JP/9/BOOK
--------------------------------- Minorities, Modernity and the emerging nation Christians in Indonesia, A Biographical Approach Gerry Van Klinken KITLV Press 2003 285 pp
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One of the unfortunate realities of history is that, as an infamous 1940s German leader said, "History is written by the victors". In many situations where one group is the majority, they often overlook the important contributions of other members of society.
Such is the nature of man, perhaps, so it is always interesting to read about the history of minorities. And such is the case in Indonesia with regard to the contribution by urban middle class Christians to the nation's independence.
It is well documented that the Dutch colonists were particularly neglectful of the indigenous population of the Dutch East Indies for centuries. However, in the early 1900s, with Liberalism all the rage in Europe, there was pressure on the governor-generals in then Batavia to educate and employ the local population.
The administration addressed the situation in a limited way. Many of the beneficiaries of the new policy were "those that we can work with" -- in that case the Christian population who were considered more loyal to the administration.
A few decades later with Liberalism evolving into talk of independence, led by indigenous, Dutch-educated Christians using their limited -- but still much greater than almost every other Indonesian -- influence within the church and government. They began moving toward empowering more of the local population -- all ethnic groups and religions -- out of a sense of true nationalism.
Van Klinken chose to focus this historical work on five key Christian figures -- Amir Sjarifoeddin, Bishop Soegijapranata, Kasimo, Moelia and Ratu Langie -- to illustrate in an extremely exhaustive, academic manner, that without people such as these, Indonesian independence may not have occurred until many more decades had passed.
Despite that fact, they are, with the exception of Ratu Langie (more frequently spelled Ratulangi), given short shrift among the younger generation today. It's sad that the accomplishments of some of these true Indonesian patriots have largely been forgotten, not only for their instrumental roles as conduits between the power base in Jakarta and the traditional masses, but their roles as catalysts to connect Indonesians with the modern concepts of democracy and social change.
This book is a must read for people interested in the complete history of the first half of the 20th century in this archipelago. By no means does it pit religions against one another or claim one or the other contributed more; it is quite simply about key figures who affected much positive change but have not been accorded the status they deserve.
-- Rich Simons