Rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied (directly ruled territory) was the designation for those parts of the Gouvernement Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden that were under direct Dutch administrative control, as opposed to the Inlandsche Zelfbesturen (Native Self-Governments) that maintained their own rulers under Dutch suzerainty. This distinction was central to the governance reform discussions at Koeta-Radja during the Bestuursreorganisatie Sumatra (1913-1914), where it became the key factor determining what form of decentralisatie could be applied to Atjeh. The concept of rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied was not unique to Atjeh—it existed throughout the Netherlands East Indies wherever the colonial government administered territory directly through its own European and Inlandsche officials rather than through indigenous rulers exercising delegated authority. However, in Atjeh the concept acquired particular significance because of the unusual territorial configuration of the Gouvernement.
In the standard colonial administrative framework, territories were typically classified as either rechtstreeks bestuurd (directly ruled) or as Inlandsche Zelfbesturen (self-governing under native rulers). This binary classification shaped the entire structure of colonial governance, determining everything from the appointment of officials to the application of legal codes and the collection of revenues. In most Buitenbezittingen, the distinction was relatively clear-cut: a given governmental unit was either predominantly directly ruled or predominantly self-governing. In Atjeh, however, the situation was fundamentally different, and this difference had profound consequences for the reform proposals under discussion.
Scope in Atjeh
Gouverneur H. N. N. A. Swart explained at the meeting of 19 January 1914 that only Groot-Atjeh and part of the onderafdeeling Singkel constituted the rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied. The remainder of the Gouvernement consisted of the landschappen der Inlandsche Zelfbesturen. This meant that the directly ruled portion of the Gouvernement was relatively small in proportion to the whole, encompassing the core territories that had been brought under direct Dutch control through the protracted military campaigns of the preceding decades. Groot-Atjeh, the heartland of the former Atjeh sultanate, had been the primary focus of Dutch military and administrative efforts since the beginning of the Atjeh War in 1873, and its governance structure reflected this history of direct engagement. The partial inclusion of Singkel reflected the incomplete nature of Dutch administrative penetration in that remote coastal region.
The rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied of Groot-Atjeh was itself organized through the indigenous sagi-peleebalangschap-moekimschap hierarchy, which Gouverneur Swart described as analogous to the regentschap-district-onderdistrict structure of Java. This meant that even in the directly ruled territory, the colonial government operated through indigenous administrative units rather than imposing a purely European framework. The distinction between rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied and Inlandsche Zelfbesturen was thus not a simple opposition between European and indigenous governance, but rather a more nuanced differentiation between territories where the colonial government exercised direct administrative oversight through the Inlandsch Bestuur and territories where indigenous rulers retained greater autonomy under Dutch suzerainty.
Implications for Decentralisatie
This dual structure meant that the Gouvernement Atjeh was fundamentally different from other Buitenbezittingen, where the entire territory was either directly ruled or under self-governance, but not both. The coexistence of these two forms of governance within a single unit was the primary reason that standard decentralisatie proposals could not be applied to Atjeh, leading to the conclusion that only Gewestelijk Zelfbestuur was feasible. Where other Buitenbezittingen could readily create autonome lichamen (autonomous bodies) at the local level to exercise zelfbestuur, Atjeh’s mixed governance landscape made such a straightforward solution impossible. The presence of Inlandsche Zelfbesturen alongside rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied meant that any local autonomy granted to the directly ruled areas would create an anomalous situation: autonomous bodies would exist alongside, and potentially in competition with, the existing self-governing landschappen.
The concept of rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied was also relevant to the discussions about the Inlandsch Bestuur. Regeeringscommissaris S. de Graaff specifically asked whether steps could be taken to organize the Inlandsch Bestuur in the directly ruled areas, acknowledging that a properly structured indigenous administration was lacking there. Gouverneur Swart responded with confidence that with proper opleiding (training), the necessary Inlandsche bestuurskrachten could be developed within a few years, particularly in Groot-Atjeh where the sagi system provided an existing framework upon which to build. This exchange revealed the colonial administration’s awareness that the rechtstreeks bestuurd gebied was not merely a zone of direct European control but also a space where indigenous governance structures needed to be cultivated and strengthened.
See Also
Groot-Atjeh, Singkel, Gouvernement Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden, Gewestelijk Zelfbestuur, Inlandsch Bestuur, Bestuursreorganisatie Sumatra (1913-1914), Sagi, Peleebalangschap, Moekimschap
Source
Notulen der bestuursvergaderingen ter bespreking van de verdere voorbereiding eener hervorming van het bestuurswezen in Nederlandsch-Indië (Batavia: Landsdrukkerij, 1914), pp. 118-130.