A Short History of Indonesia

A Short History of Indonesia

History Indonesia PAGES 13/2/03 8:28 AM Page i

A SHORT HISTORY OF

INDONESIA History Indonesia PAGES 13/2/03 8:28 AM Page ii

Short History of Asia Series

Series Editor: Milton Osborne

Milton Osborne has had an association with the Asian region for over

40 years as an academic, public servant and independent writer. He is

the author of eight books on Asian topics, including Southeast Asia:

An Introductory History, first published in 1979 and now in its eighth

edition, and, most recently, The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain

Future, published in 2000. History Indonesia PAGES 13/2/03 8:28 AM Page iii

A SHORT HISTORY OF

INDONESIA

THE UNLIKELY NATION?

Colin Brown History Indonesia PAGES 13/2/03 8:28 AM Page iv

First published in 2003

Copyright © Colin Brown 2003

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by

any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing

from the publisher. TheAustralian Copyright Act 1968(the Act) allows a maximum of

one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by

any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational

institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright

Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

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National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:

Brown, Colin,

A short history of Indonesia : the unlikely nation?

Bibliography.

Includes index.

ISBN 1 86508 838 2

1. Indonesia—History.

I. Title. (Series : Short histories of Asia).

959.4

Index compiled by Russell Brooks.

Set in 11/14 pt Goudy by Midland Typesetters, Maryborough, Victoria

Printed by South Wind Productions, Singapore

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For Christopher and Meily.

This is their story, more than it is mine. History Indonesia PAGES 13/2/03 8:28 AM Page vi History Indonesia PAGES 3/3/03 1:53 PM Page vii

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements ix

Maps of Indonesia xi

Acronyms xiv

Glossary xvi

Note on transcription xviii

1 The Indonesian context 1

What’s in a name? 2

The physical environment 5

The ethnographic environment 9

2 The rise of states: 1–1500 CE 11

The rise of the state 13

Hindu and Buddhist societies 17

3 The age of commerce: 1400–1700 29

The spread of Islam 31

The beginnings of colonialism 32

4 Economic demise, political decline: 1600–1800 49

Extension of VOC control 55

Decline of Mataram 57

The Chinese War, 1740–1741 60

The Company outside Java 65

The collapse of the VOC 68

The legacy of the VOC 70

5 Establishment of empire: 1800–1900 72

Colonial reactions 81

The Cultivation System 83

Liberal Era 89

East coast of Sumatera 91

Aceh 96

The Aceh War 99

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A Short History of Indonesia

The other islands 101

The colonial infrastructure 102

6 Times of change: 1900–1945 104

Japanese administration 140

7 From revolution to authoritarian rule: 1945–1957 156

8 Guided to Pancasila democracy: 1956–1998 185

The rise of the New Order government 197

New Order foreign policy 208

The New Order and East Timor 209

Separatism in Aceh 212

Economic developments under Suharto 218

Restraints on the exercise of power 223

9 Reformasi: The post-Suharto era? 225

Bibliographical essay 247

Endnotes 260

Index 263

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Acknowledgements

The author of any book acquires a mountain of debts, both academic

and social. I am no exception.

The first draft of this book was written in the second half of 2000,

while I was on study leave from Flinders University. For part of this

time, I was a Visiting Fellow at the International Institute for Asian

Studies in Leiden, the Netherlands. I gratefully acknowledge the warm

collegial support I received during my stay there, from the Director

Professor W. A. L. Stokhof and all his colleagues.

I also spent several weeks in the Faculty of Social and Political

Sciences at Parahyangan University, Bandung, Indonesia. I have been

visiting Parahyangan regularly for some years now; once again, staff and

students there made me feel most welcome. I thank in particular the

Rector of the University, Professor B. Suprapto Brotosiswojo, the Deputy

Rector for Academic Affairs, Mr Johannes Gunawan, the Deputy Rector

for International Cooperation, Dr R. W. Triweko, and the then Dean of

the Faculty, Dr Pius Suratman Kartasasmita.

Griffith University, where I first taught Indonesian history, pro-

vided me with office and library facilities for the final part of my leave.

I thank Professor Nick Knight, Dean of the Faculty of Asian and

International Studies, and Professor Colin Mackerras.

At Flinders University, I have had the good fortune to work with

a number of very talented scholars. I must single out Dr Jim Schiller,

with whom I have co-taught courses and co-supervised postgraduate

students, for his willingness to discuss almost any aspect of Indonesia,

and his deep knowledge of and feeling for the country. We have not

always agreed on interpretation of events, but I have always admired

and respected the persuasive ways in which he makes his points.

I also acknowledge the students I have taught, and debated with,

at Griffith University, the University of Tasmania, Parahyangan Uni-

versity and Flinders University. It is almost a cliché to say so, but I

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