Stories from Deli

The protector of Chinese on the Straits is negative about the treatment of coolies on the East coast of Sumatra eventually partly moved back in. That meant not in the least that there were no abuses in this regard, any more than this could have been concluded from the reluctant recognition of British side that the pay and benefits of working people on the Delian companies were on average better than on Malacca. There should, however, be two decades left after the early eighties before the fate of the coolies on the East Coast became more widely known and became a theme of some significance in national politics.

The impetus for this was given in 1902 by the Medan lawyer Mr Johannes van den Brand, with the publication of a brochure under the catchy title The Millions of Deli. Van den Brand withdrew because of his manners strong conviction of doctrine against the Coolie-ordinance, in which he also numerous made public cases of atrocities against contract coolies. He aimed his arrows are mainly aimed at the Poenale Sanction, which in his view is the source of evil evil was, and made a strong case for the introduction of your industrial relations, even if this would lead to the demise of a number of companies

‘From an ethical point of view,’ wrote Van den Brand, ‘the prevailing coolie-ordinance is indefensible, since it creates of slavery (..) The condition, as it is in this day, gives rights to the employer, who are in favor of his fellow (..) and leads to the withering of the noblest feelings of men. ‘

He pointed out that it was because of the de facto servitude to the company it was hardly possible for contract coolies to change their fate. In case of assault, wage discounts or other unlawful action by the European In practice, planters proved impossible to take them to court in Batavia to sue, the scandals the judiciary without exception be covered up. Van den Brand concluded that the great prosperity of Deli was founded on a quagmire of misery and injustice:

“The Europeans make big money and the tobacco companies hand out big dividends The capitals and the hotels are of the first rank And behind it all, behind that glittering mirror, who live carefree lives reflects. . is immorality, is corruption and injustice. Deli is one plastered grave “

The Millions from Deli were not only met with hostility in planters’ circles; almost the entire European community in Deli and also elsewhere in Indies felt her honor and reputation were damaged, and the reactions were therefore extraordinary fierce and personal. For example, the writer himself was made by the resident from Sumatra’s East coast, H van Steenstraten, public to one ‘hypocritical lawyer for evil cases’ labeled All this public commotion. However, this led to Van den Brands’ indictment being extensively discussed entered the House of Representatives in the debate on the Indian budget 1902, while also attracting interest from the foreign, especially the Bntse press was awakened. Finally, in May 1903, the Government was forced to do so to have a formal investigation into the reported wrongdoing started; the order was given to Mr. J L.T Rhemrcv, officer of justice at the Council of Justice in Batavia.

Mr. Rhemrev arrived in Medan in June 1903, returned before the emde van the year back to Batavia and completed his report in early 1904. In this report, which was otherwise not public, it had to be recognized in all objectivity that the substance of the earlier allegations were true and that Van den Brand had given a correct picture of the situation of the Deli culture company Abuse of power, assault, atrocities and unlawful liberty had appeared at the companies he visited.

‘All those facts – they may already be exceptions, ‘concluded Rhemrev,’ (…) shed such a bright light on the conditions and relationships on enterprises, that it is clear that the fate of the indentured servant, generally should be called sad

The recommendations put forward by him for reforms, the essence of which is the ultimate abolition of the Poenale Sanction, however, were largely not taken over by it Government.

The powerful Deli lobby in the Netherlands led by J.Th. Cremer, who had been Minister of the Colonies from 1898 to 1901, could only in one area to unite with Rhemrev’s enlargement of the politie machine on the East coast of 420 to 770 men.

So little changed in the short term; the most important formal improvement in the first years after the report was the establishment of the Labor Inspectorate in 1904, whose efficacy was, however, very limited for the time being. So the indentured workers remained subject to unnecessary for quite a long time afterwards severe corporal and imprisonment for expressions of ‘brutality’ or ‘disobedience’, which for Van den Brand had been the direct cause for his publication.

The Office of Labor, the body of the Department of Justice under which the Labor Inspectorate came under from 1923, registered with the East coast in the first half of the 1920s between 8,000 and 13,000 annually punishments for this crime, taking it at least several hundred times every year to unlawful violence came The East Coast of Sumatra Institute in this context established in 1928 that the number of reported ‘blow cases’, cases whereby indentured servants were beaten with the hand or a stick, compared to the previous year had increased from 303 to 548. The execution of this physical violence was almost always a matter for the overseers, the direct superiors of the coolies in the corporate hierarchy. Among them were some (Indo) Europeans, but most belonged to the same population group as the coolies they supervised, among the Javanese people spoke of mandoers, with the Chinese of tandils.

When coolies in turn seized the means of violence to avenge themselves or the to put pressure on other company parties, this is the case the place against these overseers, too, arose on the East coast between 1925 and 1930 recorded a remarkable increase, from 31 to 220 cases of abuse. The planters, but also the Labor Inspectorate, blamed this ongoing labor unrest mainly due to the immigration of ‘unsavory elements’ of Java, which was partly meant by supporters of the emerging socialist and nationalist movements.

In the public discussion that follows i) Under the Medanse press, the European Deli Courant and Sumatra Post is naturally loyal to this official Malay view. However, magazines Pewarta Deli and Benih Timor chose for their attention the inadequate working conditions on the enterprises more or less overtly party for the coolies – a sure sign, at least for the good listener, that the great political changes for which the seeds were then sown in Java would not leave the East coast and around Sumatra unaffected. In defense of planters and Government must be fairness argued that with the continuation of the Ethical Policy in the years after Mr Rhemrev’s report, subsequent revisions of the Coolie ordinance, indeed space was left for substantial improvements in working and living conditions of the coolies and their families. Thus, among others, obligations for the entrepreneurs with regard to adequate accommodation and health care for the contractors, the coolies got the right of free repatriation after termination of their contract, were for needy old ones or ex-coolies who are incapacitated for work in retirement homes – so-called ‘asyls’ – and the children of plantation workers should be enabled on the enterprises to attend at least primary (inland) education.

The Sanction continued, however, although it did become mutually binding, in the sense that premature termination of the employment contract by the entrepreneur compensation to the coolie in question. When drafting the third-last Coolie Ordinance, that of 1931, the Government finally assumed that all labor would be done in the foreseeable future could be abolished under the Poenale Sanction. The actual situation in those years, the intention of the sanction had already been reversed. The main concern of the planters at that time was no longer the farm workers to their companies, but to fire as many of them as possible. As will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter de crisis the actual end of the Poenal Sanction, even if it would still reach the Coolie Ordinance of 1941 lasted before its repeal was formally ratified With regard to the contractors who are still under threat of punishment until that year service remained. From 1934 onwards, permanently less than 4% of the total of the farm workers on the East coast,

MEDAN . Beeld van een stad
M.A. LODERICHS E.A.