Unveiled Facts about Forced Labor by Daendels, Workers Paid 30 Thousand Ringgit But Didn't Reach Their Hands

Kapanlagi.com - The story of forced labor by the Dutch is not unfamiliar to the Indonesian people. In the era of Daendels, it is said that the Indonesian people were forced to build the Anyer-Panarukan highway. But what if in reality this is not called forced labor?

Starting from a post from the account @mwv.mystic, it is mentioned that Daendels actually provided wages for workers, foremen, and consumption. This wage was given to the government to the prefect (resident) which was then passed on to the Regent and given to the workers.

1. Already Given by the Regent

credit: twitter.com/mazzini_gsp

According to the data, the money from the resident to the Regent has been recorded and there are documents. Meanwhile, data from the Regent to the workers has not been found until now. Twitter account @mazzini_gsp said that the story is true.

"True, building the Anyer-Panarukan road, the workers were paid. Daendels gave more than 30 thousand ringgit for wages and consumption to the workers and foremen, it has been given to the Regent, but the money has not reached the workers. Finally, we found out that the work was not paid (forced labor)," wrote the account @mazzini_gsp.  

This statement is similar to the expression of Djoko Marihandono, a historian from the University of Indonesia as reported by Historia. It is said that Daendels provided funds of 30 thousand ringgit to build a road from Cisarua, Bogor, to Cirebon, plus a large amount of paper money.

2. Cruelty of Daendels

credit: twitter.com/mazzini_gsp

Mazzini also added that Daendels was previously known as 'Mas Galak'. It is mentioned that his fierceness was because he had eradicated the corrupt legacy of the VOC when Indonesia was already under French rule.

Herman Willem Daendels was the governor general of the Dutch East Indies for three years (1808-1811). His task was to build economic interests and defense to protect the island of Java from British attacks. One of his famous decisions was the forced labor system that required workers to build the Anyer-Panarukan road, which reached 1000 km.

3. Netizens' Comments

credit: twitter.com/mazzini_gsp

Netizens also mentioned that Daendels has been considered a victim of slander for decades.

In addition, there are netizens who quoted from Kompas' journalistic report that the workers were indeed paid. According to him, the forced labor referred to is not about being paid or not, but rather not by their own will, resulting in many deaths and escapes.

What do you think?

(kpl/lmp)