Ernest Douwes Dekker
Encyclopedia
Ernest François Eugène Douwes Dekker (8 October 1879 – 28 August 1950) was an Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n freedom fighter
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution...

 and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 of Indo descent. He was related to the famous Dutch writer, Multatuli
Multatuli
Eduard Douwes Dekker , better known by his pen name Multatuli , was a Dutch writer famous for his satirical novel, Max Havelaar , which denounced the abuses of colonialism in the Dutch East Indies .-Biography:Dekker was born in Amsterdam...

, whose real name was Eduard Douwes Dekker. In his youth, he took part in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...

 in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 on the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...

 side. His thoughts were highly influential in early years of the Indonesian freedom movement.

After Indonesian independence, he adopted the Sundanese
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....

 name, Danoedirdja Setiaboedi.

Early years

Douwes Dekker was born in Pasuruan, in the north eastern city of Java, 80 km south of Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...

. His father was Auguste Henri Edouard Douwes Dekker, a broker and bank agent, of a Dutch family living in the then-Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....

. His Indo (Eurasian) mother was Louisa Margaretha Neumann, of half-German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

 and half-Javanese descent. Douwes Dekker's great-uncle was related to the famous writer, Eduard Douwes Dekker
Multatuli
Eduard Douwes Dekker , better known by his pen name Multatuli , was a Dutch writer famous for his satirical novel, Max Havelaar , which denounced the abuses of colonialism in the Dutch East Indies .-Biography:Dekker was born in Amsterdam...

, author of Max Havelaar
Max Havelaar
Max Havelaar: Or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company is a culturally and socially significant 1860 novel by Multatuli which was to play a key role in shaping and modifying Dutch colonial policy in the Dutch East Indies in the nineteenth and early twentieth century...

.

After studying in Lower School in Pasuruan, he moved to Surabaya, and later to Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

. In 1897, he gained his diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...

 and worked on a coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...

 plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

 in Malang
Malang
Malang is the second largest city in East Java province, Indonesia. It has an ancient history dating back to the Mataram Kingdom. The city population at the 2010 Census was 819,708. During the period of Dutch colonization, it was a popular destination for European residents. The city is famous for...

, East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...

. Later he moved to a sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

 in Kraksaan, East Java. During his years in these plantations, he came in contact with ordinary Javanese and saw the realities of their hard work.

Second Boer War

In 1900, along with his brothers Julius and Guido, he decided to volunteer
Boer foreign volunteers
Boer foreign volunteers were participants who volunteered their military services to the Boers in the Second Boer War.-Origin:Although there was a lot of sympathy for the Boer cause outside of the Commonwealth, there was little overt government support as few countries were willing to upset...

 for service in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...

. They arrived in Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...

, and became citizens of that state. He based his actions on the belief that the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...

s were victims of British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 expansionism, and as fellow descendant of the Dutch, he was obliged to help. In the course of the war, he was captured by the British and placed in an internment camp on Ceylon.

Dekker was later released and returned to the Dutch East Indies via Paris in 1903.

Indonesian struggle

In the Dutch East Indies, Dekker, then still in his twenties, started a career as a journalist, first in Semarang
Semarang
- Economy :The western part of the city is home to many industrial parks and factories. The port of Semarang is located on the north coast and it is the main shipping port for the province of Central Java. Many small manufacturers are located in Semarang, producing goods such as textiles,...

 and later in Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

. There he worked with Indo activist Karel Zaalberg
Karel Zaalberg
Karel Zaalberg was an Indo journalist and politician in the Dutch East Indies.He was born in Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies, and also died there...

, the chief editor of the newspaper Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad
Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad
The Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad, was one of the leading and largest daily newspapers in the Dutch East Indies. Based in Batavia on Java, but read throughout the archipel...

, whom he befriended. On 5 May 1903 he married Clara Charlotte Deije, who would bear him three children. Unlike other people of European descent, he did not favour colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...

, strongly advocating self-management, and finally the independence, of the Dutch East Indies. This was prompted partly by his experience in watching the lives of plantation workers and partly by discrimination he had suffered, through being only considered half-Dutch and a second-class citizen.

During these times, he published many articles advocating independence, and "Indies nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

". In 1913, close associates of Douwes Dekker, including physicians Tjipto Mangunkusumo and Suwardi Surjaningrat, established the Native Committee in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...

, which later became the Indische Party
Indische Party
The Indische Party or Indies Party was a short lived but influential political organisation founded in 1912 by the Indo-European journalist E.F.E. Douwes Dekker and the Javanese physicians Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo and Soewardi Soerjaningrat...

. This was considered a breakthrough, because most organisations had never so openly advocated independence. In March 1913, the party claimed approximately 7000 members, approximately 5500 of whom where Indos (people of mixed Dutch-Indonesian ancestry) along with 1500 native Indonesians. The Colonial government quickly became worried and the party was forbidden. This led to the exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...

 to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 of Douwes Dekker and his two Javanese associates.

In exile, they worked with liberal Dutchmen and compatriot students. It is believed that the term Indonesia was first used in the name of an organization, the Indonesian Alliance of Students, with which they were associated during the early 1920s. After his party was forbidden it directly inspired the foundation of the Insulinde (Political Party)
Insulinde (Political Party)
Political party Insulinde , a direct successor of the Indische Party and later renamed the Nationale Indische Party , was a political organization that represented efforts by some Indo Eurasians to identify and cooperate with the Indigenous educated élite of the Dutch East Indies in an effort to...

 and an Indo-European party named 'Indo Europeesch Verbond
Indo Europeesch Verbond
The Indo Europeesch Verbond or Indo European Alliance was a social movement and political organisation founded in 1919 by the Indo-European community of the Dutch East Indies that fought for race equality and political say in late colonial Indonesia during the early 20th century.It was one of the...

' chaired by his friend Karel Zaalberg
Karel Zaalberg
Karel Zaalberg was an Indo journalist and politician in the Dutch East Indies.He was born in Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies, and also died there...

 and also advocated independence. Many of the former 'Indische Partij' members joined the new party that grew to 10.000 members.

In 1918 he was allowed to return to the East Indies and was responsible for reforming the 'Insulinde (Political Party)
Insulinde (Political Party)
Political party Insulinde , a direct successor of the Indische Party and later renamed the Nationale Indische Party , was a political organization that represented efforts by some Indo Eurasians to identify and cooperate with the Indigenous educated élite of the Dutch East Indies in an effort to...

' into the new 'National Indische Party' (NIP). Together with his new associate P.F.Dahler
P.F.Dahler
Pieter Frederich Dahler , more commonly known as P.F. Dahler or Frits Dahler, was one of the leading Indo politicians and activists advocating integration of the native Indo-European community into the indigenous society of the Dutch East Indies...

 and old companion Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo
Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo
Dr. Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo or Cipto Mangunkusumo was a prominent Indonesian independence leader and Sukarno's political mentor...

 he became a prominent leader of the NIP. After the NIP was involved in the Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...

 farmers' strike he was imprisoned again by the colonial authorities in 1921.

After his release from prison in 1922, he taught in Bandung in a lower school. Two years later as head of the school, he renamed it the "Ksatrian Institute". This institute was officially recognised by the government in 1926. In the same year, he married Johanna Mussel, one of its teachers, six years after divorcing his first wife. Sukarno was a teacher at one of his schools.
Later, however, his activities were branded illegal, and in 1936 he was condemned to three months in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

. He was still actively advocating independence and sharing his thoughts with other intellectuals, among them Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...

, who considered Douwes Dekker as his teacher. Later, however, his influence was overshadowed by the politics of his student Sukarno's Indonesian National Party (PNI), Islamist Sarekat Islam
Sarekat Islam
Sarekat Islam, formerly Sarekat Dagang Islam, was a Javanese batik traders's cooperative in Indonesia.Sarekat Dagang Islam was founded by Haji Samanhudi, a businessman in Surakarta, in 1905 or 1912. His business was trading in batik, the traditional cloth made in Java...

, and Communist Party of Indonesia
Communist Party of Indonesia
The Communist Party of Indonesia was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world prior to being crushed in 1965 and banned the following year.-Forerunners:...

.

During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Dutch authorities, who considered him a dangerous activist, exiled him, along with many Indo-European of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

 descent, to Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...

. He would spend years in a forest prison camp called "Joden Savanne".

Dekker returned to Indonesia on 2 January 1947.

Later years

After he returned to Indonesia, he was appointed a member of the provisional parliament, or Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat (Indonesian National Central Committee). In February 1947, he changed his name to Danudirja Setiabudi which means 'powerful substance, faithful spirit'. In 1947 he divorced his second wife and married the Indo European Nelly Alberta Kruymel, who had changed her name to Haroemi Wanasita, in an Islamic ceremony.

In December 1948 he was lifted from his sick bed and arrested by Dutch troops, but released due to his poor health.

He spent his last years in Bandung, writing his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...

, 70 Jaar Konsekwent.
On his seventieth birthday to his delight he witnessed the formal Dutch transfer of sovereignty to Indonesia in 1949. He died eight months later in 1950.

Legacy

In Dutch literature he is portrayed as a tragic and misunderstood historic figure, however his legacy as a national hero is still appreciated in Indonesia; a district and a main street in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

 are named Setiabudi in his honour. In Bandung, there is also a main street called Setiabudi, and another is named Ksatrian after his school. He was recognized as National Hero by President Sukarno. His life is recorded in a biography, Het Leven van EFE Douwes Dekker, by Frans Glissenaar in 1999.

See also

  • Boer Foreign Volunteers
    Boer foreign volunteers
    Boer foreign volunteers were participants who volunteered their military services to the Boers in the Second Boer War.-Origin:Although there was a lot of sympathy for the Boer cause outside of the Commonwealth, there was little overt government support as few countries were willing to upset...

  • P.F.Dahler
    P.F.Dahler
    Pieter Frederich Dahler , more commonly known as P.F. Dahler or Frits Dahler, was one of the leading Indo politicians and activists advocating integration of the native Indo-European community into the indigenous society of the Dutch East Indies...

    , political associate.
  • Karel Zaalberg
    Karel Zaalberg
    Karel Zaalberg was an Indo journalist and politician in the Dutch East Indies.He was born in Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies, and also died there...

    , colleague and political associate.

Other Indo authors

  • Louis Couperus
    Louis Couperus
    Louis Marie-Anne Couperus was a Dutch novelist and poet during the Belle Époque. There is a wide variety of genres in his oeuvre, which contains poetry, fairy tales, psychological novels, and historical novels...

     (1863–1923)
  • Victor Ido
    Victor Ido
    Victor Ido is the main alias of the Indo Dutch language writer and journalist Hans van de Wall. Born in Surabaya, Dutch East Indies from a Dutch father and Indo mother...

     (1869-1948)
  • Maria Dermoût
    Maria Dermoût
    Maria Dermoût , was an Indo novelist, considered one of the greats of Dutch literature and as such an important proponent of Dutch Indies literature...

     (1888–1962)
  • Edgar du Perron
    Edgar du Perron
    Charles Edgar du Perron, more commonly known as E. du Perron, was a famous and influential Dutch poet and author of Indo-European descent. Best known for his literary acclaimed master piece ‘Land van herkomst’ of 1935...

     (1899–1940)
  • Beb Vuyk
    Beb Vuyk
    Elizabeth Vuyk was a Dutch writer of Indo descent. Her Indo father was born in the Dutch East Indies and had a mother from Madura, but was ‘repatriated’ to the Netherlands on a very young age. He married into a typically Calvinist Dutch family and lived in the port city of Rotterdam...

     (1905–1991)
  • Rob Nieuwenhuys
    Rob Nieuwenhuys
    Rob Nieuwenhuys was a Dutch writer of Indo descent. The son of a 'Totok' Dutchman and an Indo-European mother, he and his younger brother Roelof, grew up in Batavia, where his father was the managing director of the renowned Hotel des Indes .His Indies childhood profoundly influenced his life...

     (1908–1999)
  • Tjalie Robinson
    Tjalie Robinson
    Tjalie Robinson is the main alias of the Indo intellectual and writer Jan Boon also known as Vincent Mahieu. His father Cornelis Boon, a KNIL sergeant, was Dutch and his Indo-European mother Fela Robinson was part English and Javanese...

     (1911-1974)
  • Ernst Jansz
    Ernst Jansz
    Ernst Gideon Jansz is one of the founding members and frontmen of Doe Maar. Doe Maar is a Dutch 1980s ska/reggae band, and is considered one of the most successful bands in Dutch pop history....

     (1948- )
  • Marion Bloem
    Marion Bloem
    Marion Bloem is a Dutch writer and film maker of Indo descent, best known as author of the literary acclaimed book Geen gewoon Indisch meisje and director of the 2008 feature film Ver van familie .Bloem is a second generation Indo immigrant born into a family of four...

     (1952- )

Further reading

  • Veur, Paul W. van der, The lion and the gadfly. Dutch colonialism and the spirit of E.F.E. Douwes Dekker, Leiden 2006, KITLV
    KITLV
    The Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies at Leiden was founded in 1851. Its objective is the advancement of the study of the anthropology, linguistics, social sciences, and history of Southeast Asia, the Pacific Area, and the Caribbean. Special emphasis is laid on...

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