Footsteps (27 page)

I believed this Western-educated bupati would be a modern man. He would certainly be different from Bupati Lebak Kart-awidjaja of the time of Controller Eduard Douwes Dekker, as told in
Max Havelaar.
He was the first Javanese to use a surname. He would be somebody with whom you could have an open and frank discussion.

A messenger took me to the pendopo. And, ya Allah, I would have to once again crawl across the floor to seek audience with him. No doubt to be followed by innumerable genuflections of obeisance. How could it be like this between two modern people? This kind of barbaric custom could not be accepted.

The messenger bowed before me and then backed far away.

Should I cancel this initiative? It would be very easy. But I needed this person. The organization would need public acceptance. And his blessing would help. It would even be good if he were to join. This kind of tactic must not be given up. The organization must be founded and must succeed.

I took off my shoes, I adjusted my destar, and I crawled across to the appointed place. I crawled, though not as slowly and slimily as a snail. Crawling!

The pendopo was no different from any other in Java, even
its decorations were standard issue. And I stopped, sitting squatted in front of his chair. What kind of show was this?

I must not be offended, for the sake of the success of our enterprise. My hands moved naturally together to make obeisance to him when he came in and sat down. As soon as my hands came down, I heard his voice, speaking in rapid Dutch: “Is it Raden Mas I find before me here?”

“You are not mistaken,
Gusti Kanjeng.”

“Greetings, Raden Mas.”

“A thousand thanks, Gusti Kanjeng,” I answered and once again raised my clasped hands in obeisance. “May Gusti Kanjeng always be blessed with happiness.”

“I have received your letter and I understand your intentions, Raden Mas.”

“I thank you a thousand times for giving my letter your attention, Gusti Kanjeng. I have come in the hope that Gusti Kanjeng may be willing to spend some time further discussing the idea.”

“It was very interesting. When will such an organization be founded and what will be its name?”

“That will depend on its founding meeting. If Gusti Kanjeng could find time, perhaps, to attend…”

My words disappeared in the wave of uproarious laughter that burst forth. I could see that his
kain
was shaking because of his laughter.

“The Bupati of Serang attend such a meeting. Heh, Raden Mas, who do you think the Bupati of Serang is? Your equal?”

Was this the person that everyone talked about as being brilliant, his French never scoring below nine, a diligent reader, charismatic, educated, a modern person, and well liked?

“A thousand pardons, Gusti Kanjeng.”

“I’ll tell you, Raden Mas, two years ago a retired Java Doctor came to see me. He sat right where you are sitting now. He was just a Mas. He made the same suggestion that you have. My answer was the same. Who do you think the Bupati of Serang is? You are a Raden Mas. Even so, my answer is still the same.”

My blood boiled. I raised my head and looked at him without bowing: “I came here to meet with an educated man, to have a discussion with a fellow educated person, to exchange thoughts, not to deliberate over the greatness of anybody. I thought you were genuinely concerned about what I had suggested, as was
indicated in your letter. Did you think I came here just to admire you?”

I had stood up. I looked him straight in the face. His eyes were glowing with rage that a Native dared stand up before him.

“Perhaps the retired Java Doctor was willing to endure being humiliated by you but I am not. There is no law compelling anybody to crawl on the floor before you and make obeisance to you like a slave. Good morning.”

“Raden Mas!” He called me back.

I stopped and turned around. I saw that he had got up from his chair. I went back and said: “If you are angry, you can bring a case before the courts charging me with violating protocol.”

“That would be easy, Raden Mas. But, in any case, a meeting that began with good intentions should not end badly.” He held out his hand.

I took his hand. I could feel my hand shaking with anger, and I could feel his shaking as he restrained his.

“As an idea, your proposal is good, but…”

“I looked forward to meeting the Bupati of Serang as an educated Native, not as a Dutchman’s bupati.”

“You forget that it is not whether people are educated or not, but rather what they do, what position it is that they hold. You forget that I am bupati.”

I left him in his pendopo, bearing his own pain brought about by his own arrogance. I left Serang straightaway. Perhaps the old Java Doctor had been even more pained than I. Fine. And this was the result of my first foray.

It took me several days to get over my anger. Fortunately another letter arrived from Ter Haar, which boosted my spirits. It was from Bali.

Praise of the Balinese danced and swayed before me. He was too clever a writer. He had aroused my sympathy for this people whom van Heutsz wanted to subjugate. If all the Indies had fought back like the Acehnese and the Balinese, perhaps today we would be as strong as Japan. The island of Java had run out of men, mobilized by the kings and the Dutch army, and killed on so many battlefields.

“Sandiman!”

He was washing the bicycle. From my window I could see him leave a rag on the handlebars and go to the well and wash his hands. He came inside to report, nodding like a military man.

“Perhaps you too were once a Legion soldier?” I said, fishing about.

“What legion do you mean, Tuan?”

“Mangkunegaran, of course.”

“Yes, it’s true, Tuan, for five years.”

“What was your rank?”

“Very lowly, Tuan.”

From his quite un-Javanese attitude, I guessed that he had, in fact, held a high rank. He could tell me a lot about the Legion.

“Have you heard that there is a war going on in Bali?”

“I’ve heard, Tuan.”

“Have any of your family been involved?”

“Yes, it’s true, Tuan. You have not guessed wrongly.”

“Did you resign properly from the Legion or did you desert?”

I watched him closely at that moment and so I began to suspect he was a deserter.

“I will not tell anyone,” I said, encouraging him. “You can be honest with me. You could be in trouble if it was anyone else.”

“Thank you, Tuan.”

“Then you have heard the rumors that the Legion will be sent to Bali?”

“All of them know about it.”

“And so you don’t agree?”

“More than just don’t agree, Tuan. And it’s not just me. Our
duty is only to defend Mangkunegaran. The war in Bali has nothing to do with the defense of Mangkunegaran. We didn’t join the Legion to die in Bali. We often discussed this. People said that Balinese and Javanese had the same ancestors. Why should we be fighting each other?”

“If you were forced to take sides between the Dutch and the Balinese, whom would you choose?”

“I wouldn’t choose either. But neither do I want to fight against Bali.”

“Good. Get the bike ready. Can you ride it?”

“Not yet, Tuan.”

“Then learn.”

I pocketed the letters from the others who had responded positively to my call. I left for the first address—the
Patih
of the district of Meester Cornelis. As far as the Bupati of Serang was concerned, I struck his name off the list. I crossed off the other three bupatis as well. All the bupatis would behave the same way. I would have to look one level lower.

And I was right, the Patih of Meester Cornelis was much more polite. He invited me to sit in front of his desk.

“Bendoro
Raden Mas?” he asked in Malay. “I have discussed Raden Mas’s letter with a number of other
wedana.
They have also discussed it with others outside my district. Congratulations, Raden Mas. Most of them are also in agreement. And if the wedana agrees, then his subordinates will also support the idea.”

“Thank you very much indeed, Tuan Patih. And what about yourself? What do you think?”

“What do I think? I’ve heard that you have had quite a bit of experience with the press. I think Raden Mas knows better than I. You must know a lot about what is happening in the world and here in the Indies. You will know what is best for us here. But yes, there must be efforts to advance our people, to improve their lives and their way of life. An honorable goal, Raden Mas, to build schools, educational hostels, and to explain to the Natives their rights under the law. Of course, you intend also to publish your own newspaper.”

“That will depend on the decision of our first assembly, Tuan Patih.”

“Good, good. There is something else you should know, Raden Mas, if you care to listen…”

There was a wealthy man, of only lowly official position,
who had long dreamed of starting an endeavor such as this. But because of his lowly position, he had always held back from starting. He was a charitable man who was always prepared to help a good cause.

“…try contacting him. One man like him is worth a thousand like me, even though I have a higher position.”

The person he was referring to was the Wedana from Mangga Besar, Thamrin Mohammed Thabrie.

A wedana! My thoughts dashed about trying to guess what kind of education he might have obtained. At the most he would have finished primary school, wouldn’t be able to speak Dutch, and would know very little about the ways of the world. So I didn’t take the Patih’s suggestion seriously.

“And you yourself, Tuan Patih, are you prepared to help with getting this organization of ours started?”

“Contact the Wedana of Mangga Besar first. If he agrees, then everything will be much easier.”

That’s all he would say. I couldn’t get anything more out of him. I asked to be excused and he escorted me to the front door.

I went about on my bike visiting the other people on my list, each time trying to find out more about Mohammed Thabrie, who certainly seemed to be held in very high regard by the Patih of Meester Cornelis.

“The Wedana of Mangga Besar? A big landowner,” said one.

“Thamrin Mohammed Thabrie? A very pious man,” said another.

“It’s true,” said another. “He once paid for the building of two mosques.”

“A very generous man,” said someone at another address, going on to explain how he had been helped out of some difficult circumstances, which is why he still had his present position.

It seemed he was quite well known among the priyayi, not only as a wedana but also as a human being.

I stopped at a street stall just near his house in order to complete my information.

“He has houses everywhere,” said the stall owner. “People say there are more than a hundred. And there is his delman business. And some say he even owns a shipping company which he has given to someone else to manage for him.…”

Perhaps he’s someone like Nyai Ontosoroh. He’s sure to be a very interesting person. According to the Patih of Meester
Cornelis, he is the key to the successful founding of the organization we want.

My spirits rose again. His pendopo was spacious. There were two other people waiting. They were seated on a divan.

“Assalamu…”

A young man emerged from around the corner, still carrying a broom.

“Is Tuan Thamrin in?”

“Yes, Tuan, please take a seat.”

I went and sat down. I took the opportunity to observe the various people waiting to see the wedana. It seemed that wedanas were very busy people. I had plenty of time to look over the pendopo.