Gotong Royong is one culture in Indonesian society that embodies the idea that members of society (typically within a neighborhood) help each other out when something comes up, typically exampled by fixing broken-down houses or cleaning the neighborhood together. I used to think that the idea of us not needing to hire a contractor or handyman was pretty cool. As long as we know our neighbors and ask for their help, all is well. It’s a pretty romantic idea, even. Celebrating that Indonesian society is a communal one. Well…reading Max Havelaar kinda changed my mind on this, though. It may not be as romantic as we thought it is.
Max Havelaar by Multatuli (Douwes Dekker) is such a celebrated book in Indonesian history, depicting life in the Dutch Indies during colonialization. It is said to be the first book to reveal the harsh reality and suffering behind the imported goods that the Dutch enjoyed through colonization e.g. coffee, tea, and spices. This public realization is said to have inspired (or forced) the Dutch authority to adopt “ethical politics,” providing more opportunities for natives to get an education and better agricultural facilities, like irrigation systems. Interestingly, the book is based on the author’s own experience as a regent in Lebak, a poor regency located about a 3-hour drive from modern-day Jakarta.
Initially at school, I remember thinking that the book is talking about the cruelty or unjust Dutch rulers back in the day. Apparently, it wasn’t. The unjust was actually done by the Adipati, which is somewhat the local king, and he for sure is not Dutch. What happened was that even though the Dutch were the ones collecting taxes and running the jail, peasants and commoners still obey the Adipati AND his family whenever they ask for something. The Adipati and the family, btw, were living in luxury, while the peasants were…..well, starving and desperate to make ends meet.
We may think that “Oh, perhaps the Adipati is rich enough to have his own people working on his farm and generate all the wealth”. Well….no. He didn’t have his own worker, or at least it was not depicted to be that way. Whenever he needed people working on their farm, he sent his subordinates asking for the poor peasants to work on the Adipati’s farm. Were they getting paid, at least? No. It was all done voluntarily “for the good of the Adipati”.
So the peasants needed to leave their own farms, work together on the Adipati’s farm instead not being paid, leaving them with no food and no money, and in the end, they still needed to pay land taxes to the Dutch authorities. What happened if they failed to pay? Well, then the dungeon is waiting for them. What happened if they object to the Adipati and report this to the authorities? Their body would be found by the river the morning after.
On top of that, if the Adipati “asks” for the peasant’s buffalo which they used for plowing the farm, the peasants had no choice but to give it away. Then they had to get another buffalo, sacrificing what is left of them, before eventually, it is gonna be taken away again for the Adipati’s feasts.
For sure, there’s no 100% clarity that this was how the gotong royong culture first started but to me personally, it seems plausible and I don’t know how to feel about it. We may say… ”Well, that is simply what had happened in the past and we have moved on from it. At least we’re not working for someone now and it is all done for the community member”. To me, yes and no. No, because there’s another side to it.
Having this thought about gotong royong brings me back to what someone said to me during my 1-month community service (KKN) time in the Southern Malang regency. Gotong Royong culture may not be as visible any longer in the bigger cities, though I assumed it would still be pretty strong in rural areas like where I did my community service. However, I was quite surprised to hear from the locals that they prefer to hire a constructor and spend the extra money upfront rather than asking for help from their neighbors.
Regardless of asking for help gotong royong style will not incur a cost, there are lots of underlying costs to it. To show gratitude, he needs to provide “appropriate” food e.g. meat, chicken, or fish. Then comes tea and coffee. Obviously, tea and coffee need a “companion”, so he needs to provide snacks and loads of packs of cigarettes. Work-wise, as it is community work, he can’t really order people to work quickly and finish by a set time, so naturally, it takes more time to finish. Also, as they’re not experts, nobody can guarantee the quality of the results. Eventually, it’s better to spend more upfront for an actual constructor or handyman.
I’m not trying to say that gotong royong needs to be disregarded and all. I still think it’s a good idea and spirit to help each other out, especially those that are close to us. I personally feel grateful and happy that fellow Indonesian in Japan (and I’m sure everywhere in the world) are helping each other out by sharing information and services. However, I think it is also important to understand what was actually the story behind a culture and what are the sides that may not be so apparent upfront.
