When you think of the VOC, you think of our colonial history. For more than three hundred years, the Netherlands ruled the Indies. How could a handful of Dutchmen keep such an immense island kingdom under their thumb for centuries?
“Do not disrespect, do not anger your enemies, there and there is nothing in the world that can hinder us… that great things can be done in the Indies!” These are the words of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the fourth governor-general of the Vereenigde Oostindische, founded in 1602. Company (VOC) In his letter written in 1618, Coen requested that the general management of the Company be allowed to act with his own hands. He wanted to convert the trading city of Jacatra on Java into a Dutch fortress, which would go against the interests of the native population. The inhabitants of Jacatra then had to watch with sorrow as the warehouses of the VOC gradually took on the character of fortified fortresses.There was more behind this than just maintaining trade relations between the Netherlands and the Indies.
The counter-actions were not long in coming. Bantam's governor, Prince Ranamanggala. rebelled against Coen in 1619. He urged the regent of Jacatra to attack the Dutch fort Batavia in Jacatra together with the English. In a subsequent punitive expedition, Coen razed the city to the ground. He had Batavia built on the ruins:a Dutch city in the Indies, complete with ring walls and canals. A time of colonial oppression had come.
Suppression
Coen's politics aroused great resistance from his predecessor Laurens Reaal. He tried to convince the leadership of the company - the 'Heeren XVII' - that Coen's proposals were inhumane and would not do the Company any good. "We cannot expect people who know the Indies to go there to be used as executioners and guardians of a herd of slaves," argued Reaal. “By murdering and torturing the population, we will make the Netherlands infamous as the cruelest nation in the world. The Indians will starve to death and there will be little money to be made from dead people.” Real's objections were brushed aside. The Heeren XVII decided that Coen's policy was the most profitable and had to be implemented.
After Coen had felt the power of the Company, he marched against the Banda Islands (Moluccas). According to the Heeren Zeventien, the islanders had to adhere to a nutmeg contract dating from 1609. The Bandanese were not interested in this. Other European merchants offered more for their nuts. They sold to the highest bidder according to good trade principle. In this case the English and the Portuguese. The Company felt that they should be punished for their 'treasonousness'. Coen took the order literally. He had the entire population of the Banda Islands exterminated:15,000 men, women and children. Because there were no more Bandanese, a new population was placed on the islands. It consisted of Chinese, freed slaves and former soldiers. They were given the same assignment as the massacred Bandanese:to supply nutmeg to the VOC at a price to be determined by the VOC.
Coen's performance in the Indonesian archipelago ushered in a new era. Before Coen's governor-generalship, the Heeren XVII was of the opinion that conquering countries and dominating foreign peoples was pointless. That cost not only time, but also money. Coen proved that waging war could also lead to profit. And if the domination of a nation were to depress the purchase prices of spices, things would of course be different. The merchants of the VOC were now given free rein. They changed from sober traders into ruthless conquerors. Their desire for profitable contracts outweighed their aversion to meddling in domestic affairs. A formula for success was born. As soon as a native prince demanded help from the VOC with a succession issue, he received it. But then came the reckoning:from then on he was only allowed to trade with the VOC. If he objected, he was charged with 'breach of contract'. This immediately resulted in a declaration of war from the VOC. One frost after another was defeated. The end of the song was that the VOC became lord and master of their country. When everything had calmed down again, the monopoly provisions were tightened again.
Liberation Wars
Large uprisings and liberation wars have raged in Java, in particular. They were almost successful. In 1674 the Madurese prince Troenodjojo started a revolt. Later the Balinese ex-slave Soerapati (1700) and the Javanese prince Diponegoro (1825) followed. At one point Diponegoro got almost all of Java under control. The Dutch government seriously considered giving up the archipelago. But Diponegoro was knocked out in time by betrayal. In 1830 he came to Magelang (Central Java) under the protection of the white flag for a meeting with the Dutch commander in chief in Java, General De Kock. He took prisoner in Diponegoro against all applicable rules. Diponegoro was tried and exiled. The uprising collapsed. In today's Indonesia, Diponegoro is revered as a national freedom hero.
How did we manage to keep India under control for so long? It was certainly not a matter of power. Only 200,000 Europeans lived in the entire archipelago, as opposed to 60 million "Natives" and a million "Foreign Easterners" (Chinese, Arabs and British Indians). It was much more a matter of using power correctly. As long as the native princes and administrators were kept under the illusion of their 'supreme power', they let the Dutch have their way. Provided they were showered with honors from time to time. In the days of the Company, people had learned of the consequences that disregard for manners could have at the Javanese courts. Gustaaf Willem Baron van Imhoff made such mistakes. Under his governor-generalship (1743-1750), a treaty was concluded with the Javanese kingdom of Mataram. This created a thorny succession issue. The brother of the Soesoehunan (emperor of Surakarta) publicly reprimanded the governor-general. As a result, the shaky balance of power was disrupted. This led to a war of succession, which caused considerable damage to the Company. Van Imhoff's involvement in Bantam's succession to the throne also led to a revolt that could only be suppressed under his successor. For example, many of Van Imhoff's measures failed. They had to be nullified later.
Control
In the time after the Company – the VOC ceased to exist at the end of 1799 and assets and debts had lapsed to the Dutch State in 1798 – the administration of the new colony was arranged. A system was devised in which Dutch and native administration ran parallel as much as possible. Especially after the administrative reform in 1925, this created a clear and easily controllable situation. Among the governors in the governorates were residents, assistant residents, controllers and aspiring controllers. They supervised native administrators of equal rank and function. Regents (toemenggoeng boepatihs), assistant regents (patihs), district heads (wedonos), and sub-district heads (assistant wedonos) ruled on behalf of the native monarchs.
In many areas the population was left 'in the enjoyment' of their own justice and self-government. But even in simple village elections, a Dutch inspector was not lacking. When he went to such an election with the native wedono, he was received with great ceremony by the old desahoofd (village chief). With a short wave he called together some members of the desa board and handed over to them the riding horses of both officials and their retinue. He then led his guests to a small grassy square in front of his home. There was a table and a few chairs ready for the inspector and the wedono. A little to the side, a low writing table had been set up for the village scribe. He squatted on a mat behind the writing table. On the other side of the grassy square, the male population crouched on the ground in a humble position. When the election was over, the controller visibly muttered something to the wedono, who passed it on to the old desa head. The latter readily complied with the request of the inspector to convey his agreement to the choice to the desamen. The controller also urged the new desa head to hold his office with dignity. Then he could one day get the silver 'star of marriage merit' pinned. In this way the population remained convinced of the Dutch authority down to the lowest regions.
Our ancestors were proud of the 'peace and order' they had established in their colonial empire. The book India from 1928 (published by N.V, Droste cacao and chocolate factories) provides a good example of colonial thinking at the time:“Our centuries of experience and our determination to be honest and reliable leaders form a solid foundation on which our colonial empire is built. Have we never failed in our colonial management? Sure. Just read our history books. It turns out that neither our government nor our history writers have ever shied away from putting their finger on the wound where necessary. Through this we have achieved that both intellectuals and simple villagers of the interior felt happy and content under the shadow of the Dutch flag!”
History has taught otherwise. Protocol and tribute to the Javanese princes were no longer enough to maintain the ascendancy. In 1912 a religious anti-Dutch movement (Sarekat Islam) arose. Genuine nationalist leaders emerged who tried to steer the deeply rooted anti-Dutch feelings in the right direction. A wave of arrests and exiles put an end to the movement in 1920. In the same way, a - provisional - end was put to the 'Merdeka' (freedom) of Sukarno's Partai Nasional Indonesia. founded in 1927. Sukarno was arrested and exiled to Flores. The Dutch government was so convinced of its own power that Governor-General De Jonge remarked in 1935:“When I talk to nationalists, I always start with the sentence:We Dutch have been here for 300 years and we will stay for at least another 300 years. . Then we can talk.”
Prophecy
The invasion of Japan in 1942 was the deciding factor. Not only did the Japanese support nationalist movements, but they unknowingly responded to the widespread "Djojobojo prophecy." According to this prophecy, a white buffalo would come to rule over Java. This one would stay on for a long time but eventually be followed by a yellow monkey. The yellow monkey would only be in power for as long as a corn plant is alive. Then, after a period of chaos, Java would once again be ruled by Javanese. The prophecy also foretold the coming of a Messiah:a Ratu Adil (righteous ruler). For the Indonesians, the white buffalo symbolized the Dutch and the yellow monkey the Japanese. In Sukarno they saw the Ratu Adil.
The Djojobojo prophecy has come true. After the Japanese defeat came a period of chaos. After the war, there was no place for colonial powers. Under pressure, the Dutch government recognized the 'Republik Indonesia' proclaimed on 17 August 1945. But two surprise attacks on the fledgling republic attempted to turn back the clock. The attacks were called 'police actions'. The rest of the world reacted furiously. After the second police action, the United States threatened to stop post-war Marshall aid to the Netherlands. The Netherlands then had to negotiate. The transfer was signed on December 27, 1949. The Kingdom of the Netherlands recognized sovereignty and transferred the Indonesian archipelago 'unconditionally and irrevocably' to the Republic of Indonesia.
One exception was made:New Guinea. It dragged our country into another colonial war in 1962. Once again it was the United States that forced the Netherlands to give in. On October 1, 1962, the last Dutch flag was lowered in Hollandia, the capital of New Guinea. It was then 366 years, 3 months and 3 days after the merchants of the VOC had planted the first Dutch flag on Indonesian soil.