Indonesian Impact

Seymour

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Jay T. Seymour Ms. El-Murr English 10 4 February 2008 The Indonesian Impact Most Americans can’t imagine what it would be like to be on the bottom of the political food chain, especially in the case of imperialism. We do not like being pushed around, enslaved and exploited, and our fundamental beliefs are against imperialism. Why? Because under imperial rule, people are viewed as second class subjects of the imperial leader and are made to work for and support the empire, by threat of death. Sadly this was a reality for residents of Indonesia, a large archipelago of islands located south of Asia, who were gradually invaded by Dutch traders staring in 1596 (Touwen). The truth is: Imperialism in Indonesia has had devastating outcomes that have left the country crippled and impoverished by a legacy of prejudice, violence, and financial abuse. These effects are still apparent today. Some of the more important aspects of imperialism are the imperial country’s motivations for imperializing. The Dutch colonization of Indonesia started with mere trading, “In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Dutch overseas trade in the Far East, which focused on high-value goods, was in the hands of the powerful Dutch East India Company…However, the region was still fragmented and Dutch presence was only concentrated in a limited number of trading posts.” (Jeroen Touwen) In the beginning the Dutch were only looking for trade, and not a colony, they simply wanted to control all Indonesian trade through the Dutch East India Company. (William H. Frederick, Robert L. Worden). Another factor influencing Dutch colonization of Indonesia was that Indonesia was made up of small, easy to exploit kingdoms, and the Netherlands was a very modern powerful country. (United States Department of State,

Seymour Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs) Because of the demand for goods that could be

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cheaply provided by Indonesia, and the ease with which it could be acquired both sealed Indonesia’s fate as a Dutch colony. In addition to this, Dutch traders reserved ports solely for Dutch ships, and would not allow others in (William H. Frederick, Robert L. Worden). The Dutch gained power and influence indirectly by controlling industry, mainly through the Dutch East India Company (regitour.com). Though a colony is exploited and fed on by the imperial motherland, it does not mean there are no beneficial outcomes for the people of the colony. As pointed out by Jeroen Touwen, Indonesians got steady wages under the cultivation system. (Jeroen Touwen). In addition, new technology and new gods were brought to Indonesia by the Dutch, (William H. Frederick, Robert L. Worden), thus enhancing the quality of life of the natives. Without the Dutch, Indonesia would remain weak and divided, as revealed by the United States Departmen of State’s article on Indonesia, “Beginning in 1602, the Dutch slowly established themselves as rulers of present-day Indonesia, exploiting the weakness of the small kingdoms that had replaced that of Majapahit…. the Dutch developed the Netherlands East Indies into one of the world's richest colonial possessions.” (United States Department of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs). When taken over by the Dutch, these small divided kingdoms no longer remained, and much progress was made as a result. So maybe being a Dutch Imperial subject wasn’t that bad? If you believe this you are sadly mistaken. The Dutch destroyed Indonesia’s native culture, and their peaceful, simple lifestyle. The Dutch were bad leaders, as stated by Jeroen Touwen, “Dutch colonization did shape the borders of the Indonesian nation state, even though it also incorporated weaknesses in the state: ethnic segmentation of economic roles, unequal spatial distribution of power, and a political system that was largely based on oppression and violence.” (Jeroen Touwen). The Dutch caused violence, economic hardship, and civil unrest, which caused Indonesia to crumble. The Dutch leaders were quite violent too, as revealed by

Seymour 3 William H. Frederick and Robert L. Worden, “In 1740, for example, as many as 10,000 Chinese were massacred in Batavia, apparently with the complicity of the Dutch governor general.” (William H. Frederick, Robert L. Worden). On top of all this violence and abuse, the Dutch also deigned the Indonesians freedom, and made them grow crops for the Dutch and received low wages (regit.com). The small, rural country can only take so much abuse from a superpower nation like the Dutch; it is this abuse that is to blame for Indonesia’s current poor condition. Even today, the effects of Dutch prejudice persist. The Dutch would disrespect Indonesian culture and beliefs. William H. Frederick and Robert L. Worden remind us of the “Dutch decision to build a road across a piece of his property that contained a sacred tomb.” (William H. Frederick, Robert L. Worden). This caused a revolt and shows the Indonesians the blatant lack of respect the Dutch had for Indonesians. The Dutch even kept a colony, West Papua until 1961 (New Internationalist Magazine), and it was so crippled by their influence, that it has been invaded and terrorized by disgruntled (because of Dutch influence)Indonesians for forty years. Even to this day, the Dutch will not apologize for West Papua’s terrible fate. In addition to this, the Dutch treated Indonesians as slaves, forcing them to work for them, and, under the culture system, made them submit one-fifth of their land to the Dutch government (MSN Encarta). Of the scars left on Indonesia by the Dutch many still remain. Indonesia has a weak economy. (William H. Frederick, Robert L. Worden). The country remains weak, even if it has started modernizing and has a growing trade economy (MSN Encarta). In some parts of Dutch influenced lands, mainly West Papua, terror prevails today, and the New Internationalist says “almost all West Papuans can name at least one relative who has been beaten, raped, tortured or killed by the Indonesian armed forces since the Act of Free Choice. Officially, more than

Seymour 100,000 have died. Unofficially, the estimate is 800,000.” (New Internationalist Magazine).

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The country is near third world status, and quality of life is poor, all because of the Dutch. Dutch influence, through years of imperialism, has ruined Indonesia’s chances of being a successful, prosperous nation. The quality of life of the Indonesian people is lower than it potentially could have been. Racism, violence, and financial abuse from Dutch Imperialism of Indonesia stranded Indonesia as a broken and poor nation. As you can see, the influence of what a few powerful peoledid to get rich has broken an entire nation.