When The City Of Batavia Lacks The Touch Of Women

JAKARTA - In 1618, the founder of the City of Batavia Jan Pieterszoon Coen wrote to Heren XVII, a Board of Directors of the Vereemigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC). Coen, who is also the Governor General of Batavia, does not use pleasantries. He wrote: Everyone knows that men cannot survive without women. To solve this problem, we have spent a lot of money buying women at a high price.

This condition arose when he officially obtained a colony in Batavia. His frustration at that time arose because the VOC Board of Directors in the Netherlands seemed reluctant to send their women to Asia. For them, only the wife and children of high ranking employees are allowed to leave.

As a result, Batavia became an area inhabited by white European men, but with few white women. As Coen said, most of them schemed by marrying slaves to become nyai. Then, the Indo-Dutch descent was born.

Obviously Coen didn't really like that condition. In fact, he wanted women from the Netherlands to accompany VOC employees compared to other countries. So he said, "So that the Company people can find suitable partners to live in the colony, send us young women."

In one of his letters, Coen emphasized that women are an important prerequisite for trade. To the point that he considered that if European women were available, then trade markets throughout the archipelago would belong to the colonial government.

Quoted from Achmad Sunjayadi in his book entitled (Not) Taboo di Nusantara, he explained that at that time Coen not only asked girls, but also suggested that many Dutch families from good circles migrate to Batavia. "Together with the families, he hopes to include around 400 to 500 boys and girls who were taken from orphanages in the Netherlands."

“The proposed ratio of boys and girls is 2: 1. Especially for girls, they would live with families or in special schools financed by the Company. There they are cared for, educated, and taught until they come of age, old enough to be married to future husbands who are descendants of respectable families, "said Achmad Sunjayadi.

This was because Coen's idea that all the good qualities of the Dutch family and women - especially politeness, cleanliness, and politeness - could be embedded in their offspring in the colony. Another goal is to replace existing wives of Asian or Indo descent.

Grant

Coen's wish was welcomed. In 1620, the directors of the VOC in the Netherlands decided to grant their wish to bring in women from the Netherlands. Jean Gelman Taylor in his book entitled Social Life in Batavia reveals, "That year they also conveyed very encouraging news to Coen that three families and several girls will sail to Batavia on the Mauritius Ship."

Jean added that the girls who were sent also received a set of clothes from the VOC and it would later become a custom to give each woman a dowry before they got married. Even so, they women did not get a salary, but signed a contract as VOC employees binding them to stay for five years in Batavia.

In addition, the colonial government provided appropriate housing and other assistance for these pioneer families. Unfortunately, those who were sent were orphaned girls or children from very poor families.

“There is no way girls from rich families will be allowed to go to Indonesia. Even though they can survive sea travel and from various diseases in Batavia, life is still full of dangers for those young girls without ties, "said Jean Gelman Taylor.

The existence of letters from senior VOC officials also confirmed what Jean said. This condition brings several facts, that the orphaned girls mostly fall into prostitution and many of them lose their right to be sent home.

A problem

Coen's move also failed. The reason was that the girls from the respected family backgrounds as expected were not sent. Another reason was that the marriage of a human pair, both of whom came from the Netherlands in Batavia, did not produce strong offspring. That's because the number of miscarriages and child mortality is quite high.

In fact, Coen's move was criticized by another VOC employee, Hendrik Bouwer. He considered Coen too liberal because of his blind obsession with the development of Batavia, the Dutch, who worked for money, would prefer to return to their country rather than stay in Indonesia.

"That this is because the Dutch woman who came here was poor, and after being rich, could not stop complaining until she was sent back to the Netherlands and was present among people who she knew were rich," said Hendrik Bouwer.

Hendrik Bouwer added that the average good household in Batavia was based on VOC employees who married native women. "Their children are healthier, the women here are less demanding, and our soldiers better marry them."

In line with Hendrik Bouwer, Heren XVII then chose to be different from Coen. The VOC Board of Directors was of the opinion that if a Dutch man married an indigenous woman, strong, strong and long-lived children would be born. So, Heren XVII indirectly approved mixed marriage on the grounds that it would produce physically strong children who were able to adapt to the typical tropical climate of the archipelago.

However, this was ignored by VOC employees in Batavia. The reason was that Dutch and Indonesian marriages were still very taboo at that time. Hence, many concubinage practices emerged. To the extent that, the senior journalist, Alwi Shahab, in his article entitled Batavia Deficiency for Women, said that since the 17th century, many embroidery houses were built around Batavia.

"The place is around Sunda Kalapa Harbor or around the Syahbandara Tower. Also in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta, there are the same brothels, "concluded Alwi Shahab.