon many Indo's will be engaged in a great
assortment of new enterprises in America
and Holland with Indonesia. We are also
sure that many of these enterprises will look
around for employees with Indonesian ex
perience. Readers, keep your eyes wide op
en! A series of new possibilities is in the
making. We shall try to keep our subscribers
well informed about future possibilities in
this field.
Shoplifting
A "new Breed" of criminals op het
gebied van shoplifting is de "pretended
pilferer" (lett. zogenaamde gap (ster) per).
Nu department en discount stores toegerust
zijn met ingenieuse zeer gecompliceerde
"catch-a-thief" devices, heeft de shoplifter
haar tactiek meeten veranderen. Van true
shoplifter is zij nou false-shoplifter (Ex-
shoplifter worden zij nooit), die doet alsof
ze iets verdonkermaant en hoopt op "heter
daad" betrapt te worden. Als na arrestatie
blijkt dat zij natuurijk niets heeft achterover
gedrukt of het ook maar van plan was, kan
zij op de proppen komen met een big law
suit for False-arrest. En als ze wint dan
kan ze veel meer dollars in de wacht slepen
dan een stukje koopwaar haar opgeleverd
zou hebben! En dat is het'm. As it is,
vormt false-shoplifting een groter gevaar
(financieel) voor de Amerikaanse winkelier
dan echt shoplifting! But be sure, the Law
is doing something something about this.
So I wouldn't try and become a "Pretended
pilferer". Besides, we all know it: "Crime
doesn't pay!"
Javanese nobility. Often Indo homes were
a last refuge for persecuted Javanese war
riors. When the famous Diponegoro was
captured by Dutch troops (on the side of
Amangkurat in the great Java War) and
carried off to exile, the only home in Semar-
ang where we was absolutely certain he
could spend the night safely, was the home
of an Indo, the Boyd-family.
During this century the general attitude
of the Dutch to the Indonesians was slowly
but more and more consciously growing into
a new policy, generally known as the "Even-
wichtspolitiek," Policy of Balance, based in
fact on a historic principle: Divide et im-
pera," divide and reign.
This did not mean however that Dutch
power in Indonesia was established undis-
putedly. As we will see in the next chapter,
great events in Europe changed the Dutch
balance of power in Indonesia; with Na
poleon came Daendels and after Daendels
came Raffles.
(To be continued)
