Wasé oelèëbalang was the sovereignty right of the Oelèëbalang’s over pepper and pinang — originally a fixed amount (1–1½/bahra pinang in Groot-Atjèh). Reorganised by governor Van Daalen in 1906 to 10% of value (causing pepper decline), then by governor Swart in 1910 to fixed amounts, the wasé oelèëbalang was mostly absorbed into landschapskas salaries.
Original form
Originally, the wasé oelèëbalang was a fixed amount per pikul (approximately 61.8 kg) of pepper and per bahra (3 pikul) of pinang exported from the Oelèëbalang’s domain:
- $2 per pikul pepper
- $1–1½ per bahra pinang
This was part of the broader system of wasé (from Arabic haṣīl, “produce / yield / tax”) — the chiefs’ various traditional revenues and levies.
Van Daalen’s reform (1906)
Governor Van Daalen’s besluit of 12 December 1906 N°. 112 reformed the wasé oelèëbalang from fixed amounts to 10% of value. This percentage-based levy was far more burdensome than the previous fixed amounts and caused the pepper decline as planters found the tax uneconomic.
Swart’s reform (1910)
Governor Swart’s besluit of 13 January 1910 N°. 1 returned the wasé oelèëbalang to fixed amounts, halting the pepper decline. A further reform in 1915 (Bt. 13 September N°. 435) removed bestuursbemoeienis (administrative interference) from private-law pepper contracts entirely.
Absorption into landschapskassen
By Kreemer’s time, the wasé oelèëbalang had been mostly absorbed into the landschapskas (regional treasury) salaries — the Oelèëbalang’s received fixed monthly salaries from the landschapskas rather than collecting the wasé directly.
See Also
Source
Atjèh. Algemeen samenvattend overzicht van land en volk van Atjèh en onderhoorigheden, door J. Kreemer, Archivaris van het Atjèh Instituut. Tweede Deel. Leiden: N.V. Boekhandel en Drukkerij voorheen E.J. Brill, 1923.
Identifier: Delpher MMKB02B:000001798; PPN 395084288. Koninklijke Bibliotheek.