The Chinese In Indonesia

Based on an article by George McT. Kahin, in “Far Eastern Survey.”

THERE are one and a half million Chinese —or part Chinese —in the Netherlands Indies, and although many have tried to accommodate them selves to changing times, and, in recent months, to the Indonesian cause, on the whole the first stormy year of the Indo nesian Republic has been an unhappy one for them.

Politically and economically, the majority of the Chinese in the Indies have always aligned themselves with the des tiny of the Dutch.

During the Japanese occupation, ap parently, some of the Chinese formed an anti-Fascist group and actively resisted the enemy. Others, however, collaborated with the Japanese; and on the whole it may be said that the Japs did not seriously interfere with the Chinese.

They left them in their former positions, apparently believing that even the poor economic life of the occupation period could not function without the Chinese middleman in his traditional Indonesian place.

When Japanese authority was with drawn, with their capitulation in August 1945, neither the new Indonesian Repub lican Government, the Dutch nor the British were strong enough to protect the Chinese from some elements who had Jong suffered at the hands of Chinese economic exploiters and moneylenders.

In some of the larger Chinese commu nities. in Java and Sumatra, they set up, for their own protection. Chinese “Peace Preservation Corps.” At the same time, minor Chinese elements actively identi fied themselves with the Indonesians — one example of this was when they fought with the Indonesians against the British troops in Sourabaya in November, 1945.

FROM the beginning of Dutch control of the Netherlands Indies, the Chinese held a favoured position in the eonomic field; it was generally con ceded that Chinese middlemen and re tailers were indispensable to the Dutch set-up, and the hold on Indonesian economics gained by the Chinese in the 18th and 19th centuries, when they were granted ‘monopoly-leases” for activities in specified parts of Java, was never wholly relinquished even in the 20th century, by which time the Dutch had deprived the Chinese of the last of these monopolies, their pawn shops and their opium concessions.

The political position of the Indies- Chinese was relatively strong before the Japanese invasion. They had well-organ ised political parties and press, and had four representatives on the Volksraad. or People’s Council. To-day, it may be said that there are three political groupings of Chinese in the Indies.

The first of these is the “pro-China” group, drawn from the 450,000 Chinese who were born in China, and are still Chinese subjects. Their attitude is—or was—largely dominated by the Kuomin tang: a wait-and-see attitude towards the present struggle in the Indies is the attitude of this group.

The second group is the “pro-Dutch” group, which includes the majority of those born in the Indies. Many of them have much Indonesian blood and no longer speak Chinese, but hold fairly closely to Chinese culture and customs.

They feel that they stand to lose much by the withdrawal of Dutch rule. It can be said that this party represents the wealthier elements —landlords, merchants and industrialists. This party had two seats in the Volksraad in 1939.

In the present struggle, however, although some of them have openly com mitted themselves to the Dutch cause, the majority have, like the pro-China

group, endeavoured to maintain a strictly neutral position.

The third group is smaller than the other two but has increased in influence of recent months—possibly due to short range opportunism. This is the pro-Indo nesian group—lndies-born and believing that their destiny lies in Indonesia rather than in China. This group formed its own political party in 1932, and had one seat in the Volksraad. Its membership came largely from the urban working classes, and the party’s object was con nection with the native Nationalists.

GENERALLY it can be said that the present attitude of the majority of the Indies-Chinese is to sit tight and

endeavour to remain neutral a wise precaution on the part of the not un realistic Chinese, who have their own welfare at heart, considering the with drawal of the British troops and the small number of Dutch troops available for protective duties.

It is interesting to note that the first modern native political organisation of any importance began as an anti-Chinese movement. This was the Sarekat Islam which soon embraced, as well, an anti imperialist attitude directed against the Dutch. During October, 221 tons of cocoabeans were shipped from Western Samoa to the United States. Prices paid to growers for this consignment averaged £165 per ton. in November, the “Eskbank” loaded 2.000 tons of copra at Apia, and will take it to England direct.