Colonialism in Indonesia and Malaysia PDF

Colonialism and Imperialism in Southeast Asia Western Imperialism in Insular Southeast Asia Notes no. 7.3 – Colonialism in Indonesia and Malaysia ❖ Methods and Colonial Policies of the Dutch in Indonesia The Dutch United East India Company (Vereenigde Ost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) was able t...

Colonialism and Imperialism in Southeast Asia Western Imperialism in Insular Southeast Asia Notes no. 7.3 – Colonialism in Indonesia and Malaysia ❖ Methods and Colonial Policies of the Dutch in Indonesia The Dutch United East India Company (Vereenigde Ost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) was able to establish its authority in the archipelago in Java, Indonesia, 17th century. o The VOC was a major trading company in Asia since the 1600’s. o The Dutch government took control of the company and controlled Indonesia as a colony. The Dutch implemented a direct and bilateral system of government. o A Dutch official had an equal local Indonesia ruler who belong to the aristocrat group. - They served as the mediator between the Javanese farmers and Dutch officials. o It was opposed by some Indonesians like Prince Diponegoro, heir to the throne in Yogyakarta, Java, who led a holy war against the Dutch. - He rejected the implementation of road building to his brother’s land. - Around 215,000 people died in this incident. - The Dutch became more powerful when they captured Prince Diponegoro. Governor-general Van den Bosch implemented the cultivation system due to insufficient funds. o They started monopolizing the farming of cash crops like coffee, tobacco, indigo, and pepper from Java. o The Dutch obliged the people to use twenty percent of their land to farm the cash crops that were in demand in Europe for 66 days. o Due to the exploitation of native farmers, poverty and hunger were spread and an epidemic of cholera surged in 1840 in Central and Northern Java. o This system was successful for the Dutch government as 19% of the gross income of the Netherlands came from their colony Java, 1832 until 1852. o This practice was ended in 1870 as the unfair treatment against the Indonesians became more evident. It paved the way for the rise of the liberal government in Indonesia’s history. ❖ Response of the Indonesians to Dutch Colonialism 1. Javanese Rebellion (1825-1830) – It is also known as the Java War, the largest war encounter between the Dutch and the native Indonesians. o This war was led by Prince Diponegoro and was motivated by socially, economically, and politically. o Due to a great number of Diponegoro’s followers, they were able to weaken the Dutch forces through their guerilla tactics. 2. Acehnese War (1873-1904) – It was a war between the Dutch and the sultanate of Aceh located at northern Sumatra. o It was a political war aiming for the independence of their sultanate. ❖ Methods and Colonial Policies of the British in Malaysia The British was trying to colonize Borneo in 1771. o It only became successful when the British East India Company bought the island of Penang in 1786. o The British government only colonized Malaysia when they took control from the Dutch through a treaty of the sultans from different states in 1795. o Singapore became an important commercial port. The British government used the divide and rule policy. It was a divisive measure to gain political control.  o The states in Malay peninsula were in disunity in terms of organizing commerce. o The British made a pact with estates for it to attain its objectives in the colony. o Malaysia became an official colony of the British government when Sultan Abdullah Perak signed a treaty. He was expecting an alliance with the British against other states in 1874. The resident system was applied by the British government. o British officials became residents in different Malay states and became consultants of different sultans in terms of utilizing the natural resources and other matters. o Gradually, these residents became the official rulers of the local states. The Strait Settlements was governed by a governor or a resident under the authority of the Colonial Office from London. o These were group of islands or shores around the Malay archipelago under the British government. ❖ Response of the Malaysians to Dutch Colonialism As the Malaysians were divided by the political manipulation of the British, the protest towards the colonists did not happen initially. Malayan Emergency – It was also known as Anti-British Nacional Liberation War, 1948. o It was a guerilla war led by the communist group called Malayan National Liberation Army who were pro-independence against the military forces of the Federation of Malaya, British Empire, and the Commonwealth. o Chin Peng aimed to establish a communist state of Malay. o It was one of the political effects of the aftermath of the Second World War as the ideology of communism was spread which were spearheaded by China and Soviet Union. o The British government together with its allied countries aimed to purge any method of spreading the communist ideology through military attacks. o The British government established communities designed to separate the populace from the rural areas that served as the hideout of the communist guerillas. o The insurrection of the communist people was prevented by the British forces in the end. Prepared by: Mr. James Imman Ilao