why after over 300 years of dutch rule, contrary to other former colonies, Indonesia neither has significant leftovers of dutch culture nor is the dutch language spoken anywhere.
In: 9430
There are some influences.
The main difference between Indonesian language and Malay language is that Indonesian language has more Dutch loanwords.
Indonesia uses Civil Law, like the Netherlands. The old criminal code were from the Netherlands’ pre 1960 criminal code.
The more educated independence war era generation actually can speak Dutch. Soekarno, Hatta, Soepomo, Sjahrir, etc – all can speak Dutch.
However, the main reasons there aren’t as much Dutch influences are:
1. **The Dutch don’t want to create a creole culture.** It’s more similar to South African apartheid. Even the Ethical Policy starting from late 1800s where they let some native Indonesians learning Dutch, it’s more likely restricted to local nobles.
2. **On 1945, only 3% of Indonesians can read and write**. This helps building new culture, identity and nation from “scratch”.
3. **The Dutch’s style of colonialism is more of “Imma get as many as I can, fuck the natives” rather than “We must civilize them savages and save them women”.** So they don’t bother teaching the language or making Indonesians to be more “Dutch”.
4. **(Very aggressive) promotion of Indonesian language and “national culture” as national language and “national culture”.** It happened under 1950s democracy, and shifts to dictatorship started from 1959 Presidential Decree only helps this very aggressive promotion.
5. **Blunders of Papua negotiation in 1950s gave Indonesians more and more justification of getting rid of Dutch influences.** (eg. Nationalization of Dutch enterprises from failure of negotiation to bring Papua into Indonesia in 1950s. When Indonesia get rid of their trams, it’s literally because Soekarno said it’s “IT’S TOO DUTCH REEEEEEEE”).
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