Gara-gara Buah Sukun, "Mel Gibson mengirim Anhony Hopkins ke Kupang"

Beberapa minggu lalu saya ke sebuah toko buku second hand. Salah satu buku saya ambil secara random bukan karena membaca judulnya tapi karena bentuknya yang unik, kumal dan tebal. Ternyata isi buku itu bukan dalam bentuk huruf cetakan tetapi tulisan tangan. "Manuscript apa lagi ini", pikir saya.  

Lalu mata saya jatuh pada sebuah kata yang tertera di bagian atas salah satu halaman: "COUPANG". Insting saya mengatakan ini tentang Kupang. Ternyata benar, buku itu ada hubungannya dengan kota Kupang.

Judul buku itu adalah "The Mutiny on Board H.M.S. Bounty" ditulis oleh William Bligh. Buku bersampul kulit seharga 2 Euro itu saya bawa pulang. Sepertinya saya pernah membaca cerita pemberontakan itu tapi saya lupa di mana. Akhirnya saya cari di Internet dan saya menemukan banyak informasi tentang pemberontakan itu. Inti ceritanya: Dalam pelayaran pulang dari sebuah misi di Tahiti pada tahun 1789, kapal HMS Bounty milik Kerajaan Inggris diambil alih oleh sejumlah anak buah kapal dibawah pimpinan Wakil Kapten Christian Fletcher. Sang Kapten, Letnan William Bligh, dan pengikut setianya dinaikkan ke sebuah sekoci, diberikan bekal seperlunya dan dipisahkan dari kapal tersebut. 

Setelah kapal H.M.S. Bounty diambilalih, para pemberontak mencari route sendiri untuk menghindar dari armada Inggris yang bisa saja menangkap mereka, sedangkan Kapten Bligh dan pengikutnya terus mendayung mencari pertolongan, hampir terbunuh di pulau Tofua dan akhirnya mendarat di Kupang. Setelah 47 hari di lautan, rombongan ini akhirnya tiba di Kupang. Itulah sebabnya dalam bagian atas dari catatan hariannya yang diterbitkan dalam buku di atas, terdapat kata "Coupang".

Rute perjalanan HMS Bounty. Garis merah menandakan rute H.M.S Bounty ke Tahiti. Garis Kuning menunjukan rute H.M.S Bounty setelah diambil alih Christian Fletcher dan pengikutnya, sedangkan Haris Hijau menandakan perjalanan Kapten Bligh dengan perahu ke Kupang setelah kapalnya diambilalih. [Sumber: Wikipedia]

Sudah banyak buku dan novel, komik, film bahkan puisi yang menulis tentang kisah ini atau sekedar mengutip bagian-bagian tertentu. Lebih menarik lagi sudah ada lima film yang didasarkan pada kisah ini. Film pertama adalah film bisu yang di buat di Australia pada tahun 1916. Film yang kelima dibuat tahun 1984 dan diperankan oleh Anthony Hopkins dan Mel Gibson. Hopkins memerangkan Kapten Bligh sedangkan Gibson memerangkan Fletcher Christian sahabat Bligh yang kemudian memimpin pemberontakan melawan Bligh. Beruntung sekali film itu secara utuh bisa anda dowload di YouTube. Bagian tentang Kupang bisa anda lihat di durasi 2.01.10  dari film itu di mana Anthony Hopkins yang awutan-awutan melapor ke official Belanda di Kupang. Coba anda beri penilaian apakah gambaran di film cukup mendekati topografi Kupang. Menurut saya cukup lumayan.

Yang menarik bagi saya selain film itu, adalah Catatan Harian Kapten Bligh. Ia menuliskan segala hal dalam pengamatannya dan pengalaman mereka selama 47 hari di lautan dan bahkan sampai ia tiba di Inggris setahun kemudian.  Pada hari Sabtu, 13 Juni ia mencatat bahwa mereka mendekati sebuah pulau namun mereka tidak buru-buru berlabuh. Mereka hanya terapung-apung di perairan lepas pantai sampai hari makin terang. Bligh menulis:

On examining the coast, and not seeing any sign of a settlement, we bore away to the westward, having a strong gale, against a weather current, which occasioned much sea. I.. stood towards the outer land, and found it to be the island Roti.

Jadi tanggal 13 Juni, mereka berada di sekitar pulau Rote. Namun mereka tidak mendarat. Beberapa awak ingin mendarat di Rote untuk mencari bekal namuan Kapten Bligh tidak mengizinkan. Mungkin karena pengalaman mereka hampir di bunuh di sebuah Pulau di Pasifik sebelumnya. Mereka cuma mengawasi Rote dari lepas pantai. Mereka sempat melihat kepulan asap yang menurut Bligh, itu adalah asap dari orang-orang pribumi yang sedang membersihkan lahan mereka. Bligh menggambarkan Rote sebagai berikut:

We had a view of a beautiful-looking country, as if formed by art into lawns and parks. The coast is low, and covered with woods, in which are innumerable fan palm-trees, that look like cocoanut walks. The interior part is high land, but very different from the more eastern parts of the island, where it is exceedingly mountainous, and to appearance the soil better.

Mereka terus berlayar dan pada Minggu, 14 Juni, Bligh menggambarkan bahwa mereka menemukan sebuah teluk yang tenang, setelah melewati sebuah selat yang sangat berbahaya. Menurutnya bahayanya selat itu "disebabkan oleh arus dan angin yang keras dan dangkalnya air." Dengan nampaknya teluk itu, Bligh menduga kemungkinan ada orang Eropa di situ, dan ia mengirimkan dua orang untuk mencaritahu. Ia menulis:

"I therefore came to a grapnel near the east side of the entrance, in a small sandy bay, where we saw a hut, a dog, and some cattle; and I immediately sent the boatswain and gunner away to the hut, to discover the inhabitants."

Kedua utusan itu kembali dengan selamat. Mereka berhasil membawa lima orang penduduk asli dan kedua utusan itu melaporkan kepada Bligh bahwa mereka juga bertemu dengan dua keluarga, dimana para memperlakukan dengan “keramah-tamahan orang Eropa”. Orang-orang inilah memberitahukan bahwa sang gubernur tinggal di sebuah tempat bernama Coupang, yang berjarak tidak terlalu jauh dari tempat mereka berada.  Bligh menggambarkan bagaimana ciri-ciri orang-orang itu:

These people were of a dark tawny color, and had long black hair; they chewed a great deal of beetle, and wore a square piece of cloth round their hips, in the folds of which was stuck a large knife. They had a handkerchief wrapped round their heads, and at their shoulders hung another tied by the four corners, which served as a bag for their beetle equipage.

Orang-orang ini kemudian memberi mereka makan daging penyu kering dan jagung. Bligh mengaku sangat senang dengan jagungnya namun daging penyunya sangat keras sehingga harus dicelupkan di air sebelum dimakan. Salah satu dari para penduduk asli ini kemudian mengantarkan mereka ke Kupang. Mereka berangkat sekitar pukul 4.30 sore dan sekitar pukul satu malam mereka meliwati "Pulo Samow" nama yang beritahukan oleh sang pemandu kepada Bligh. Ini lebih menguatkan dugaan kalau orang-orang yang menolong Kapten Bligh dan kru-nya adalah orang Rote. 

Di tengah perlayaran mereka mendengarkan dua kali tembakan meriam yang membuat mereka bersemangat lagi. Mereka juga melihat beberapa kapal yang memberi harapan kepada mereka bahwa ada orang Eropa di tempat ini. Mereka terus "mendayung" sampai jam empat pagi dimana mereka makan roti dan minum anggur mereka yang tersisa. Setelah beristirahat sebentar, mereka mendayung lagi dan tiba di Kupang saat matahari terbit. Bligh menulis bahwa ia sendiri turun ke pantai. Ia melambaikan bendera Union Jack kecil sebagai tanda kelelahan. Setelah hari mulai terang, seorang prajurit memanggil Bligh ke darat. Bligh turun ke daratan. Di sana ia ternyata bertemu dengan seorang pelaut Inggris yang kapalnya sedang berlabuh di Kupang. Bligh menulis:

His captain, he told me, was the second person in the town; I therefore desired to be conducted to him, as I was informed the governor was ill, and could not then be spoken with.

Captain Spikerman received me with great humanity. I informed him of our miserable situation; and requested that care might be taken of those who were with me, without delay. On which he gave directions for their immediate reception at his own house, and went himself to the governor, to know at what time I could be permitted to see him; which was fixed to be at eleven o'clock.

Setelah semuanya jelas, Kapten Bligh mengajak anak buahnya turun ke daratan. Mereka diterima dengan baik, bahkan mendapatkan penginapan dan disiapkan makanan pagi berupa roti dan teh. Bligh menggambarkan kondisi para awak sbb:

An indifferent spectator would have been at a loss which most to admire; the eyes of famine sparkling at immediate relief, or the horror of their preservers at the sight of so many spectres, whose ghastly countenances, if the cause had been unknown, would rather have excited terror than pity. Our bodies were nothing but skin and bones, our limbs were full of sores, and we were clothed in rags; in this condition, with the tears of joy and gratitude flowing down our cheeks, the people of Timor beheld us with a mixture of horror, surprise, and pity.

Pejabat Belanda yang ada di Kupang waktu itu adalah Gubernur William Adrian van Este, yang menurut Hans Hagerdaal (2011) pernah menjabat sementara tahun 1766-1767 dan kemudian menjabat lagi tahun 1777-1789 kemudian meninggal pada tahun yang sama. Van Este yang sedang sakit keras saat itu menerima mereka dengan ramah dan Bligh menggambarkan keramahan Van Este sbb:

"The governor, Mr. William Adrian Van Este, notwithstanding his extreme ill health, became so anxious about us, that I saw him before the appointed time. He received me with great affection, and gave me the fullest proofs that he was possessed of every feeling of a humane and good man. Sorry as he was, he said, that such a calamity could ever have happened to us, yet he considered it as the greatest blessing of his life that we had fallen under his protection; and, though his infirmity was so great that he could not do the office of a friend himself, he would give such orders as I might be certain would procure me every supply I wanted." 

Van Este menyewa sebuah rumah untuk Bligh, sedangkan anah buahnya di tempatkan di rumah sakit atau di kapal Kapten Spikerman yang berlabuh di dekat jalan. Gubernur Van Este juga menyatakan ketidaknyamanannya karena tidak bisa menampung seluruh awak di sebuah rumah. Rumah yang disediakan untuk Bligh adalah satu-satunya rumah yang tak berpenghuni.

Van Este sedang sakit, segala urusan dengan Bligh dan anak buahnya diserahkan kepada wakilnya Timotheus Wanjon yang sekaligus adalah menantu Van Este. Mereka diperlakukan dengan sangat mewah di sini sebagaimana digambarkan Bligh dalam catatan-catatannya. Untuk memastikan bahwa rombongan pelaut ini bisa sampai Batavia sebelum Oktober, Bligh membeli sebuah kapal kecil yang berukuran panjang 34 kaki seharga 1000 rix-dollar. Kapal itu dibelinya pada tanggal 1 Juli dan diberi nama His Majesty Resource. Mereka ingin tiba di Batavia sebelum bulan Oktober karena di bulan Oktober ada pelayaran ke Eropa.

Namun pada tanggal 20 July salah seorang anak buah Bligh, David Nelson meninggal karena demam. Keesokan hatinya Nelson dikuburkan. Kemungkinan besar David Nelson dikuburkan di pekuburan yang sekarang disebut Kuburan Nunhila. Sayang Bligh tak bisa membuat batu nisan untuknya. Entahlah kemudian kuburannya diberi batu nisan atau tidak oleh oleh pejabat Belanda waktu itu. Bligh menulis:

"The corpse was carried by twelve soldiers drest in black, preceded by the minister; next followed myself and second governor; then ten gentlemen of the town and the officers of the ships in the harbor; and after them my own officers and people. After reading our burial-service, the body was interred behind the chapel, in the burying-ground appropriated to the Europeans of the town. I was sorry I could get no tombstone to place over his remains."

Menurut Bligh, Nelson baru dua kali berlayar ke Asia. Pelayaran pertama adalah bersama Kapten Cook dalam pelayaran pertamanya. Waktu itu Nelson diutus oleh Sir Joseph Banks untuk mengumpulkan sampel tumbuhan dan benih dalam pelayaran itu. Sir Joseph Banks inilah yang pernah singgah di Sabu dan membuat catatan tentang Sabu.

Tanggal 20 Agustus mereka berlayar meninggalkan Kupang. Bligh sangat sedih dan berterima kasih kepada orang-orang di Kupang. Ia menulis:

I left the governor, Mr. Van Este, at the point of death. To this gentleman our most grateful thanks are due, for the humane and friendly treatment that we have received from him. His ill state of health only prevented him from showing us more particular marks of attention. Unhappily, it is to his memory only that I now pay this tribute. It was a fortunate circumstance for us, that Mr. Wanjon, the next in place to the governor, was equally humane and ready to relieve us. His attention was unremitting, and, when there was a doubt about supplying me with money, on government account, to enable me to purchase a vessel, he cheerfully took it upon himself; without which, it was evident, I should have been too late at Batavia to have sailed for Europe with the October fleet. I can only return such services by ever retaining a grateful remembrance of them.

Lukisan karya Robert Dood menggambarkan saat-saat pemberontak menurunkan Kapten Bligh dan anak buahnya di sekoci. Perhatikan gambar tanaman di belakang kapal. Kemungkinan besar Dood mencoba menggambarkan anakan sukun yang dibawa oleh kapal HMS Bounty ini. Misi HMS Bounty ke Haiti adalah untuk membawa anakan Sukun ke Jamaica. (Sumber: Wikipedia).

Pada tanggal 29 Agustus mereka melewati Pulau Flores, terus ke Sumbawa, Lombok, Bali dan akhirnya Jawa yang nampak kepada mereka pada tanggal 6 September. Pada tanggal 10 September mereka berlabuh di "Passourwang" (Pasuruan), di latitude 7° 36' S, and 1 ° 44' sebelah barat Tanjung Sandana, sebelah tiur laut Jawa. Mereka melanjutkan keesokkan harinya dan tiba di "Sourabya" (Surabaya) pada 13 Septemnber. Pada 17 September mereka berangkat dari Surabaya dan pada hari yang sama mereka berlabuh selama dua jam di "Crissey" dan dari sana mereka berangkat ke "Samarang". Mereka mendarat di "Samarang" pada 22 September. Pada tanggal 26 September mereka berlayar ke Batavia dan tiba pada 1 Oktober.

Gambar buah sukun yang digambarkan oleh Sidney
Parkinson, Juru gambar Joseph Banks. Joseph Bank
adalah botanist yang menemani Captain Cook dalam perjanan
pertama captain Cook dimana mereka singgah di Sabu.
Banks juga pernah berlayar bersama Bligh.

Saat mereka tiba, Bligh jatuh sakit. Demam. Tanggal 7 Oktober ia dibawa ke rumah sakit umum, dimana ia dianjurkan oleh gubernur jendral untuk rawat inap. Namun ia sekali untuk berangkat sehingga akhirnya gubernur jendral memutuskan bahwa ia bisa berangkat bersama dua orang anak buahnya yang lain dalam rombongan yang segera berangkat. Gubernr juga berjanji bahwa anak buahnya yang lain akan berangkat bersama rombongan berikutnya sebelum akhir bulan. Akhirnya Bligh berangkat dengan rombongan Vlydt walaupun dalam keadaan sakit.

Tanggal 16 Desember mereka tiba di Tanjung Harapan dan Bligh merasa sudah agak sembuh. Bligh mencatat bahwa ia diperlakukan dengan baik oleh gubernur jendral di Batavia dan juga disambut dengan bersahabat oleh gubernur M. Van de Graaf di Tanjung Harapan. Pada 2 January 1790 mereka bertolak dari Tanjung Harapan ke Eropa dan pada tanggal 14 Maret Bligh tiba di Portsmouth dengan sebuah sampan dari Isle of Wight.

Demikianlah perjalanan pulang Kapten Bligh yang kemudian dalam sidang pengadilan di London dinyatakan turut bersalah dalam hal tidak bertindak tegas sehingga anak buahnya mengadakan pemberontakan. Sidang itu digambarkan dengan jelas pada bagian awal film yang diperankan Anthony Hopkins.

Yang menarik dari film itu, di bagian awal dalam flash back percakapan antara Bligh and Fletcher terungkap bahwa tujuan mereka berlayar ke Tahiti adalah untuk membawa anakan sukun untuk ditanam di Jamaika. Sukun akan ditanam untuk memberi makan para budak di sana karena pisang sangat mahal di sana. Ketidakjujuran mereka tergambar dalam bagaimana mereka menipu Raja Tahiti saat mereka tiba di sana. Bligh mengatakan Kapten James Cook masih hidup dan menitip salam untuk Raja Tahiti walaupun sebenarnya Cook terlah terbunuh di Hawaii beberapa tahun sebelumnya.

Perhatikan dalam bagian akhir catatan tgl 26 Juni 1789 disebutkan Bligh ke kebun Gubernur Jendral dan menemukan buah-buahan spt: "Nanka atau Sosak, Blimbing, Karungbola, Boabidarah, Syboak, Jambolang dan Jambo." Juga disebutkan bahwa nangka dan sosak banyak terdapat di "Bakenese."

Bligh mengajak Fletcher untuk menjadi wakilnya walaupun sudah ada orang lain yang diperintahkan secara resmi untuk menemani Bligh dalam ekpedisi ini. Mungkin Bligh terkesan dengan kepribadian Fletcher dalam beberapa pelayaran sebelumnya. Namun Bligh jujur kepada Fletcher bahwa ia "ingin membuat dirinya terkenal sebelum terlalu tua". Cerita persahabatan keduanya berakhir tragis dengan pemberontakan itu. Fletcher dan sejumlah pemberontak kemudian mendarat di Pitcairn Island pada bulan September 1789, membakar kapal yang diambil alih  dan menetap di sana. Mereka kawin-mawin dengan beberapa perempuan lokal yang dibawa dari Tahiti sebelumnya. Sampai sekarang keturunan mereka masih ada di sana dan beberapa di antaranya sudah kembali ke Inggris. 

Gara-gara buah sukun, Kapten Bligh terdampar di Kupang. Dan di Kupang pula ia menemui buah sukun di Bakunase, yang ia gambarkan dalam catatannya agak berbeda dari sukun di Tahiti.

Bagi Kupang, sekedar kita tahu sedikit sejarah dan juga sekedar tahu bahwa cerita tentang Kupang pernah masuk dalam film Hollywood walaupun hanya beberapa menit dan itu gara-gara buah sukun. 

Leiden, 11 Januari 2013.

“Turun di Ikaf ko?”

Aktifitas dalam sebuah pabrik daging kalengan di Kupang sekitar tahun 1950-an. (Sumber: Tanah Air Kita: a Pictorial Introduction to Indonesia.)

Pernahkah anda mendengar orang menyebut nama sebuah tempat di Kota Kupang dengan “Ikaf”? Memang sekarang sudah sangat jarang orang menyebut tempat itu dengan nama Ikaf. Di mana sebenarnya tempat itu dan mengapa dinamai demikian? 

Tempat itu sebenarnya hanya berjarak beberapa meter dari perempatan dekat kantor Polda NTT yang sering disebut sebagai perempatan Komdak menunjuk kepada nama lama dari institusi kepolisian “Komando Militer Daerah Kepolisian”. Beberapa meter dari arah Komdak ke arah Airnona anda akan melihat sebuah rumah mewah yang berdiri di antara Kantor Penggadaian dan sebuah lapangan volleyball. Di tempat di mana rumah mewah dan lapangan volloeyball berdiri itulah pernah berdiri sebuah pabrik yang disebut ICAFF singkatan dari Indonesia Canning and Freezing Factory.  

Itulah sebabnya setiap penumpang angkot yang hendak turun di pertigaan ke arah SMP/SMA (Sekarang SMP Lentera) biasa mengatakan kepada sopir angkot: “turun di Ikaf e”. Permintaan ini biasanya dilakukan oleh orang-orang tua yang pernah mengetahui akan parbrik itu. Seingat saya, gedung tua dari pabrik itu masih berdiri sekitar tahun 1980-an semasa saya di bangku SMP. Waktu itu, gedungnya sudah sangat tidak terawat. Seingat saya, dinding-dinding bagian luarnya ditempeli dengan seng. Pernah juga dipakai sebagai gedung sebuah sekolah swasta, namun kemudian dirobohkan.  

Menurut penulis Peter Apollonius Rohi, Icaff itu kebanggaan orang Kupang tahun 1950-an. Pemegang sahamnya kebanyakan pedagang besar di Kupang dan raja-raja serta para pemimpin pergerakan. Gedung pabrik itu didirikan di atas tanah raja Kupang, Don Alfonsus Nisnoni.  

"Ini memang cita-cita para pemimpin pergerakan. Makanya sebagian pemegang saham adalah para anggota koperasi Timor Verbond yug berfusi dengan Partai Indonesia Raya (Parindra) di Surabaya," kata anggota marinir yang memutuskan untuk menjadi wartawan ini. 

"Partai ini diketuai langsung oleh Dr Soetomo. Para pedagang yang bergabung dalam Icaff antara lain Lie Tie Pau, eksportir ternak terbesar di Kupang, Umar Bakhtiar, para raja-raja dan pegawai kerajaan, serta para pemimpin pergerakan. Papa saya dulu menyimpan buku yang berisi daftar nama-nama para pemegang saham Icaff".

Menurut Peter di sekitar tempat berdirinya pabrik tersebut tinggal beberapa keluarga antara lain keluarga Neppa, keluarga Bano, dan keluarga Rona. Di belakang pabrik itu tinggal adik Peter, tepatnya di sebelah barat rumah "pak Daulima, Direktur SGB". Di dekat pabrik itu juga tinggal pak Dillak, direktur SMP Kristen. Di sebelah rumah keluarga Dillak adalah rumah Ang Hoo Lang, seorang China yang menurut Peter sangat berjasa dalam sejarah pergerakan nasional. Dari beberapa keluarga ini, setahu saya yang masih berdiri di tempatnya adalah rumah keluarga Dillak.

Leopold Nisnoni menegaskan hubungan antara keluarga Nisnoni dengan perusahaan ini dalam wawancaranya dengan Steve Farram pada 17-19 Novemver 2002 (From 'Timor Koepang' to 'Timor NTT': A Political History of West Timor 1901-1967). Farram menulis:

"Leopold Nisnoni, the son of Raja Kupang, managed two major enterprises in Kupang, a printery and a canning factory, and later went into business." (341-42). 

Namun harus ditelusuri lebih jauh kepastian kepemilikan saham dalam perusahaan tersebut mempertimbangkan informasi yang diberikan Peter Rohi bahwa kepemilikan perusahaan itu mempunyai hubungan dengan agenda politik pada waktu itu dan bahwa kepemilikannya bukan oleh pihak keluarga Nisnoni semata.

Menurut I.H. Doko dalam bukunya Timor, Pulau Gunung Fatuleu (Balai Pustaka, 1982, hal. 44-45), pabrik pengolahan daging dalam kaleng ini didirikan tahun 1952. Pada waktu berproduksi perusahaan ini membutuhkan 16-20 ekor sapi sehari. Kesulitan transportasi dan harga tin plate (bahan baku untuk kaleng) yang tinggi membuat pabrik ini berhenti berproduksi. Tahun 1963 sudah tidak berproduksi lagi. 

Sebagian besar notes ini telah saya tulis sebagai draft sekitar tahun 2006 namun beberapa hari lalu seorang teman saya berkunjung ke rumah sebuah keluarga Belanda. Di sana ia diberikan sebuah buku fotografi tentang Indonesia berjudul “Tanah Air Kita: A pictorial introduction to Indonesia." Teman saya ini memilih buku ini untuk saya karena dia tahu saya sangat berminat tentang sejarah Timor. Buku yang tidak mencantumkan nama penulis dan tahun penerbitan itu diterbitkan oleh penerbit W. Van Hoeve N.V. The Hegue dan Bandung.  Pada halaman 196 terdapat sebuah foto dengan caption: Picture of a meat canning factory at Kupang, also called Timor Kupang. Sudah sejak lama saya ingin mengoleksi foto-foto bersejarah kota Kupang dan rupanya saya telah menemukan salah satu diantaranya. Selamat menikmati.

Leiden, 27 Desember 2012.

History of the forts of eastern Indonesia

One might reasonably ask what spices, especially cloves and nutmeg, have to do with forts and fortresses?

The main reason Europeans sailed to Asia was to control trade routes and spice-producing regions.

Many efforts were made to break the monopoly in the spice trade held by traders from India, China and the Middle East; the breakthrough came when Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama reached India in 1499 via Cape of Good Hope, opening the route to Asia.

Before long, the Portuguese had moved in, occupying Malacca and the Malay Peninsula in 1511.

After a secret Portuguese expedition by Antonio d’Abreu and Francisco Serrao to the Maluku Islands in the early 16th century, the Spanish adventurer Ferdinand Magellan followed in 1522 and Englishman Francis Drake in 1579. The Maluku Islands were now open to Europeans.

Under the Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, which divided the world outside Europe between Spain and Portugal along a north–south meridian 370 leagues west of Cape Verde islands, the Maluku Islands were divided into two.

This was revised by the Treaty of Saragossa, signed in 1592, under which the Maluku Islands fell into Portugal’s hands, hence the strong Portuguese influence in the Maluku Islands during the 16th century.

But if the 16th century was the Portuguese era, the first half of the 17th century belonged to the Dutch, with the Dutch East India Company (the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) and colonial government), with some bits of British influence in several places.

In every strategic place, the Dutch built posts and forts to control trading routes and protect themselves. Such fortifications could be the whole city or part of the city center.

Many of these fortifications are replicas of original buildings in Europe. Generally, they consisted of the main fort, surrounded by small forts or redoubts, which were used as the watch towers.

During the Pacific War, Papua and the Maluku Islands became a strategic area both for the Japanese and for Allied forces. Japan needed the region to hold off any incursion from the east and south, while the Allied forces needed the region to launch an assault on the Japanese forces, which then occupied everywhere from the Philippines to Tokyo.

The Japanese forces built pillboxes along the coastline as their outer defense line, while using natural and built cages inland to stop the advance of the Allied forces.--Matheos V. Messakh

The battle to defend military history

Matheos Viktor Messakh

The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Perhaps because most of them were built during the colonial era, they have never really been regarded as part of our history.

For thousands of years, humans have been building fortifications, as military constructions designed for defense during war, in a variety of complex designs.

Although many of the fortifications in Indonesia were built before colonialism, a great deal more were built during it, meaning they were neglected after the nation won its independence.

Now, a new effort to preserve these historical defense structures is underway, with researchers assessing traditional and colonial fortifications around the country in a bid to preserve the structures and raise community awareness about their historical importance.

The project, run by the Center for Architecture Documentation (PDA) and its Dutch counterpart Passchier Architects and Cultural (PAC), under the auspices of the HGIS Cultural Funding of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Culture and Tourism Ministry, began two years ago.

PAC is responsible for reviewing archives in the Netherlands, and the PDA is responsible for field surveys and reviewing archives in Indonesia.

“Fortifications should not be regarded only as a colonial inheritance,” executive director of the Indonesian Heritage Trust (BPPI) Catrini Kobontubuh told The Jakarta Post recently. “They are part of our history. Preserving them means we have preserved a source of knowledge for future generations.”

Catrini said the BPPI had been fully supporting the project since its launch in June 2007 because it was a rare initiative for Indonesia.

“Among the more than 200 forts registered at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, only seven have legal status as heritage buildings,” said Catrini.

The goal of the project is to produce a comprehensive database of fortifications to support government policy in the preservation of these heritage structures.

Archival research and field surveys have been conducted in various parts of the country to identify the types of fortification, their existing condition, common damage and development opportunities or risks, given the forts’ individual characteristics.

“We know that we have many historical buildings such as forts, but we don’t really know where they are or what condition they are in. Many have been neglected,” said PDA executive director Nadia Purwestry.

The research began with an initial list of 279 forts provided by the Culture and Tourism Ministry; of these, only 16 have been restored.

Information since gathered about these forts includes architectural facts and description, photos and videos detailing their current condition, data on the surrounding environment, GPS data on their position and accessibility, and information from local people.

The project is designed in three stages, each running for 12 months to review a different part of the country.

The first stage, from July 2007 to June 2008, identified fortifications in Maluku, North Maluku, West Papua and Papua.

The second stage, to identify fortifications in Java and Sumatra, began in July 2008 and will finish in June 2009. The third stage, from June 2009 to July 2010, will identify fortifications in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Bali.

Top priority are fortifications from the colonial era, such as stockades, blockhouses, land batteries, small forts, redoubts, hybrid fortifications or renaissance fortifications, and city walls.

Next are bunkers and forts from during World War II, followed by prehistoric fortifications, stockades (fences) and traditional fortifications.

The team reports surprising findings from the first stage, not least that there were more forts than the number documented by the directorate general of history and archaeology at the ministry.

For the eastern part of Indonesia, the team has found 141 fortifications. In Java and Sumatra alone, the team has already identified 180 fortifications.

More than 70 percent or 104 fortifications identified in eastern Indonesia are colonial structures built around the 17th century; 14 are traditional fortifications and 23 are defense structures for World War II.

Among the colonial fortifications in a relatively good condition are the 17th-century Nieuw Victoria Castle in Ambon, Orange Castle in Ternate, Star Fort Belgica in Neira island in Banda Islands. These three are regarded as the main Dutch fortresses.

Others are the Amsterdam blockhouse built in Hila in Ambon in 1637; the San Jao or San Pedro redoubt built in Ternate in 1530, which is now known as Kota Janji; Tolukko castle, built by Portuguese general Francisco Serao in 1540; and the Batavia land battery and Colombo land battery built around the end of 18th century by then governor Francois Boekholtz at Gunung Api island.

“There are still many unidentified,” said Nadia Purwestry, adding that less historical information was available for fortifications in the western part of Indonesia than for those in the east.

Most of the fortifications in the eastern parts of Indonesia have been left to fall into poor condition. Only 23 of the 104 colonial fortifications are in a relatively complete state, 20 are in ruins, 23 are mere remnants, eight have been destroyed; 30 have not yet been assessed.

“Fortifications never come to our attention,” said Sudarmadji Damais, former head of the Jakarta History Museum. “Many of them, especially traditional fortifications, have disappeared, so this survey would be perfect if it was combined with an archaeological survey.”

He said many traditional fortifications had disappeared quickly because they were not made from stone or cement like colonial fortifications.

Of the 14 traditional fortifications identified, only two are in a relatively complete condition, one is in ruins, four are mere remnants, three destroyed; the other four have not been surveyed.

One of the traditional fortifications identified is Kapahaha hill fort built in 1646 by the people of Hitu in Ambon as a defense against the Dutch. Although it has fallen into a state of ruin, it can still be identified.

Most of the 23 World War II fortifications, mostly Japanese bunkers, are in good condition, with only three in ruins. However, very little information about them is available.

“We are relying on only two books about Japanese defense during the second World War,” said Purwestry.

Among these 20th-century fortifications are Japanese bunkers in Passo and Air Salobar, Ambon, military pillboxes along the coast line of Ambon beaches and Buru Island, as well as Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s station in Sentani, Papua.

The researchers hope that the comprehensive database being compiled will prove valuable for all conservation efforts and for finding ways to use the structures in the future.

With its detailed information on the sociocultural and economic aspects of the forts and their surrounding areas, the survey is also intended to stimulate public awareness, engaging local communities in conservation efforts.

At the end of the documentation process, a small exhibition and public seminar will be held in combination with the publication of a catalogue book. The findings will also be published on the Internet.

“This is only an initial step for preservation,” said Purwestry. “We hope that the result of this survey will become the basis for government decisions on preserving these historic structures.”

The little known prime minister

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 03/10/2009 12:26 PM | People

It’s official: Sjahrir (left) is shown signing Linggadjati Agreement documents in Jakarta on Nov. 15, 1946, while Dutch-appointed special commissioner general leading the negotiations, Willem Schermerhorn, looks on. Courtesy of Rushdy Hoesein

Surprisingly enough for a nation’s first prime minister, Sutan Sjahrir receives few mentions in Indonesia’s history book – even though his diplomatic skills were responsible for the nation being recognized by the international community.

“Sjahrir, who became prime minister at the age of 36, is little known by the public,” Sjahrir’s daughter Siti Rabyah Parvati Sjahrir said at the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Sjahrir’s birth at Balai Agung in Jakarta on Thursday.

“Sometimes he has been misidentified as [literary critic] Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana or Sjahrir the [late] economist.”

Sjahrir was born in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra, on March 5, 1909, the son of an adviser to the Sultan of Deli. He studied in Medan and Bandung, before moving to Leiden in The Netherlands around 1929 to study law.

In Holland, he gained an appreciation for socialist principles, and joined several labor unions as he worked to support himself. He was briefly the secretary of the Indonesian Association (Perhimpunan Indonesia), an organization of Indonesian students in the Netherlands.

He returned to Indonesia in 1931 without completing his law degree, and helped set up the Indonesian National Party (PNI). Around this time, he became a close associate of future vice president Mohammad Hatta.

His nationalist activities saw him imprisoned by the Dutch in November 1934 for many years, first in Boven Digul, then on Banda. In 1941, just before the area fell to the Japanese, he was moved to Sukabumi.

At the time when Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta were compromising with the occupying Japanese forces, Sjahrir was involved in a clandestine movement that he believed would help prepare the nation for independence when the time was right.

In November 1945, then president Sukarno appointed him prime minister, a position he held until June 1947, during which time he worked on winning international recognition for the newly independent country.

Sjahrir is shown during the campaign for the 1955 general election.

Sjahrir founded the Indonesian Socialist Party in 1948, which, although small, proved to be influential in the early years after independence because of the expertise and high education levels of its leaders.

But after January 1950 Sjahrir no longer held any government positions, and his party performed poorly during the 1955 elections.

After a 1958 revolt known as PRRI or “Revolutionary Government of Indonesian Republic” in 1958, his relationship with Sukarno deteriorated, and the president banned his party two years later.

At 4 a.m. on Jan. 16, 1962, Sjahrir was arrested at his house in Jakarta. Three months later, he was sent with other political prisoners to Madiun, Central Java, before being moved back to Jakarta in 1965.

Despite his long and fervent political career, Sjahrir was always devoted to his family — he had two children, Kriya Arsyah and Parvati. He wrote in his prison diary on June 3, 1963, “My thoughts and my memories again and again turn to home, to my children. I want them to grow up to be happier and have a better life than me. … I want them to be honest, upright and loving, and not be obsessed with titles and stars.”

Sjahrir’s daughter, Parvati, was just two years old when her father was arrested. “I had to take a train back and forth from Solo to Madiun just to meet Papa,” she recalled. “When my father was moved to Jakarta, it was not easy for my mother to get a permit letter to visit Papa.”

The imprisonment, she said, was unjust. “Ironically, after Independence, he was detained without facing trial. He was accused without verification.”

As he was ill, Sjahrir was allowed to go to Zurich, Switzerland, for treatment. He died there on April 9, 1966, “far away from the country he co-founded, from the country he dearly loved, from family members and friends”, Parvati said. “Sjahrir went to Zurich as a political prisoner and returned to his homeland as a hero.”

He was a hero for his daughter as well.

“For me, Sjahrir, Papa, was a moral character who deserves to be emulated,” she said. “He was honest, brave and consistent with what he fought for. He did not fight for his own interest or for power or wealth. He fought for the freedom and the maturity of people to be free from oppression and the exploitation of others.”

—JP/Matheos V. Messakh

Sutan Sjahrir: Teacher of the nation

Matheos Viktor Messakh , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Tue, 03/10/2009 12:09 PM | People

The leaders: Sjahrir (left) is pictured with Sukarno (center) and Mohammad Hatta.

It has been said that if Indonesia had paid greater attention to the wisdom and lessons of its first prime minister, it might have avoided decades of authoritarian rule and human rights abuses.

A closer look at Sutan Sjahrir’s life and thoughts, and at the testimonies of those around him, reveals that Sjahrir was more than the first prime minister of Indonesia — he was a defender of humanity and rationality.

Sjahrir is many things in this nation’s history — a national hero, founder of the Socialist Party of Indonesia, the first prime minister — but perhaps his greatest contribution to the nation lay not in the titles conferred or the positions held, but in his thinking about nationalism and humanism.

Only two months after Indonesia gained independence, Sjahrir felt the importance of emphasizing what freedom meant to the nation, Kamala Chandrakirana, chairwoman of the National Commission

on Violence against Women, said at the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Sjahrir’s birth on Thursday.

He did this in an article in October 1945 titled Perdjoeangan Kita (Our Struggle).

“Freedom does not only mean that Indonesia has become an independent state, but also is now free from tyranny, hunger and misery,” Kamala said, quoting Sjahrir’s article. “A national revolution is only the result of a democratic revolution, and nationalism should be second to democracy. The State of Indonesia is only a name we give to the essence we intend and aim for.”

Sjahrir’s article, said Kamala, was a response to the public’s desire at that time to take part in the building of the nation — a desire still evident 64 years after Independence.

Now, Kamala said, as the general elections approach, is the appropriate time to reflect on the nation’s “struggle”, as discussed by Sjahrir.

Sjahrir’s notion of struggle is not a narrow and specific construct, but a global and universalone; as he wrote, “only the nationalism carried by justice and humanity can lead us into world history”.

But evidence documented by several human rights bodies has demonstrated that, instead, it was the militaristic and narrow-minded notion of nationalism that Sjahrir so feared that took root in Indonesia for so many years.

Political oppression and political silencing of women during the New Order era and the mass rapes of Chinese women during the May 1998 riots, Kamala said, were evidence that the nation upheld what Sjahrir described as an “attitude of hatred toward alien groups in our population or foreigners and people of foreign descent”.

“Hatred for foreign groups and people,” Sjahrir warned, “is indeed something one finds voiced in every nationalist movement, especially among a movement that intoxicates itself with a passionate hatred … in order to gain power.”

Courtesy of Rushdy Hoesein

To Sjahrir’s list of “more or less alien groups in our population”, Kamala said we should add Papuans, the Ahmadiyah community and others in the nation whose right to equality has been neglected.

Rocky Gerung of the University of Indonesia also commented on how Sjahrir’s politics were directed more toward greater human freedoms than to mere national freedom.

“The evidence that this nation has never had human freedoms is that people first bring out their primordial identity when dealing with others,” said Gerung.

Sjahrir wrote in “Nationalism and internationalism” in 1953 that nationalism was a source of
new life and strength for less developed peoples. But, he warned,
as soon as a nation achieved freedom, it was confronted with the problem of adapting nationalism to the human needs for peace, progress and prosperity.

“If this fails,” he wrote, “this nationalism will become a negative factor, a factor of conservatism and reaction. Then it will become egocentric and degenerate into intolerance and self-glorification.”

The dangers that accompany the nationalism of a newly independent nation can still be tasted in the air in the current political situation, Gerung said, stating that the deficit in modern Indonesian politics is a deficit of rationality, whose dangers Sjahrir repeatedly noted.

“Democracy should be handled rationally, but we see now that the public is getting more and more irrational. Even a political analyst on the TV screen will say something just plain obvious or something that has already been analyzed by journalists.”

Gerung raised the concern the quality of Indonesia’s current political leaders has strayed from Sjahrir’s ideal of politics as having “complete and tidy ideology and theory”.

“What we have now are people with the tendency to solve problems using articles from sacred books rather than articles from the Constitution,” he said. “We should have political leaders in this country but instead we only have political dealers. Politics is full of advertising.”

As for the current 12,000-odd political candidates, Gerung compares them to the thousands of people seeking a miracle from child “healer” Ponari in Jombang.

“Both are expecting miracles to happen. People with a gamut of health problems are expecting
a miracle from Ponari, and the political candidates are expecting miracles from the next legislative election.”

Political activist Fadjroel Rachman, the editor of Guru Bangsa (Teacher of the Nation), a book dedicated to Sutan Sjahrir, said that if Sukarno were the father of independence and Mohammad Hatta the father of cooperation, then Sutan Sjahrir should be named the father of welfare.

“The program of his Cabinet was the program of a welfare state,” he said “One of his programs was progressive tax, which means that the higher the income, the higher the tax imposed.”

Unfortunately, Rachman said, Sjahrir had no time to implement his programs during his term as he was kept busy defending the nation’s independence and increasing its international legitimacy.

“If he were alive today and still in power, I’m sure he would create programs that directly addressed basic rights, combated poverty and narrowed the social gap — such as free education, providing employment and social security, and free housing and healthcare,” he said. “The money would definitely come from the progressive tax.”

Photo Courtesy of Rushdy Hoesein

Long, strange trip for one old building

Matheos Viktor Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 07/15/2008 10:36 AM | City

ANTIQUE ELEGANCE: The National Archive Building, which was once the country house of the Dutch governor general Reinier de Klerk, is located outside the old city of Batavia. (JP/P.J. Leo)

From the country house of a Dutch governor general to an orphanage and then to a mere office building to later an archive building, the National Archive Building is struggling to retain its value as one of the nation's heritage buildings.

As has happened to many historical sites in Jakarta, the building has been lost to new development, particularly to high-rise buildings.

Traveling along the busy Jl. Gajah Mada toward the Kota area, we can see the beautiful building to the left. The building, along with other buildings, earned the title of Batavia, or "Queen of the East".

The house was built in 1760 by Reinier de Klerk, a member of the Dutch highest council, Raad van Indie, or the Council of the Indies. Reinier was later appointed as Dutch governor general in 1777. He lived and held office here until he died in 1780.

Many houses in the area at that time were called buitenverblijven, or "house outside", because they were built on a rural area outside the old city of Batavia.

Built as the house of a high rank citizen during colonial time, the house occupied an enormous plot of land extending much further than the current 9,450-square-meter complex.

Baroque fanlight above the main entrance was carved with a symbol of hope. (JP/Matheos V. Messakh)

The structure comprises of a main building, two separated pavilions on the left and right sides and a U-shaped annex building at the back of the main building.

The main house is a model of closed Dutch style, so called because it has no open gallery at the front or rear.

"As an 18th century building, it doesn't have any veranda surrounding it," National Archive Building Foundation director Tamalia Alisjahbana told The Jakarta Post recently.

"If you look at a 19th century building, for example Museum 45 or Gedong Juang, they have big verandas, open doors and windows."

Tamalia said that gradual change in the style of architecture of houses in Batavia was because of the attempt to adapt to the climate and the increasing control of the Dutch against the local rulers.

Batavia was just a small city back then. Around the city was a big city wall surrounded by a moat. This wall and moat is a defense against Banten in the west and Mataram in the east.

"We can trace the change of the style in its sister building, Toko Merah (Red Shop) on Jl. Kali Besar Barat, which is 30 years older," Tamalia said .

A dinning room setting upstairs in the main building, with an original painting portrait of De Klerk in the background. (JP/MVM)

"Because there was little land available, houses built in the 17th and early 18th century were like Amsterdam's town-houses. That is what Toko Merah is like."

"Thirty years later, the Dutch drained the swamp land in the north and created all these canals. This change brought in lots of mosquitoes causing malaria and other diseases, and Batavia became very unhealthy."

Tamalia said that around the same time, the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) or Dutch East India Company subjugated Banten and Mataram kingdoms so it was safe for the Dutch to come outside.

"Some rich people like de Klerk built their houses outside the city wall," she said.

To a certain degree the house is adapted to the tropics, with its high ceilings and long and broad windows, large open fanlights above the doors, a cool stone floor, and a high, well insulated roof.

"The Dutch also realized that Batavia was hot, so they started to build buildings with open windows and doors. With the archive building you can see the change in 18th century and in 19th century you can see the neoclassical style with veranda all around, much cooler, everything was open," Tamalia said.

With its big protruding roof, the two-story building looks more like a town house in a big garden than a country house.

Flower pot carvings on the staircase. (JP/MVM)

The flat front shows sparse ornamental work. Seven big windows on the second floor and three windows on each side of the broad double-wing entrance stress the overall symmetrical proportions. The six windows downstairs show simple ornaments over the skylights.

The main door is flanked by red pilasters with gold-painted grooves and renaissance capitals supporting a carved top beam. In its carved fanlight we can see an allegorical figure of hope: A woman under a big umbrella holds a anchor.

She is placed amidst leaves and waves. The surrounding waves, sea flowers and plants point to the humble beginnings of de Klerk's career as a naval officer.

Another door inside the main hall shows the symbol of faith.

Matched by its interior design, the outside of the house shows a distinctive impression. The allegorical carvings of the fanlights over the main doors provide subdued light to the cool inner rooms.

In general the carvings look rather baroque, but the dark red and gold paint as well as the execution of some ornaments suggests a strong Chinese influence.

"It is a kind of renaissance style with baroque features," said Tamalia, explaining the architecture style with its carving of the mid-18th century colonial mansion.

On the walls of the main hall, there are a few rows of Dutch tiles with scenes from the Bible.

Dutch tiles depicting scenes from the Bible are believed to have been made in China after models from Delft. Some missing tiles were transferred to the National Museum in 1900 and were replaced by replicas in 1998. (JP/MVM)

The house has four entrances, and in the room to the left of the main entrance hall is a fine staircase leading to the second floor. The upstairs was used exclusively as private apartments for the family.

Beside being a house, the building also served as an office. De Klerk also pursued his own business even though it was forbidden for an official.

The six rooms on the first floor are believed to have been used as for meetings and offices.

The rooms on the right were assigned to tuan besar, or the master of the house, while rooms on the left were assigned to nyonya besar, or the lady of the house.

Many fine pieces of antique furniture on the ground and the second floor help retain the ambience of the 18th century in these rooms. The current furniture, however, are not part of the original furnishing of the house being sold by the heirs of the late proprietors.

More than 111 pieces of furniture, such as cupboards, bookcases, tables, settees, chairs and chests of different styles, dating from different periods and also made in several different places, can be seen in the main building.

You can find, for example, a shelf wall hanging probably made in Sri Lanka between 1602-1795, a Dutch style baby chair probably made in 1880 in Holland with mahogany from Cuba, and a Madura-Biedenmeyer style of twin chair probably made in Madura in late 19th century.

One of the twin Madura Biedenmeyer chairs at the archive building. According to antique expert Jan Veenendaal, these chairs were probably made in Madura in the late 19th century and are influenced by the English Biedermeyer style. (JP/MVM)

Most of these furniture were donated by Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen or the Batavia Society for Art and Science to the Landsarchief van Nederlandsch-Indie or the Dutch Indies State Archive in 1925 after the first major renovation.

This society, founded in Batavia in April 24, 1778 by some Dutch intellectuals, including de Klerk, also donated its collection of furnitures to two other institutions which later became the National Museum and the Jakarta History Museum.

Tamalia said the collection had increased in the last ten years. The collection includes 38 antique maps dating back to the 16th century, and a number of paintings and drawings. Some of these maps and drawings were donated by their artists.

Last year the three museum invited Jan Veenendaal, an expert in Dutch colonial furniture, to identify their furniture collections. Coming to Jakarta with his own expense, Veenendaal identified the style, the materials, the period of production, and the place of production of these furniture.

"None of us really have a good index or inventory about the antique collection in these museums," Tamalia said .

"But now we have all the information and the three museums are now working on completing their inventory."

On the grounds of the house, we find separate pavilions for guest on each side of the main building. One of these pavilions is now used as a museum shop.

Next to the pavilions are spacious bijgebouwen, or annexes, which were used as a kitchen and storerooms. The two gables of the annex buildings are similar to those very common of the Cape Town, South Africa, once ruled from Batavia.

A replica of a slave bell, once used in the house. The original bell was cast in Batavia in 1772 by Johannes Borchhard and is now kept in the Werkspoor Museum in Amsterdam. (JP/MVM)

In the courtyard there are two old cannons and a replica of a slave bell. The original bell was used to announce works and meals hours as well as unusual happenings.

This replica was cast in Beerta, the Netherlands in 1999 by Klokken-en Kunstgieterij Reiderland. The original bell was cast in Batavia in 1772 by Johannes Borchhard and is now kept in the Werkspoor Museum in Amsterdam.

Between 1926 and 1979 the building served as the archives and afterwards its condition deteriorated until its total restoration in 1997/1998.

The Jakarta provincial administration designated the building as one of heritage buildings on March 29, 1993 and followed by the then Education and Culture Ministry on June 16, 1998.

The National Archive Building Foundation managed the building after the 1998 renovation.

Four years later, UNESCO awarded the building the first prize in Cultural Heritage Award for the Asia Pacific region.

However, with no donation from the government and no entrance fee, the foundation mostly earned its income by renting the building out for exhibitions, weddings, seminars, product launches, fashion shows and parties as well as from the selling of books and souvenirs of its museum shop.

A home truth about the house of a Dutch governor-general

Tue, 07/15/2008 10:36 AM | City

(JP/Matheos Viktor Messakh)

The house of Reinier de Klerk has its own history that might explain why it is the only buitenverblijen, or 'houses outside' the city, left on Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk.

For a long time during the 18th century, the two roads were the elite quarters of Batavia. They were later replaced by Weltevreden, the area around the present Lapangan Banteng and Medan Merdeka.

De Klerk lived in the house for nearly 20 years before dying there in 1780 as a governor general.

According to Adolf Heuken SJ in his book Historical Sites of Jakarta (Cipta Loka Caraka, 2000), de Klerk's very rich wife Sophia Francina Westpalm supported him throughout much of his career.

The mansion's upstairs is richly furnished with VOC period furniture. (JP/Matheos V. Messakh)

When Sophia married de Klerk in 1754, she was already the widow of a former Council of the Indies member. Her son from her earlier marriage, Francois R. Radermacher, inherited de Klerk's mansion.

In 1786 Radermacher, the son the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences founder, sold the property to another Council of the Indies member, John Siberg. The house's second owner eventually became governor general between 1801 and 1805, and stayed in the house during the entire French and English period (1808-1816).

After Siberg's death in 1817, the house was auctioned off by his widow and sold the following year, this time to Iehoede Leip Iegiel Igel, a Polish Jew who once served as a low-ranked guard to the house.

The story goes that on a hot day Igel fell asleep while guarding the entrance. When the governor general unexpectedly returned, he was given fifty strokes for his laziness. On that same day, he swore that he would own the premises one day.

(JP/Matheos Viktor Messakh)

After finishing his military service Igel changed his name to Leendert Miero and started work as a goldsmith. He could neither read nor write, yet he made a fortune and bought the Pondok Gede estate.

In 1819 he acquired de Klerk's house and for the next fifteen years invited big crowds to celebrate the anniversary of his lashing day. Igel or Miero had no children from his two legal wives, but adopted his four natural children born to him by four different slaves.

The house was inhabited by Miero's heirs until it was sold again in 1844 to the College of Deacons at the Dutch Reformed Church. When used as an orphanage (until 1900), it suffered several alterations. But after it was sold to the government in 1901, the Greek-style chapel attached to its front was torn down in order to restore the original fa*ade.

For the next 25 years, it served as the office of the Mining Department with little attention being paid to its historic value.

There have been so many wonderful stories written about the events that happened in the mansion.

A box which was used as food container. (JP/Matheos V. Messakh)

It is said that in the simple houses behind de Klerk's mansion more than a hundred slaves lived and worked. Sixteen among them formed a band of musicians and entertained their master and his guests at night.

More than 50 slaves were emancipated and given some money to start their freedom, under the last will of Sophia in 1785. Others bought their emancipation.

The rest, roughly 100 slaves were auctioned off together with their wives and children. This auction took place on Jan. 28, 1786 in front of de Klerk's house.

In 1925 the house was thoroughly restored. Again it shined in its old splendor with its garden landscaped once more. It was used as office of the Landsarchief (State Archive).

The door on the right side of the main building. High ceilings, long and broad windows marked the change in Batavia's architecture style in 18th century after the Dutch conquered the local rulers. (JP/MVM)

The institution was relocated in 1974 to Jl. Ampera Selatan in South Jakarta because humidity was creeping up and into the walls. After the transfer was completed in 1979, the house was no longer used by the national archives body.

The condition of the mid-18th century colonial mansion deteriorated. The paint peeled off and many carvings, doors, and windows split apart. The walls became wet because rain water could not flow into the canal in front of the house.

"The building was in a bad condition. There was half a meter of flooding every rainy season. Many parts of the building were dilapidated," said Tamalia Alisjahbana, executive director of the National Archive Building .

In 1995, some Dutch companies doing business in Jakarta collected money as a gift for the 50th anniversary of Indonesian Independence with the intention of restoring the mansion.

A memorandum was signed during the visit of Queen Beatrix, who gave a reception in this building, but for years no realistic proposals were made by Arsip Nasional.

In order to prevent further damage, the house underwent a thorough restoration from 1997 to 1998. The restoration was done to the highest standard using modern techniques after a careful study of the condition of the building, the problem of drainage and of all old paintings and photos.

An embedded strongbox in the offices of Tuan Besar. (JP/Matheos V. Messakh)

On Nov. 1, 1998, the 1,270-square-meter mansion again regained its splendor.

"The building is believed to have a very good

"They wanted to tear it down in 1900, but it was saved by the Batavian Society. In 1998, they wanted to burn it down, but it was saved because we were completing the restorations.

"There are so many people coming here telling us that the building has a very good vibration, bringing good luck." --JP/Matheos V. Messakh

Dutch cemetery rich with Jakarta history

Just inside the gates, visitors are greeted by romantic angels, Gothic turrets, sleeping children, marble crosses and heavy tombstones with baroque coats-of-arms, bringing to mind ancient cemeteries in Europe.

But don't expect to find lines of votive candles to remind us the dead still have living relatives who care.

This is an old Dutch cemetery located on Jl. Tanah Abang I in Central Jakarta.

The cemetery was officially opened Sept. 28, 1797, but people were first buried here as early as 1795.

On entering the cemetery, through a Parthenon-like portico (built in 1844), visitors get a rare glimpse of a bygone section of Jakarta's historic populace -- albeit in a neglected state.

Inside the portico is a bronze death knell with an atmosphere of mourning in times gone by.

Bodies of prominent figures were once buried here, including Maj. Gen. J.H.R. Kohler, the Dutch general who tried to conquer Aceh; archeologist W.F. Stutterheim, who wrote a famous book on the Hindu hero Rama; the founder of the famous STOVIA medical school, F.H. Roll; and J.L.A. Brandes, a famous archeologist who actively collected Hindu statues (a collection now in possession of the National Museum of Indonesia).

The tombstone of Olivia Marrianne Raffles (1814), the first wife of British Gov. Gen. Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, stands in the grounds of Museum Taman Prastasi. The tombstone of Olivia Marrianne Raffles (1814), the first wife of British Gov. Gen. Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, stands in the grounds of Museum Taman Prastasi.

The headstones of several non-Dutch people can also be found here, such as Olivia Marrianne Raffles (the first wife of British Governor General Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles), activist Soe Hok Gie and the famous 1930s artist Miss Riboet.

People from various corners of the globe, including Southeast Asia, Saudi Arabia, India and China have been laid to rest here.

Many stones in the cemetery date from long before it was officially built. These stones were brought to the cemetery when several churches in Batavia were demolished at the beginning of the 19th century. Some of these were inserted into the cemetery wall, while others were placed within the yard.

After Indonesia's declaration of independence, the park was used as a Christian cemetery. Within the first two years it was managed by the Verberg Foundation and for the next twenty years it was handled by the Palang Hitam Foundation.

From 1967 to 1975 the cemetery was managed by the Jakarta burials agency, and then it was closed for burials to make way for the construction of the Central Jakarta mayoralty office.

At a request from the local government, some corpses were removed by relatives while others were taken to Tanah Kusir cemetery in South Jakarta.

Many tombstones, sculptures and statutes were removed and damaged during the construction of the office and now only 32 tombstones remain in their original positions.

The size of the cemetery, originally on a 5.9 hectare plot was also reduced to 1.3 hectares.

Jakarta History Museum head M.R. Manik said only about 1,200 of 4,200 stones were selected to be kept in the cemetery, which was officially opened as the open-air Museum Taman Prasasti or Museum Park of Memorial Stones.

"The tombstones were selected due to their unique designs that represent a period in history, the role of the deceased in history, or because they were too heavy to be removed," said Manik, who became head of the inscription museum from 1988 to 1998.

In July 1994, three landscape architecture students from Trisakti University won a design contest for the development of the open-air museum.

However, the execution of the design, undertaken by a private contractor, was only loosely based on the design, which won the Merit Award at the Congress of the International Federation of Landscape Architects in Bangkok in October 1995.

"If the stones were grouped into specific periods, one could see the history of Jakarta just by wandering through the park," said Nirwono Joga, one of the students who is now a landscape architect.

Many tombstones in the park have rich stories, such as the story of the mysterious tomb of Captain Jass; or the story of Pieter Erberveld, a German native and captain of the Batavian cavalry who was tortured to death with his followers on April 22, 1722, on an accusation of treason.

The material and style of tombstones, with unique characters and stories behind each, Nirwono said, could become resources for cultural and architecture studies and even had potential to become one of the best centers for cemetery studies in Asia.

"Much work could be done if people were only aware of how valuable this cemetery is as a historical asset. We could market the historical importance of this site," said Nirwono, who has identified 1,323 artifacts at the site.

"It's dangerous if a museum is not managed as part of people's lives. Nobody would care if they get demolished for new modern projects," he said.

Nirwono conducted a 10-year research project on the cemetery, which resulted in a book titled 'Museum Taman Prasati: Metamorfosis Kerkhof Laan Menjadi Museum' (Museum Park of Memorial Stones: The Metamorphosis from Kerkhof Laan to Museum).

The cemetery may be the oldest modern cemetery in the world, he said.

Nirwono has compared the Tanah Abang museum to Fort Canning Park (1926) in Singapore; Gore Hill Cemetery (1868) in Sydney; La Chaise Cemetery (1803) in Paris; and Mount Auburn Cemetery (1831) in Cambridge; Massachusetts.

"Based on data on the official opening dates of those cemeteries, the Tanah Abang cemetery is the oldest.

"But it is unlikely to nominate this historic area to UNESCO as a World Heritage site because only 32 of its 1,000 tombstones are standing in their original positions, and also the park doesn't function as public cemetery anymore," Nirwono said.

The museum is also home to the coffins of Indonesia's founding president, Soekarno, and vice, Mohammad Hatta, and a replica of a 17th-century hearse.

Why this cemetery has become so neglected remains a sad mystery, reflected in an inscription on Soe Hok Gie's tombstone: "Nobody knows the trouble I see, nobody knows my sorrow".