Weerplicht voor Inlanders en samenstelling van de weermacht in Nederlandsch-Indië is a defence brochure published by the Vereeniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap at ‘s-Gravenhage, authored by Lieutenant-Colonel J. Van der Weyden of the General Staff of the Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger, proposing mandatory military service for the native population of Netherlands Indies and a comprehensive reform of the colonial defence system.
Authorship and Publication
The brochure was authored by Lieutenant-Colonel J. Van der Weyden of the General Staff of the N. I. Leger. It was published by the Vereeniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap at ‘s-Gravenhage. Van der Weyden first promised the work at the Vereeniging meeting on 27 February 1914, but the brochure did not appear for more than two years thereafter.
Van Heutsz’s Role in Authorship
Van der Maaten revealed in his 1917 pamphlet that the brochure was in fact written in collaboration with J. B. van Heutsz, Van der Weyden’s father-in-law. Pages 389–395 of the brochure were entirely in Van Heutsz’s own hand. Van der Maaten argued the work should properly be called the “brochure Van Heutsz-Van der Weijden.”
Core Proposals
The brochure put forward two principal proposals. First, it advocated the introduction of mandatory military service (militieplicht) for the native population (Inlanders) of Netherlands Indies. Second, it proposed a reformed army and fleet composition for the defence of the archipelago. The proposal that native militia service was essential to the defence plan was central to J. B. van Heutsz’s about-face on the issue, since as Governor-General (1904–1909) he had strongly advised against introducing militia service for natives.
Financing Defence Through India
The brochure controversally proposed that India should bear all costs of defence, including both fleet and army, on the grounds that “it is also in India’s interest that the Netherlands remains master.” It suggested that India could take out loans “op eigen naam en voor eigen rekening” for defence purposes. The brochure proposed exploiting the “onschatbare rijkdommen” (inestimable riches) in and on the soil of India to fund defence. Pages 389–395, written by J. B. van Heutsz himself, proposed specific revenue measures including increased export duties and taxation reforms. Van der Maaten acknowledged “much good” in the brochure but criticised its premises and conclusions as incorrect, particularly the proposition that India alone should bear all defence costs, which he called “immorality.”
Promotion of Van Heutsz
Through the brochure, Van der Weyden promoted J. B. van Heutsz as the supreme authority on Indian defence, describing him as “better than anyone, indeed better than the entire Staatscommissie voor de Verdediging van Nederlandsch-Indië combined, informed about India, its resources, and the Indian defence question.” This promotion fed directly into the campaign that culminated in Van Heutsz’s speech at the Bond van Vrije Liberalen on 13 January 1917.
Political Impact
The brochure was used in the Volksvertegenwoordiging to pressure the government on defence policy. Its proposals were generally enthusiastically received and were played against the government by opponents of the existing defence arrangements. The brochure’s publication and the associated political campaign provoked Van der Maaten to write his critical pamphlet opposing the appointment of Van Heutsz as buitengewoon Regeerings-Commissaris.
Significance
The brochure is a key document in the Dutch colonial defence debate of the First World War era. Its revelation as a co-authored work with J. B. van Heutsz, exposed by Van der Maaten, makes it significant not only for its policy proposals but for what it reveals about the personal and political manoeuvring behind the campaign to reshape the defence of Netherlands Indies.
See Also
- J. Van der Weyden
- J. B. van Heutsz
- Van der Maaten’s pamphlet on Van Heutsz and the Defense of Netherlands Indies
- Van Heutsz’s Bond van Vrije Liberalen defense speech (13 January 1917)
- Staatscommissie voor de Verdediging van Nederlandsch-Indië
- Vereeniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap
- Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger
- Van der Maaten
- Volksvertegenwoordiging
- Bond van Vrije Liberalen
- 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).