BJte American
30 AUG. 1963
2e JAARGANG No. 1
B R I D G E
BETWEEN
EAST
AND
WEST
DIPANAGARA
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Spotlight on Dutch-Indonesian History (XVI)
The history around the Java War (1825-1830) is concentrated on one man, one name:
Dipanagara (Javanese pronunciation: Diponegoro). Up to now his image is highly
honoured in Indonesia as one of the first fighters for freedom. Many Dutch con
temporaries and historians praise him for his enormous courage, intelligence, honesty
and perseverance. Said his biographer Captain J. P. Schoenmaker: "One should indeed
admire Dipanagara for continuing his fight with courage and persistence in spite of so
much bad luck and adverse, loss of so many friends, relatives and able commanders.
this, he acted swiftly: The Sultans were for
bidden to rent their apanages to Dutch and
Chinese. This was more or less a disaster:
the Dutch were angry because they lost their
landerijen The princes of the apanages'3
were angry because they had to pay back
their "perskots." The labourers in the lander
ijen were angry because they lost their in
come. And the toll-collectors were angry be
cause there was nothing to tax anymore. So
we find in the year 1825 in Central Java
two kings hurt in their pride, a bankrupt
aristocracy and a poverty-stricken people.
In one of the apanages lived a nobleman,
Pangeran Diponegoro, who was a devout
man, living strictly according to the laws of
the Koran, in utter simplicity. He never
joined the big parties at the courts of other
noblemen, continuously warned against ex-
Of this war Dipanagara writes in
his "Babad Dipanagara"Ratu Adil (a leg
endary Goddess) herself came to me on the
mountain Rasamuni and said to me: Hear
me, Ngabdulkamid! I ordered you to come
to me to tell you: let my whole army fight.
Overpower Java. When somebody asks you
for your mandate, say to him: it is the
Koran. Read therein." For Dipanagara this
war against the Dutch was a Holy War.
Historical facts point to many causes. In
the first place there were too many relatives
of the Sultan ("King" of Jogjakarta) and
the Susahunan '"King" of Surakarta), clai
ming large properties of land (the so called
"apanages") over which they were practi
cally "little kings," with a poor income how
ever, because the land was poor and the
people were poor. Then came the Dutch
(mostly ex-officers of the Army), willing to
hire big lots of land from the princes, paying
them a substantial rent and often big loans
("perskot")The people on these lands
("landerijen") of course lost their own ex
istence as farmer but could work for the
Dutch landlords. Flow could so much money
be earned? Because the Dutch worked for
the world markets and grew coffee, sugar,
tea, indigo, etc. whereas the former farmers
only grew rice, sweet potatoes, corn for own
consumption.
But though much money was earned, as
usual it came in wrong hands. The princes
didn't bother at all, for they got their mon
ey. Work on the landerijen was arranged by
the bekels(labour leaders), without any
control. In fact the bekelswere little
lords of their own. Again the people suf
fered. Last but not least there were the toll-
gates on all roads to markets and cities,
where even mothers, carrying their baby in
a slendang(kind of strap to carry a baby)
had to pay tax. as everything carried was
considered taxable. Also the toll-collectors
had the right to search every passer. One
should know the prudence of Indonesian
women to know how they hated this and
preferred to pay rather than be searched
oeang pantat"). In spite of all the big
earnings the people lived in poverty and
practically in slavery.
When Governor General Van der Capel-
len Daid a visit to the sultanates and saw all
travagance, luxury and materialism, and
spent much of his time in contemplation in
temples and holy places. He sharply criti
cized the Sultan and the Susuhunan, but
though he could be a pretender for the
crown himself (his father and brother had
been Sultans) he never thought about a
revolt.
Then the Resident Smissaert ordered a
road to be widened in front of the "dalem"
(court) of Diponegoro. The Pangeran
(Prince) suddenly had a strong aversion
against the work in front of his house and
ordered the little markers for the new road
to be removed, putting lances in its places.
Resident Smissaert sent a brigade to restore
order, the bodyguard of Diponegoro at-
taqued and suddenly the war was on. The
fame of a Holy Pangeran, warring against
all injustices, went as a strong wind through
Central Java. Numerous pangerans and ad
venturers took sides with Diponegoro and
ferocious and murderous attaques all over
the country exploded at once. Against the
Sultan and the Susuhunan, against the
Dutch landlords, against the Chinese toll-
collectors, against the "bekels." The first
year was a year of utterly confusion and
horrible bloodshed.
continued page 2)
Officers and their wires in front of the "Officers mess" (a bamboo hut) in a "benteng" about
1880. Death took its toll not only from soldiers, but also from women and children, not only
in battles but also in contageous diseases, malnutrition and starvation. Still "benteng" life
in 1880 was far more luxurous than in the days of Toontje Poland and Marien.
