The Gendered Rhetoric of Colonialism and Anti-Colonialism in Twentieth-Century Indonesia

Abstract

In the Anti-Revolutionary Party's political platform of 1879, Ons Program, Dr. Abraham Kuyper-the pater familias of the orthodox Dutch Reformed political forces in the Netherlands-inaugurated a discourse about colonial policy which proposed that henceforth the Dutch as colonial masters in Indonesia should perform the role of faithful tutors to indigenous pupils. They ought to serve as generous guardians, Kuyper sermonized, dedicated to the instruction and edification of their native children. While God had forged the bonds between the Netherlands and the Indies, Ons Program held forth-and the policy of the Anti-Revolutionary Party should be to maintain that which God had ordained-the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the gruesome exploitation of the Cultivation System (cultuurstelsel) had committed a cardinal sin by violating His commandment that Thou shalt not steal. Now it was incumbent upon the Dutch in Southeast Asia to begin the delicate task of replacing these greedy tendencies with a policy of moral obligation and the uplifting of Indonesians. In the Anti-Revolutionary Party's political lexicon, ethical colonial governance inspired by Christian faith implied both selfless dedication and stern instruction on the part of those who wished to execute God's will on earth.' In short, in the period between the formulation of Ons Program in 1879 and World War II the terms ethical trusteeship, moral tutelage, and parental guidance were inextricably linked to any and all discussions about Dutch colonial policy in Indonesia.