Dutch East Indies Iron Hand Politics: Colonial Strategy Uses Intelligence To Disable National Movement

The Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Bonifacius Cornelis de Jonge, who ruled 1931-1935, and his successor, Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer. (Nationaal Museum van Wereldculture)

JAKARTA - The narrative of education as a tool of struggle is not just an empty message. The touch of education made freedom fighters realize that colonialism was the root behind ignorance and oppression. They chose to fight and demand independence from the Dutch colonialists.

The colonial government of the Dutch East Indies did not remain silent. The politics of the iron hands was perpetuated. The Dutch colonizers then spread a lot of intelligence to spy on the movement. Everything is done to paralyze the national movement.

Limited education in the Dutch East Indies (now: Indonesia) is not an obstacle. Those who are able to penetrate the difficulty of accessing education do not forget the fate of the oppressed natives. Education became the estuary of the sensitivity of freedom fighters to be hurt by seeing the bumiputras oppressed like dairy cows.

They fought resistance against the Dutch. Even movements against colonialism emerged one by one. From Sarekat Islam to Budi Utomo. The ideas of realizing an independent nation began to be spread from pulpit to pulpit.

At first the movement that was built went smoothly. Recently, the criticism and resistance made the freedom fighters furious the Dutch were not playing. The Dutch East Indies rulers took a stand. They want to break the chain of resistance of the natives.

The leader of the movement is starting to be wary of. The breakthrough became increasingly massive in the Bonifacius Cornelis de Jonge era, taking over the Dutch East Indies government in 1931. The Governor-General, who served from 1931 to 1936, began to perpetuate the political policy of hitting. Iron hand politics, his name.

The politics led De Jonge to deploy a lot of government intelligence, Politieke Inlichtingen Dienst (PID) to spy on national movements. All kinds of reports related to disturbing movements will be reported directly to De Jonge. Then, De Jonge acted like the justice. He can recommend imprisonment or exile.

To save his government, De Jonge intends to oppress the national movement that is non-cooperative. Leaders of the national movement that is non-cooperative are the targets of his revenge. PID, namely the police assigned to oversee national movements, is distributed and authorized to attend every meeting, whether political or not, and authorized to stop the speaker, who criticized the government's politics, dissolved the meeting, and arrested suspected participants.

PID stands for Politieke Inlichtingen Dienst, a kind of investigative body. These PID police are a scourge for Indonesia's national movement and are a powerful colonial tool to paralyze the national movement. In other words, the PID police, who are usually also from the Bumiputra community, were told to hit the leaders of the national movement of their own nation who fought for the people," explained Slamet muljana in the book National Awakening: From Colonialism to Independence (2008).

De Jonge's accusations of moving intelligence to spy on freedom fighters are increasingly disturbing. Independence fighters are concerned in carrying out their intention to spread the idea of independence everywhere.

Independence fighters feel threatened. Because, at any time De Jonge could easily label the rebels and punish the freedom fighters. However, the freedom fighters did not give up. The strategy was played.

Meeting agendas are usually carried out secretly, underground. The matter of singing Indonesia Raya and raising the Red and White flag, especially. Even though many freedom fighters have high guts and openly oppose the Dutch power.

Among others, Soekarno, Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo, Iwa Kusumasoemantri, to Haji Abdul Karim Amrullah (Apostle's Hajj). Take the struggle of the freedom fighter, Haji Rasul. Ulama from Minangkabau who is also the father of Buya Hamka, are known to have high courage against the Dutch.

Haji Rasul was widely opposed to Dutch policies that harmed the bumiputras. Ordonationation of illegal schools, let alone. The Hajj of the Prophet became even tougher when the Dutch tried to interfere in Islam in Minangkabau.

He even often challenged his guts by looking for and visiting Dutch spies. He also advised the owner of power not to interfere. As a consequence, he was exiled by the Dutch to Sukabumi on August 8, 1941. He is considered by the Dutch as a dangerous figure who cannot exist.

"And that's how it is. Minangkabau is full of government spies and recordrs who just note what is said in meetings. The Prophet is aware of this practice and sometimes faces the recordists himself openly. Be careful to record his memory. Because this case will not end now. In the hereafter, do not betray to record.

"Even though it is being monitored like that, the Prophet continued the struggle against colonial rules that required the registration of marriage civilians (in addition to Islamic rules), against the Dutch move to appoint and dismiss sharia judges, against new rules that limit the access of villagers to forests and beyond," explained Jamse R. Rush in the book Adi cerita Hamka (2018).