Silahkan Pak Taufik Dibawah sana saya sertakan penyemangat untuk membuat kita tidak malu menjadi orang Indonesia - H Rosihan Anwar
RDP ================================= On 5/11/05, Taufik Manan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Pak Rovicky, > > Saya tidak bisa mengaksesnya karena muncul kalimat ... > > Forbidden > You don't have permission to access > /0430/1500_words/Rahardjo_folder/ on this server. === as requested ==== Issue No.30 July 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Politics of Landscape: Images and Colonialism in the Netherlands Indies Kevin Rahardjo More than two hundred years ago, some Dutch artists came to the colony of Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia) and remained there for several years. These artists were commissioned by the Natuurkundige Commisie, part of the Dutch Colonial authority, to depict the situation in the Netherlands Indies. These images would then be compiled and printed in books, using either engraving or lithograph technique. Today, from those old prints, we can sense what life was like in the colonial era. They record almost everything – the buildings built by the Government, the people, and of course, the landscape.[1] This essay is going to discuss the notion of landscape as a cultural practice, as an instrument of cultural power, as a political means bounded by colonial policy. At the very least, we need to explore the possibility that the representation of landscape is also bound up with politics and colonialism. Many writers nowadays believe that these landscapes are manipulated images - manipulated in many ways to serve one's political needs.[2] 'The Indies', which is the short name of the colony of 'Netherlands Indies', as evident in these landscape images, are always depicted as the moie indie, a paradise, an escapist utopia to fulfil every repressed fantasy.[3] However, the struggle, the sweat and the blood from working the land are seldom on display. Instead, it is transformed into a very peaceful arcadia depicting social harmony. In Het Sumadangsche is a work by the Dutch commissioned artist Franz Junghuhn painted in 1865. It is taken from the documentary book authored by C.W. Mieling entitled Java, Zijne Gedaante, Zijn Plantentooi en Inwendige Bouw (published in The Hague, 1868). This image depicts the landscape of a small village in West Java called Sumedang. As we can see, the people on the horses are moving with ease and comfort, the tranquil waterfall is there to entertain and soothe the depressed and the trees are there to excite and indulge yourselves. It denies the misery and traumatic experiences caused by Dutch colonial oppression of the Indigenous peoples. In 1830, the Netherlands employed an economic policy called cultuurstelsel throughout the Colony. Peasants became forced labourers working in agricultural plantations and the profits from exploiting the land were destined for the Royal Netherlands' treasury. This policy was implemented in order to fill the Dutch cash deficit due to the long on-going war with Spain. These forced-labourers were treated very badly. Without even being paid, they were whipped and forced to work hard. The punishment for not working hard was execution. This economic policy of course worked very well for the Dutch monetary establishment, since there was practically no financial capital required, no expense for paying labourers and the selling price for spices in Europe at that time was quite high.[4] Nevertheless, this policy was abolished in 1870 due to much criticism by humanitarian activists in the Netherlands. However, the years 1830-1870 were known as the darkest years in Indonesian history.[5] Yet again, when we look at the work In Het Sumadangsche, these facts are absent. The Dutch's mistreatment of the Indigenous people is just not there; there is no sign of it at all. Instead, we see an exotic tranquil paradise. Similarly, in the work Gezicht op de Rivier te Solo, the struggle, the sweat and the blood of the peasants are absent. What we see is a mythologized harmonious life of people on the river bank of Solo, Central Java. The boats are cruising with ease and the people are washing their clothes contentedly, without any sense of worry. The work Waterval Singahan again shows the tranquillity and exoticness of the Indies. The goats are walking on the verdant field undisturbed in a utopian fantasy. However, even though all these arcadias were produced at around the time when the cultuurstelsel policy was implemented, they show no hint of the dark side of the peasantry life. Thus these images really are manipulated images purposely made to convey a political message, and so serve as a political instrument. Depicting the Indies as a harmonious, tranquil and exotic paradise has several political implications. First of all, it gives a sense that 'the Orient is a veiled world of mystery and intrigue', as if it is there waiting to be intruded upon and explored by observers.[6] It generates curiosity and thus works as an 'invitation' for the Westerners to come to the Colony. The second political implication is, I suppose, that it is used as an instrument to counter the Anti-Colonialist movement in the Netherlands. In the late 1860s, as mentioned before, there was a huge movement against Cultuurstelsel policy. The miserable life of the people in the colony due to this policy encouraged Theodore van Deventer, parliamentary member of the Dutch Liberal Democrat Party, a left-winged party, to react against it. He said that it was inhumane and unjust to exhaust and exploit the Colony's natural resources, gaining huge profits from it, whilst leaving nothing but a horrible life for the people who actually own the land.[7] Van Deventer's continual efforts were soon grabbing more and more attention from other members of the parliament. Finally, his suggestions were approved by the Dutch government, and of course, cultuurstelsel policy was abolished in 1870. And so, by depicting the social condition of the Indies in a mythologized harmony, these landscape images somehow counter the Anti-Colonialist and humanitarian movement in the Netherlands, as previously mentioned. They create the impression that the Dutch occupation in the Netherlands-Indies is non-threatening, non-oppressive, non-destructive and un-exploitative towards the Colony; that the relation between the Colonial Government and the Indigenous is preserved and that the condition of the Indies is as ever: harmonious. The contrived tranquil facial expressions, pace and gestures of the peasants are evidence of this ideal condition. This landscape painting is also about seeking a 'colonising approval' from the Anti-Colonialists in the Netherlands or in other words: to get a 'permission to colonise' the Indies. While these images evoke an ambience of tranquillity and harmony, their coulisses of light and shade also directed the gaze through a series of vistas stretching as far as the eye can see. All these are meant to imply a sense of ownership and influence without end; which is indeed another political implication.[8] However, not everybody agrees with these supposed political implications resulting from these landscape paintings. W.J.T. Mitchell wrote in his essay entitled Imperial Landscape that 'Landscape, understood as concept or representational practice, does not always declare its relation to Colonialism and Imperialism in direct ways.'[9] A well known Indonesian writer, Sanento Juliman in his 1977 essay entitled Gambar Kino Zaman VOC had a similar perspective to that of Mitchell. He wrote that even though these artists were commissioned artists by Natuurkundige Comisie and thus were close to Dutch colonial politics, their works do not always have to be 'politicised' or contain political messages. 'We do not always have to be too sceptical about it, he said.[10] He suggested that whilst in the process of producing the images, these artists are perhaps too overwhelmed by the beautiful—paradisical— natural environment of the Indies that they ignore or neglect the miserable life of the colonised people at that time.[11] Juliman did not deny the possibility that these pieces of art had been politicised. However, he suggested, it does not necessarily have to be done deliberately.[12] So, coming back to the question of whether it is true that these images have been contrived politically or not: I must say that we cannot be too sure just yet. We are neither the artists nor the Dutch Government. We can only analyse and speculate. However, by paralleling the history of Dutch politics at that time with the landscape images themselves we can strongly suspect that this thesis could be true: that these landscape images were contrived, politically. Nevertheless, talking about the idea of these images as being manipulated politically, we must be aware that in the colonial era, not only landscapes were being contrived, but also racial differences. Edward Said argued this in his 1978 book Orientalism, in which he defined the term as 'a mode for defining the presumed cultural inferiority of the orient...designed to justify and perpetuate European dominance'. Indeed, Said's argument is evident in these colonial images. Het Molenvliet te Rijswijk by Deeleman, for instance, depicts the residential area called Molenvliet which is situated in Batavia (now Jakarta). This image shows the superior position of the Dutch. The East Indians are depicted with ape-like body anatomy and facial structure. On the other hand, the Dutchmen are depicted as netjes (neat), wearing clothes à l'Europe, using lars (boots), riding the kaar op veer (chariot), with their body language suggesting sophistication and high-class-ness. The image Gouverneur des Moluques by Lemercier de Sainson depicts the Dutch officials receiving tribute by one of the local clan leaders in Moluccas Island. The local leader (dressed in white) is bent down, showing respect to the Dutch officials while submitting the tribute, as if giving a timeless homage. On the other hand, the body language of the Dutch Officials strongly suggests their (designed) dominance. The existence of the Royal Netherlands Flag (Red, White, Blue) in the background further emphasises the point. Similarly in the image Untitled, the Dutchman's dominance is obvious, whilst the local East Indian is clearly depicted as dumb and controllable—the Dutch is dictating to the indische what to do. Said forcefully argued that these manipulated images are being a 'part of the vast control mechanism of colonialism', as a Western style for 'dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient'. Thus, Said would have agreed with the notion that these colonial images, in their depiction of the 'other' races, are being constructed to fulfil the political needs of Dutch occupation in the Netherlands Indies. It increases our suspicion that the colonial landscape images too are being constructed politically. If they (the Colonial Government) did manipulate the depiction of the 'other', then the depiction of landscape should have a similar destiny. Hence, depicting the Indies as moie indie whilst denying the sweat, the blood and the miserable life of the peasants in the landscape; and depicting the 'other' as inferior, never were an apolitical event, but ultimately, an act of colonisation.[13] 1.Asikin Hasan, Orientalisme dalam Gambar-Gambar Kolonial, Jakarta, Edwin's Gallery, 2000, p.5 2.W.J.T. Mitchell, 'Introduction', Landscape and Power, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1994, p.2 3.Fay Brauer, 'The Horizon is Both Pictorial and Strategic: The Geopolitics of Land and Landscape', in Fay Brauer & Candice Bruce eds., Colonizing the Country, 1994-1995, p.9 4.Nugroho Notosusanto, 'Abad ke-19', from Sejarah Nasional Indonesia, Jakarta, Balai Pustaka, 1984, p.376 5.ibid, p.377 6.Edward Said, 'The Scope of Orientalism', in Orientalism, London, Penguin Books, 1995, p.54 7.Nugroho Notosusanto, 'Abad ke-19', p.391 8.Fay Brauer, 'The Horizon is Both Pictorial and Strategic: The Geopolitics of Land and Landscape', p.11 9.W.J.T. Mitchell, 'Introduction', p.9 10.Sanento Juliman, 'Gambar Kuno Zaman VOC, in Asikin Hasa ed., Dua Seni Rupa: Sepilihan Tulisan Sanento Juliman, Jakarta, Kalam, 2001, p.236 11.ibid 12.ibid ================ Aku Tidak Malu Jadi Orang Indonesia - >H Rosihan Anwar > >Aku tidak malu jadi orang Indonesia ... >Biar orang bilang apa saja, biar, biar .... >Indonesia negara paling korup di dunia >Indonesia negara gagal >Indonesia negara lemah >Indonesia melanggar HAM >Elite Indonesia serakah harta dan kekuasaan > >Presiden-presiden Indonesia dilecehkan humoris >Dengarlah, Bung Karno dimanfaatkan komunis >Pak Harto dimanfaatkan putra-putrinya >Habibie dimanfaatkan konco-konconya >Gus Dur dimanfaatkan tukang pijitnya >Megawati dimanfaatkan suaminya > >Catatlah, Bung Karno menciptakan keamanan dan persatuan bangsa >Pak Harto menciptakan kemakmuran bangsa dan keluarganya >Habibie menciptakan demonstrasi >Gus Dur menciptakan partai kebangkitan bangsa >Megawati menciptakan kenaikan-kenaikan harga > >Alah mak, Bung Karno turun dari presiden karena Supersemar >Pak Harto turun dari presiden karena superdemo >Habibie turun dari presiden karena supertransisi >Gus Dur turun dari presiden karena superskandal >Megawati turun-temurun jadi presiden > >Maka Anda tahu sekarang kenapa Aku tidak malu jadi orang Indonesia > >Indonesia punya istilah-istilah khas di dunia korupsi >Ada ahli gizi yang Nurcholis Madjid tidak mampu penuhi >Ada istilah angpao untuk uang atensi >Ada amplop untuk bikin kocek tebal berisi >Ada saweran duit untuk membayar pengacara hitam dan menyuap aparat = hukum >Ada prosedur untuk menilep uang rakyat dan institusi dilakukan=20 >beramai-ramai oleh gubernur, bupati, walikota, anggota DPRD dan DPR >Ada tren yang kuat menguasai kaum koruptor > >Simaklah sejarah bangsa dan Tanah Air >Semenjak dulu zaman kompeni >Pegawai VOC kirim laporan Kepada Heren Zeventien di Tanah Wolanda > >Elke Regent Heeft zijn Chinees >Tiap Bupati punya orang Cinanya >Maknanya jelas pejabat feodal dihidupi pedagang Cina > >Syahdan, Susuhunan Amangkurat II dari Mataram >Mengutus misi sembilan duta ke Batavia >Minta kepada Bapak Kompeni >Agar dikirimi cinderamata >Mulai dari ayam Belanda, kuda Persia hingga gadis Makassar >Jangan lupa putri Cina untuk jadi selir Raja > >Kraton Kartasura menebar bau korupsi, seks dan duit >Ditambah intrik-intrik kalangan pangeran >Bagaimana kerajaan tidak akan binasa? > >Itulah warisan sejarah dari generasi ke generasi >Sehingga yang tampak kini di bumi persada Pertiwi >Adalah kiriman genetik kepada kita semua >Anda dan aku tidak terlepas dari hukumnya >Maka Anda tahu sekarang kenapa > >Aku tidak malu jadi orang Indonesia >Sebab memang begitulah nasibku >Kismet, kata orang bijak-bestari > >Korupsi adalah sejenis vampir >Makhluk halus bangkit kembali dari kubur >Kemudian keluar pada malam hari >Dan mengisap darah manusia yang sedang tidur >Di layar film Hollywood wujudnya adalah Count Dracula yang bertaring >Diperankan aktor Bela Lugosi >Vampir yang hilang kesaktiannya bila terkena sinar matahari >Akan tetapi drakula-drakula Indonesia tetap perkasa >Beroperasi 24 jam, ya malam ya siang mencari korban > > >Sehingga sia-sialah aksi melawan korupsi membasmi drakula >Yang telah merasuki rongga dan jiwa aparat negara >Yang membuat media memberitakan >Akibat bisnis keluarga pejabat, Tutut-Tutut baru bermunculan. >Aku orang terpasung dalam terungku kaum penjarah harta negara >Akan aneh bila berkata aku malu jadi orang Indonesia > >Sorry ya, Aku tidak malu jadi orang Indonesia >Kuhibur diri dengan sajakku magnus opus karya sang Empu >Sajak pendek yang berbunyi: >Katakan beta >Manatah batas >Antar gila Dengan waras > >Sorry ya, inilah puisiku melawan korupsi >Siapa takut?
