Stories from Deli

De Expres 27-09-1912

The less pleasant relationship, which can be observed here and there between the natives and the Cuineezen and which recently led to a fight in Solo, for example, has not been left undiscussed in the native press. Besides the fact that all sorts of strange things were said about the association “Sarikat Islam”, an article appeared in Djawa Tengah, a Chinese-Malay newspaper, or rather a Malay newspaper, mainly for Chinese, about the tense relationship between Chinese and Inlanders in Solo, and Darmo Kondo claimed that the actions of the Chinese were “brutal” and presumptuous towards the natives.

Some time ago a Chinese-Malay newspaper reproachfully asked the Dutch press why they spoke of the Chinese as “Tjina tjina” and why they did not speak of Tiong Hwa and Tiongkok, that was after the nationality fever that came over the Chinese after the uprising and the victory of Young China. The newspaper Darmo Kondo really took it seriously, says the Loc. and declared that they wrote Tjina as Blanda just wrote and that they found no reason to deviate from it. But the Chinese press nowadays considers it something of an insult to speak of Tjina and that is why it was a sharp remark by Darmo Kondo that the newspaper quoted this same word from a Chinese-Malay newspaper itself.

But now the Solo riots. “Sarikat Islam” and so on. In Darmo Kondo there was a complaint about the lordliness of those Chinese who used to deal with the natives in a comradely manner and at least as equals, and in this one of the reasons was sought for the creation of the great Natives’ Association.

In Djawa Tengah of the 24th of this month there is now an extensive article by “Auto”, who opposes this and declares that for the time being he does not want to believe in the beautiful goal of “Sarikat Islam” and warns against the actions of the natives against the Chinese, who do not want to be treated with such contempt. In a caption, the editors of Djawa Tengah take a different position: the paper disapproves of two parties, who together belong to the bangsa pamerintah, to the people who are completely “under it”, getting at each other’s throats. The paper will also no longer give space to articles that breathe a hostile spirit of Chinese against natives and vice versa and always side with the weakest party. That is a precaution that has gone too far.