Al Mas Galak Budget Efficiency, Herman Willem Daendels

Illustration of Herman Willem Daendels when witnessing the construction of the Pos Anyer-Panarukan Highway. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The Dutch trading conspiracy, the VOC, was once known as the most valuable trading company in the world. Luckily, it is abundant. The assets are abundant everywhere. However, the Company has serious problems. They don't want to fix the ruling style of their officials.

Corrupt officials are hoarding from the middle to the upper class. Not to mention the habit of officials who are wasteful and fond of spree. Everything changed when Herman Willem Daendels came. The Governor General of the Dutch East Indies began to make budget efficiency within the colonial government.

Opportunities to work and become rich in the Netherlands are limited. This opportunity can only be accessed by those with higher education and influential families. Those who incidentally come from poor families, go bankrupt, and orphans will not be able to access it.

That doesn't mean they can't be rich. They only have one option to be rich: enter the VOC. The Company used to be known as the most valuable company in the world. The trade in spices is a must.

The risk for those who work for the Company is that they must dare to live far away in one of the areas of power, including in the archipelago. The road is the only way they can access money and positions. The actual motivation of money has recently become a disaster. Corruption began to be ingrained in the body of the Company.

Kompeni officials gossip about corruption. Compensation money is changed. Trading on behalf of the Company was later changed to private trade. Everything is just to satisfy the lust for a rich life and spree.

Corruption is bad luck with Kompeni. The Company's debt is abundant. As a result, the spice trade continues to decrease. The VOC then went bankrupt. Later the King of the Netherlands sent a tough Governor General to the archipelago in 1808. Herman Willem Daendels, his name.

Daendels was given the task of carrying out government efficiency and eradicating corrupt officials in the Dutch East Indies. He then founded the Dutch East Indies Colonial government. A modern state concept that according to him is efficient.

In addition, there was manipulation in scales, prices, sales of positions, sales of monopoly such as addiction, salt, and others, so that VOC officials became wealthy while the VOC itself was getting poorer. Finally, the VOC set taxes on its officials and sold them as regents, land owners, and others often as hereditary property. Finally, the VOC went bankrupt at the end of the 18th century

The VOC was replaced by the Dutch East Indies. Its founder, Daendels, an Napoleonian officer, used the model of the first modern Napoleonian state and opposed corruption among employees who were prepared and paid according to the hierarchy," said historian Ong Hok Ham in his Lost book of wisdom, Guncang Country (2018).

Daendels' presence brought a stir in the archipelago. Gemanya as a leader is firm everywhere. Javanese alone dubbed Daendels as Mas Galak. Daendels' superiority was allegedly because of his courage to reform, budget efficiency, and the death penalty for corruptors.

Anyone who opposes Daendels' power will be fired. Those who were fired will be repatriated to Europe. Daendels only confirmed officials with integrity. The move was intended as a form of budget efficiency. He began to build other efficiency steps by building the archipelago like a modern country.

Regional and regional boundaries are introduced. He also regulates the affairs of the personnel hierarchy. Bumiputra employees for the Dutch East Indies began their salaries - such as regents and others. The position could no longer be held from generation to generation.

The salary is given so that local entrepreneurs do not look for deviant ways: corruption. They are also prohibited from welcoming massive officials. Infrastructure projects with minimal benefits are being reduced by Daendels. This condition can be seen in the plan to transfer power center from Oud Batavia (now: Kota Tua area).

The transfer of the center of power was originally planned between Surabaya or Semarang. However, for reasons of budget efficiency, the government center only moved to Weltevreden (now: the area around Lapangan Banteng).

The construction alone utilizes the rubble of buildings destroyed in Oud Batavia. However, infrastructure projects that are believed to have great benefits such as Jalan Raya Pos Anyer-Panarukan are being carried out.

The presence of the road brings many benefits, from smooth branches to past Dutch East Indies troops can be fast. Indeed, the construction of the Pos Highway was shrouded in controversy. Many Bumiputras died in development.

The efficiency and changes made by Daendels are often remembered. Even though his reign was quite short from 1808-1811. He likes to introduce that with firm leadership change can be achieved.

Daendels wants an efficient government, and therefore it is necessary to create a standard government apparatus format. He divided Java into 9frefectures which are fully responsible for the regional government concerned.

The system he introduced aims to tighten administrative supervision of local entrepreneurs. He also focused (centralization) on power in the government in Batavia," said historian Mona Lohanda in the book History of the Regulation of Batavia (2007).