Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Ruma Maida
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Erasmus
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
No country can escape its history; nor can it forget its past. But we can draw lessons from both.
The Linggajati agreement, which was signed in 1946 by
The agreement was reached by statesmen of both countries who were prepared to have a genuine meeting of minds, and who would negotiate with respect for each other. Some of the participants paid dearly in both their private and public lives.
The problems of international conferences today are not so much caused by reams of policy papers written to solve the problems; rather, most problems are in the attitudes of in the participants. As someone once remarked, there are more problems sitting around the table than are on the table. In that sense, Linggajati today is highly relevant.
Linggajati is a “bridge to the future.” This is possible only if the pillars supporting the bridge are solid, which they will be if we do not deny our colonial heritage.
After sixty years, both our countries demonstrate that the bridge will be strong. This became clear at the Seminar in Den Haag initiated by His Excellency Mr Habibi, Ambassdor of Indonesia in the
At the seminar, Mrs. Upik Syahrir, the daughter of the great statesman Sutan Syahrir, told the participants about the suffering her father and his family suffered at the hands of their Indonesian compatriots. She described how her father had been imprisoned for years—without due process—in Madioen. In my view, the fact that
Mrs. Syahrir was considerate in not mentioning that in 1933, her father, who had returned from the
She emphasized how her father could forgive those who had harmed him and that he always managed to keep faith in his country,
But Sultan Syahrir was also a father who loved his wife and children. Upik told me that when she, her mother and brother made a long trip to visit her father in Madioen, they were accompanied by an aunt. As they returned to the prison exit her aunt realized that she had forgotten something. So she returned to the cell where she found Syahrir in tears, holding a picture of his children in his hands.
When Mrs. Syahrir mentioned this experience during her talk at the seminar in den Haag, there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience. She received a standing ovation. The Dutch, the Indonesians, the Indo’s all of us recognized ourselves in Mrs. Syahrir. She showed us another lesson—that healing from past wounds is possible when people and countries face their history and past mistakes, and, together, decide to build a new future.
Ladies and gentlemen, since 1945 many things have changed. White is no longer the only beautiful skin colour. Brown, Black, we all count; we all want to be recognized for who we are, and be treated with respect. Now we must put our combined efforts in finding ways to make a multicultural society work for everyone. The reality that inside our hearts we are all alike is increasingly accepted. We have entered a new century. Mankind is confronted with overwhelming challenges. We need each other in order to successfully meet these challenges.
The younger generation needs to know more about the colonial times, the mixed culture of the Dutch–Indonesian mix; the treaty of Linggajati and what that meant for both our peoples; the exodus of the former citizens of the Dutch East Indies; the life of the Indonesian Founding Fathers, and the great Dutch statesmen, Schermerhorn, van Mook Sanders who were present.
Through Soekarno, Hatta, Sutan Syahrir and the Treaty of Linggajati, our youth in
It is note worthy to mention their success in dealing with some large natural disasters .
Ladies and gentlemen Linggajati : the bridge to the future.
Joty ter Kulve–van Os
Dr. W.A.A. van Os
Foundation ‘’ Vrienden van Linggajati”
October 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
Obyek Wisata Mercusuar
Jalur perdagangan
Kepala Balai Arkeologi Palembang Nurhadi Rangkuti mengutarakan, banyaknya mercusuar yang dibangun Belanda di perairan Selat Bangka menunjukkan ramainya jalur pelayaran di perairan tersebut. Jalur itu sudah ratusan tahun merupakan jalur pelayaran yang ramai. Pada masa kolonial Belanda, mercusuar dijadikan pedoman para pelaut, sedangkan pada zaman Sriwijaya memakai tanda-tanda alam yang ada di Pulau Bangka, seperti Bukit Menumbing dan tanda-tanda alam, seperti hutan bakau di pantai timur Sumatera. "Belanda masuk ke Bangka Belitung karena timah. Timah memang komoditas yang penting pada abad ke-19 sehingga Belanda mendirikan banyak benteng di pesisir Bangka. Oleh karena transportasi perdagangan timah ramai, Belanda membangun mercusuar," kata Nurhadi. Mengenai potensi mercusuar di Bangka Belitung sebagai wisata arkeologi, Nurhadi menuturkan, wisata arkeologi tidak bisa berdiri sendiri.Bangkai kapal
Tim ekspedisi Sriwijaya berhasil menemukan dan mendokumentasikan bangkai kapal yang tenggelam di perairan Pulau Nangka, Selat Bangka. Kapal yang tenggelam di kedalaman sekitar 17 meter tersebut bisa menjadi obyek wisata yang menarik di Selat Bangka. Kepala Seksi Kerja Sama Direktorat Peninggalan Bawah Air Dirjen Sejarah dan Purbakala Departemen Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Yudi Wahyudin mengungkapkan, kapal itu diduga tenggelam karena terkena torpedo. Namun, karena hambatan arus yang kuat dan rendahnya jarak pandang (visibilitas) di dalam laut yang hanya 1 meter, tim ekspedisi belum berhasil mengidentifikasi bangkai kapal tersebut secara lengkap. Menurut Yudi, koordinat bangkai kapal tersebut adalah 02 derajat 22’45.6" Lintang Selatan dan 105 derajat 43’31.5" Bujur Timur. Kapal memiliki panjang 70 meter. Kondisi bangkai kapal telah ditutupi karang dan menjadi rumah yang disukai ikan-ikan. "Kondisi bangkai kapal relatif utuh, tidak banyak bagian kapal yang hilang. Menurut para nelayan, jarang ada orang yang mengambil besi tua dari bangkai kapal tersebut. Para nelayan hanya mengambil ikan di sekitar lokasi," ujarnya. (WAD)