Seymour 1

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 2
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs) Because of the demand for goods that could be

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 4
100,000 have died. Unofficially, the estimate is 800,000.” (New Internationalist Magazine).

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.