Colonizers owe colonized<\/p>\n
I refer to the letter Colonizers that bad? (July 22).
\nColonialism is definitely a bad dream for Indonesians. Mr. Budi
\nSetiawan must have read the same books I have.<\/p>\n
These books recount the pains our people endured a long time
\nago, about forced labor in Java introduced by the British and the
\nDutch some 300 years ago. And they that tell stories of our women
\nbeing raped or forced to act as sexual playthings for the
\nJapanese.<\/p>\n
Even so, there is a province in our country called East Timor
\nthat was freed some 20 years ago after being colonized by the
\nPortuguese for 450 years. All the torture, rape, human rights
\nabuses done hundreds of years ago still have echoes in our
\npresent life.<\/p>\n
For example, my grandmother still gets scared if she meets
\nwith a European because her father was beaten so badly by Dutch
\nsoldiers he was never able to walk again.<\/p>\n
Another example, 75 percent of the East Timorese were still
\nilliterate when the Portuguese left. Do we have to thank the
\ncolonialists for the damage they did?<\/p>\n
Maybe the colonizers have to thank us as their kings and
\nqueens can live the way they are now, because they benefited from
\nour land and people for generations.<\/p>\n
SILVIA GILL<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/colonizers-owe-colonized-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }