“I haven’t got any list. There is no list. No one has ever made a list.”
“And anyway,” Ter Haar added, “East Papua has become Germany’s burden. The Southeast is Australia’s.”
The discussion turned more and more into a debate. Van Kollewijn cleverly avoided becoming involved. His obese body didn’t seem to move at all, except for his head. And that only with difficulty.
“And West Papua is a heavy burden for the Indies. But we all know that west, east, or southeast, it’s all a matter of the prestige of the Empire. It’s got nothing to do with strategy, or colonial welfare, or even geopolitics.” Ter Haar kept pressing van Heutsz. “Are these pockets of power you talk about important only because of the prestige that would flow from their conquest or do you say it’s a matter of territorial integrity, General?”
“Prestige, territorial integrity, and power.”
“The party of the Honorable Member of Parliament, His Excellency van Kollewijn, is campaigning to repay the debt of honor we owe to the Indies—I hope this will not turn out to be just a promise used for political purposes.”
Van Heutsz seemed offended. He stopped laughing. His cheerfulness disappeared. His mustache trembled. “If I were in power, the Free Democratic party would be allowed to implement its program, on the condition that there were no more colonial wars in progress, that is to say, the wars would have to be finished first.”
Obviously such wars were going to continue. These murderers were still thirsty for blood, the blood of Natives, of my fellow countrymen.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” interrupted our elderly host, “I think we should return to our official program. It will not be so easy for General van Heutsz to leave the Indies. Even though it might be somewhat difficult, it is possible for us to meet him. On the other hand, this is a rare opportunity for us to speak withHis Excellency, the Honorable Member of Parliament Mr. van Kollewijn, who may get out here only a couple of times every ten years.”
The questioning turned again to van Kollewijn and proceeded rapidly. Everyone deliberately ignored van Heutsz, who was on the verge of losing his temper. Everyone had asked some kind of important question. I was the only one who had not said anything. No doubt everyone was assuming that I felt inferior among these high-level European Pures. Then, all of a sudden, van Heutsz turned to me and said: “Mr. Minke…you have a very easy name to remember. You too must have some important questions.” He smiled, perhaps to help subdue his anger.
I showed no nervousness. Thanks be to God! I was the only Native, and the only young person, present. Acknowledgment by the conquering general of Aceh, it would be said, was still a real acknowledgment. I felt Ter Haar nudge my leg with his feet.
“Thank you, Your Excellency. Concerning this question of free labor, Your Excellency, does it include the freedom to evict farmers who do not wish to rent their land to the sugar mills?”
“Your question’s not quite clear,” said van Kollewijn, while looking one by one at each of those present. He was obviously preparing an answer. Or he considered my question to be totally stupid.
I repeated my question. He still didn’t answer. My nerves were on edge. I was afraid that my question was about to be disregarded as ridiculous. Was my question wrong or stupid? Everything was quiet, and the quiet tortured me. It was just a few seconds, but it felt like eternity. I caught Marie Van Zeggelen rocking her bag. Ter Haar shuffled on his chair. Why wasn’t my question answered?
“Is that sort of thing still happening?” asked van Kollewijn. His eyes spoke to van Heutsz.
“I haven’t heard of anything like that, Your Excellency,” a journalist answered.
“We haven’t received any reports of that sort of thing,” someone else commented.
I’ve had it, I thought to myself. I must be ready.
“You’re related to a bupati,
“And anyway,” Ter Haar added, “East Papua has become Germany’s burden. The Southeast is Australia’s.”
The discussion turned more and more into a debate. Van Kollewijn cleverly avoided becoming involved. His obese body didn’t seem to move at all, except for his head. And that only with difficulty.
“And West Papua is a heavy burden for the Indies. But we all know that west, east, or southeast, it’s all a matter of the prestige of the Empire. It’s got nothing to do with strategy, or colonial welfare, or even geopolitics.” Ter Haar kept pressing van Heutsz. “Are these pockets of power you talk about important only because of the prestige that would flow from their conquest or do you say it’s a matter of territorial integrity, General?”
“Prestige, territorial integrity, and power.”
“The party of the Honorable Member of Parliament, His Excellency van Kollewijn, is campaigning to repay the debt of honor we owe to the Indies—I hope this will not turn out to be just a promise used for political purposes.”
Van Heutsz seemed offended. He stopped laughing. His cheerfulness disappeared. His mustache trembled. “If I were in power, the Free Democratic party would be allowed to implement its program, on the condition that there were no more colonial wars in progress, that is to say, the wars would have to be finished first.”
Obviously such wars were going to continue. These murderers were still thirsty for blood, the blood of Natives, of my fellow countrymen.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” interrupted our elderly host, “I think we should return to our official program. It will not be so easy for General van Heutsz to leave the Indies. Even though it might be somewhat difficult, it is possible for us to meet him. On the other hand, this is a rare opportunity for us to speak withHis Excellency, the Honorable Member of Parliament Mr. van Kollewijn, who may get out here only a couple of times every ten years.”
The questioning turned again to van Kollewijn and proceeded rapidly. Everyone deliberately ignored van Heutsz, who was on the verge of losing his temper. Everyone had asked some kind of important question. I was the only one who had not said anything. No doubt everyone was assuming that I felt inferior among these high-level European Pures. Then, all of a sudden, van Heutsz turned to me and said: “Mr. Minke…you have a very easy name to remember. You too must have some important questions.” He smiled, perhaps to help subdue his anger.
I showed no nervousness. Thanks be to God! I was the only Native, and the only young person, present. Acknowledgment by the conquering general of Aceh, it would be said, was still a real acknowledgment. I felt Ter Haar nudge my leg with his feet.
“Thank you, Your Excellency. Concerning this question of free labor, Your Excellency, does it include the freedom to evict farmers who do not wish to rent their land to the sugar mills?”
“Your question’s not quite clear,” said van Kollewijn, while looking one by one at each of those present. He was obviously preparing an answer. Or he considered my question to be totally stupid.
I repeated my question. He still didn’t answer. My nerves were on edge. I was afraid that my question was about to be disregarded as ridiculous. Was my question wrong or stupid? Everything was quiet, and the quiet tortured me. It was just a few seconds, but it felt like eternity. I caught Marie Van Zeggelen rocking her bag. Ter Haar shuffled on his chair. Why wasn’t my question answered?
“Is that sort of thing still happening?” asked van Kollewijn. His eyes spoke to van Heutsz.
“I haven’t heard of anything like that, Your Excellency,” a journalist answered.
“We haven’t received any reports of that sort of thing,” someone else commented.
I’ve had it, I thought to myself. I must be ready.
“You’re related to a bupati,
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