Van Heutsz’s inspection tour of Atjeh (December 1907) was the visit that governor-general Van Heutsz — at the request of minister Fock — undertook to Atjeh in December 1907 in response to the “Wekeer” articles of October 1907. The inspection was undertaken, in Van Heutsz’s own formulation, “opdat ook het publiek overtuigd worde van datgene waarvan ook de gouverneur-generaal overtuigd is, dat wij in Atjeh op de goede weg zijn” — so that the public too may be convinced of that of which the governor-general is already convinced, that we are on the right path in Atjeh. The inspection proved otherwise.
The October 1907 provocation
In October 1907 De Avondpost had published the “Wekeer” articles — a series by an anonymous maréchaussée-officer from Atjeh exposing needless cruelties committed against the Atjehnese population, “toegelaten zo niet aangemoedigd door Van Daalen”. Minister Fock had advised the chambermembers not to waste their time on these articles; the governor-general, he said, had full confidence in Van Daalen, and both he and Van Daalen considered reinforcement of the troop strength in Atjeh unnecessary.
The inspection
Pressed by the minister, Van Heutsz undertook an inspection tour of Atjeh in December 1907. The official purpose was confirmatory: to convince the public that the Netherlands was “op de goede weg” — on the right path — in Atjeh. The inspection itself, however, revealed the untenability of Van Daalen’s administration. In the same month Van Daalen submitted his resignation.
The June 1908 report
In June 1908 the report of the governor-general was published. Its verdict — “Hij heeft het beginsel van de pacificatie miskend. Hij heeft een verkeerde politiek gevoerd tegenover de hoofden, aan wie een onheuse bejegening ten deel viel. Hij heeft het goedgezinde deel der bevolking tussen twee vuren geplaatst” — is the official confirmation that the inspection had reversed both the Fock judgement of October and the Van Heutsz confidence of 1905.
Significance
The December 1907 inspection tour is the immediate political-military hinge of the post-1904 expedition period. Its consequence — the resignation of Van Daalen and the June 1908 report — installed the new course of the pacificatie.
See Also
- J. B. van Heutsz
- D. Fock
- G. C. E. van Daalen
- Avondpost “Wekeer” articles (October 1907)
- Van Daalen’s resignation (December 1907)
- Van Heutsz’s report on Atjeh (June 1908)
- Pacificatie van Atjeh
- De Avondpost
- 1907
- 1908
Source
Schets eener parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederland van 1849 tot 1901, by Mr W. J. van Welderen baron Rengers, 4th rev. ed., Vol. IV: Oost-Indië 1891-1918 by Dr W. H. Vermeulen (‘s-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1955), pp. 273-274.