Events // Historical + Current

1670-1900 = “The Dutch colonists bring the whole of Indonesia under one government as the Dutch East Indies”

The Dutch colonization of Indonesia is an event that many Dutch-Americans aren't informed of. In my interview with Radhitya, he stated the fact that the Dutch colonized Indonesia as if I breathed that information every day before breakfast, when in reality I hadn't gotten to the events part of this project yet and actually had no idea. I believe this event is important for this specific project circumstance because there is such a high number of Dutch students at Dordt, and it's important to consider how our Indonesian international students truly feel about that.

1949 = “The Dutch recognize Indonesian independence after four years of guerrilla warfare.”

This event seemed vital to include because we need to recognize that the Dutch colonization of Indonesia was not welcome and Indonesia deserved its independence. 1949 was a year of celebration and also a year of decisions. Many people had to determine if their citizenship lied in Indonesia or the Netherlands and where they wanted to remain. Guerrilla warfare was closely intermingled with the Indonesian National Revolution which spread from 1945-1949. I think this land-marker is necessary to include because of the progression of events going into the future. It's also very important for educating oneself about the questionable history of your own heritage, rather than just the famous history.

2016 = “The Netherlands agrees to launch an inquiry into the conclusion of its colonial rule in Indonesia in the 1940s. Dutch troops are suspected of having killed tens of thousands of people during the war of independence.”

I thought this current event was interesting. Not only did the Netherlands have a history with Indonesia, but it appears they have a future focused on mending the past. This inquiry was launched just last year and as far as I'm aware, it's still in motion. The inquiry was proposed to take multiple years and would gather the scope and sequence of potential massacres between 1946-1949. Prime Minister Mark Rutte declared the inquiry open and assigned three Dutch research institutes for its investigation. The Netherlands has tried to soothe the hurt between itself and Indonesia in the past, but do to the lack of documentation for these horrific events, they've been unable to dive into a deeper act of apology and mourning. I chose this event because I appreciated how it ties the past into the future and how awesomely it demonstrates the beginnings of cultural understanding and empathy between two countries.

2017 = “Jakarta’s Christian mayor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is jailed for two years for blasphemy.”  

I chose this event because Radhitya mentioned it in his interview as a part of current events that had effected him. He spoke a lot about religious tension in Indonesia and asked me to keep the country in my prayers, and especially after studying more about the event, I definitely will. Ultimately their mayor pursues religious tolerance, but the Islamists don't appreciate that. They especially did not respond well to Purnama making a claim that Jakarta's Islamist-leaders were taking a verse of the Koran out of context in order to gain political power. This statement, which he never admitted was wrong, but did apologize for, landed him in prison for the next two years. This is a wonderful example of the types of subtle religious imbalance and persecution happening in Indonesia today, and is what led me to including this event. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15114517

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-netherlands-indonesia-investigation/dutch-government-backs-new-inquiry-into-colonial-indonesia-idUSKBN13R21N

https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/05/jakartas-christian-governor-imprisoned-for-blasphemy/525990/