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The Indigenous Argument for Democracy, a Hundred Years Ago
Bishop against knight, aristocracy against democracy.
The year is 1918, and the Volksraad was the arena. Two Javanese knights are fighting, with words as their krisses. On one side is Soetatmo Soeriokoesomo, an aristocrat of the Pakualaman family, a renowned member of the Boedi Otomo, and the editor of the famous journal, Wederopbow.
On the other side is Dr. Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo, the famous tamer of a plague-turned-critique of the Dutch colonial government. On one side, Soeriokoesoemo stands as the knight to defend the peace of the countryside and rural harmony, while on the other side, Tjipto stands as the advocate of the kromo, the downtrodden, and the values of equality and fraternity. Soeriokoesoemo speaks for order and harmony, while Tjipto speaks of democracy.
The issue was government. Tjipto was a rebel, a leading figure of the pergerakan nasional, the national, indigenous movement against Dutch colonialism. He calls for all indigenous peoples to unite behind the values of equality and fraternity, but Soeriokoesomo opined that democracy and equality are the gates towards chaos. For him, democracy is like a chaotic family with feuding parents and rebellious children. He thinks of democracy as the enforcement of equality for people with different sets of rights and duties.
