Z. E. De Oud Gouverneur-Generaal J. B. van Heutsz en de Defensie van Nederlandsch-Indië is a critical pamphlet written by K. van der Maaten and published in 1917 by Martinus Nijhoff in ‘s-Gravenhage, opposing the appointment of J. B. van Heutsz as buitengewoon Regeerings-Commissaris with unlimited powers to reform the defence system of Netherlands Indies.
Author and Background
The author, K. van der Maaten, was a former subordinate of J. B. van Heutsz who had served in various functions in Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden under Van Heutsz when the latter was Civil and Military Governor. Van der Maaten had originally considered writing his “Atjeh-mémoires,” but the publication of the Rapport over de Atjeh-enquête in 1908 and the consequent forced departure of G. C. E. van Daalen as Civil and Military Governor of Atjeh prevented any further special relationship with his former chief. Van der Maaten broke with Van Heutsz over these events. The pamphlet was written in Montreux and dated 25 February 1917.
Purpose and Occasion
The pamphlet’s primary purpose was to oppose the appointment of Van Heutsz as buitengewoon Regeerings-Commissaris with unlimited powers to reform the defence system of Netherlands Indies. It was directly triggered by Van Heutsz’s speech at the Bond van Vrije Liberalen meeting on 13 January 1917, at which Van Heutsz had spoken in support of the defence proposals of his son-in-law, Lieutenant-Colonel J. Van der Weyden. Van der Maaten was provoked into writing by what he saw as Van Heutsz’s unwarranted self-promotion as a defence authority and his propagation of his son-in-law’s ideas.
Criticism of Van Heutsz’s Record on Defence
Van der Maaten’s central argument was that Van Heutsz had done virtually nothing for the defence of Netherlands Indies during his term as Governor-General (1904–1909). The only defence proposal Van Heutsz had made was the Soemedang-stelling in October 1908, which was based on Army Command proposals and actually perpetuated the discredited old defence system. Van der Maaten argued that Van Heutsz lacked defence expertise because he had devoted his career almost exclusively to the Atjeh question and shared the common view that defending Netherlands Indies was an impossible task for a small country like the Netherlands.
Van der Maaten noted that Van Heutsz had declined to sit on the Staatscommissie voor de Verdediging van Nederlandsch-Indië (1912), calling its work “monnikenwerk” — Van der Maaten condemned this as undermining the Commission’s credibility. Worse still, Van Heutsz had authorised J. Van der Weyden to quote his devastating private judgment on the Staatscommissie report:
“Het is mijn vaste overtuiging, dat, bij uitvoering van de voorstellen der S. C., Nederland — hoewel echt Nederlandsch langzaam en zuinigjes — zal wegwerpen veel geld voor: Een vloot, die niet vechten zal — en Een leger, dat niet vechten kan.”
and:
“Ik ben blijde, dat mijn naam niet onder dat Staatsrapport staat.”
The Brochure Van Heutsz-Van der Weijden
Van der Maaten revealed that the brochure by J. Van der Weyden, Weerplicht voor Inlanders en samenstelling van de weermacht in Nederlandsch-Indië, was in fact written in collaboration with Van Heutsz. Pages 389–395 of the brochure were entirely in Van Heutsz’s own hand. Van der Maaten argued it should properly be called the “brochure Van Heutsz-Van der Weijden.” Van der Maaten had originally planned to write a separate brochure critiquing the actual defence proposals of the Van der Weyden brochure, but the campaign to appoint Van Heutsz as buitengewoon Regeerings-Commissaris compelled him to address the broader question of Van Heutsz’s fitness for the role.
Criticism of the Defence Proposals
Van der Maaten criticised the brochure’s central proposition that India should bear all defence costs alone, calling it “immorality.” He noted Van Heutsz’s hypocrisy on the issue of native militia service: as Governor-General, Van Heutsz had strongly advised against introducing militia service (militieplicht) for natives, but in 1917 he advocated for it in order to support his son-in-law’s defence proposals. This about-face, Van der Maaten suggested, was not born of genuine conviction but of the desire to promote the Van der Weyden defence plan.
Acknowledgement of Van Heutsz’s Merits
Van der Maaten did acknowledge Van Heutsz’s great merits in other domains. As Civil and Military Governor of Atjeh, Van Heutsz had carried out the political programme inspired by C. Snouck Hurgronje, whom Van der Maaten called the “geestelijken vader” of the Atjeh-politiek followed since 1896. As Governor-General, Van Heutsz had applied the same policy on a larger scale across the Buitenbezittingen. However, Van der Maaten insisted that these achievements in colonial administration did not qualify Van Heutsz as an expert on the defence of Netherlands Indies.
Structure and Appendices
The pamphlet included six appendices (Bijlagen) containing full meeting reports and speeches, providing the documentary basis for Van der Maaten’s arguments.
Significance
The pamphlet is a significant source for understanding the Dutch colonial defence debate during and after the First World War. It exposes the personal and political dynamics behind the campaign to appoint Van Heutsz as defence commissioner, and reveals the extent to which J. Van der Weyden’s ostensibly independent defence proposals were in fact co-authored by Van Heutsz himself. It is also valuable for the light it sheds on the internal divisions among former Atjeh officers and on Van der Maaten’s own perspective on the Atjeh-politiek and its architects.
See Also
- J. B. van Heutsz
- J. Van der Weyden
- Van der Weyden’s defense brochure
- Van Heutsz’s Bond van Vrije Liberalen defense speech (13 January 1917)
- G. C. E. van Daalen
- C. Snouck Hurgronje
- Staatscommissie voor de Verdediging van Nederlandsch-Indië
- Rapport over de Atjeh-enquête
- Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden
- Bond van Vrije Liberalen
- Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger
- Buitenbezittingen
Source
K. van der Maaten, Z. E. De Oud Gouverneur-Generaal J. B. van Heutsz en de Defensie van Nederlandsch-Indië (‘s-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1917).