Commemorating VOC<\/p>\n
The Dutch have commemorated the 400th year anniversary of the
\nVereenigde Oost-Indies Company (VOC) or (Dutch) East Indies
\nCompany, they had set up in the 17th century with pride and
\nfanfare in The Hague just a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian ambassador to The Netherlands, on the other
\nhand, boycotted the festivities. There is nothing wrong with
\nDutch-Indonesian relations today only the Indonesian attitude
\nstems from hatred of what the VOC have done to the Indonesian
\npeople in the past.<\/p>\n
Indonesian school children may read in their history books
\ntoday that the VOC had been the fore-runner of Dutch colonial
\npower that had exploited Indonesia's wealth and brutally
\nsuppressed the people of Indonesia for three and half centuries
\ndenying the indigenous people the right to self-rule.<\/p>\n
Indonesians came first in contact with western civilization
\nmostly through the Dutch colonial administration. They also had
\nlearned a lot from their colonial masters in technological
\nmatters like building bridges and railways, roads, dams and
\nairfields. Most Indonesians, however, were and still are of the
\nview that the VOC had deprived them of a welfare society and had
\nto be opposed at any cost.<\/p>\n
In recent times various Dutch administrations fortunately have
\ninitiated rescue programs for Indonesia's ailing economy and
\nrelations between the two countries are close and cordial.<\/p>\n
Dutch colonial thinking, indeed, has led the people of
\nIndonesia to be deprived of any democratic rights. But this small
\ncountry of 12 million people, mostly living under the sea-level,
\nmay now serve as an example to Indonesia how democracy and
\ndemocratic government must be practiced. Furthermore, the Dutch
\nare known to be industrious and thrifty and professional in their
\nfields including in sports (chess, football, swimming) while they
\nhave been pioneering in many human endeavors.<\/p>\n
In commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Dutch colonial
\nmonopoly trading organization the Dutch have the right to be
\nproud of their achievements. But they should write down in their
\nhistory books that the colonial practices of the VOC, which
\nalmost turned Indonesians into slave laborers in many
\nplantations, is something to be ashamed of internationally and
\nhumanly.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/commemorating-voc-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }