Kartini: a Quest for Freedom (Indonesia)

Kartini: a Quest for Freedom

Indonesia’s battle for Independence endured a gradual process that grew exponentially after World War II. Although the movement towards the unity and the independence of Indonesia didn’t take shape until 1908, the origins of the movement trace their roots to earlier pioneers. Further, Kartini’s revelations motivated and triggered Indonesian nationalism. Indeed, in response to her writings, Indonesian struggle for independence gradually developed to a profound revolution in Indonesian political, social and educational sphere. A symbol for Indonesian nationalism, Kartini took advantage of her environment and transformed the restraint imposed on her into innovative ideas, nationalist ambtions, and, most importantly, pioneering feminine thought. “He who does not dare does not win” (p.19), and because Kartini was the first one to dare, she eventually allowed her people to win something that they have longed for for hundreds of years.

Although Kartini lived to witness the age of Dutch Ethical Policy, she didn’t live to benefit from it. In all probabilities, Kartini would have certainly influenced the National revival of Indonesia if she had survived such a period of transformation.  The period of Ethical Policy raised the awareness of Indonesians and allowed them to further recognize the constructive aspects of Western political, economic and social life. Such awareness made Indonesians, both nobility and commoners demand and have access to extensive education. Because of the increasing number of educational institutions that were dispersed all over the Archipelago, knowledge was no more a privilege exclusive to the highest Javanese Elites. This development was critical into the awakening of Indonesian politics. As we will see, the historical development of Nationalism in Indonesia can be traced back and outlined in Karitini’s revelations.

To begin with, Kartini’s environment, shaped by her social and economic status, greatly influenced her later views on Javanese culture. Kartini was born into “Bupati” aristocratic social class. Belonging to such an aristocratic social status brought with it a great burden of responsibility, “To my mind there are only two kinds of aristocracy, the aristocracy of the mind , and the aristocracy of the soul-of those who are noble in spirit” (p.11). From her letters, Kartini reveals her great appreciation of her social status and the privileges she had access to through it. As an exchange for such a privellege, Kartini believed that it was her duty to bring change to her country, “And how will her people ever be awakened, when those who should serve as examples, themselves love sleep so much”p.8-9

First, part of belonging to such a status in Javanese society was to work for the Dutch. As a result, her father had extensive relations with Dutch officials and Dutch friends.  Being the daughter of an elite who deals with Dutch on daily basis, Kartini had the exclusive privilege to Dutch education.  The Bupati class played an intermediary role between the Dutch and the Native commoners.  Visiting various villages in and around Batavia was one of the daily activities that Kartini’s father had to do as part of his job.  Occasionally, he would take his children along with him.  Thus, at such a young age, Kartini was exposed to the struggles of the Native commoners. Such visits had a great impact on her Nationalist thoughts as she began to develop a stronger relation with her people. Those visits also helped her recognize a stream of setbacks that increased the difficulty of bringing change to her people.

On the other hand, the second and most important aspects of the Javanese Bupati culture was its commitment to social etiquettes, and it over-protective sexist treatment of women.  Although her father had occasionally broke some cultural norms, such as allowing her daughter to study Dutch and accompany him on some of his visits,  Kartini’s ambitions came to a severe halt because of cultural restrictions.  According to her traditional culture, Kartini was expected to remain home protected from the outside world until her parents arrange a marriage for her.  Though aware of his daughter’s ambitions, Kartini’s father was bound by his customs which he had an obligation to preserve. Such devoted sanctity toward tradition bothered Kartini and is a persisting theme of every letter that Kartini sent to Stella.  She utilized logic as her decisive factor in making judgments, “To me, it goes against the brain when people older than I creep in the dust before me” p. 43. Though she considered her self a Muslim, she questioned her faith and scrutinized it, “The Mohammedan law allows a man to have four wives at the same time. And though it be a thousand times over no sin according to the Mohammedan law and doctrine, I shall of ever call it a sin” p.17

Continuing her long persistence and resistance, Kartini took advantage of her knowledge of Dutch and began to transform the imprisonment imposed on her into a self-taught institutional of learning. To Kartini, reading was not just a means of seeking pleasure, though it was her only means. In fact, Kartini believed in education and she deemed learning as the ultimate path to freedom, self-awareness, and unity. Through out her letters, Kartini restates her dream of establishing a school system for all of her people, especially the women. Confined by her home-stay imprisonment, Kartini struggled to establish the least form of education that she can provide for her people.  Kartini greatly understood the specific aspects of her society. Because she recognized that school education is impossible to accomplish, as she couldn’t offer that to herself, Kartini launched a local program that aims at fostering technical skills. Her vocational program aimed particularly at attracting ordinary girls who were lived on the margin of society.  Recalling the conditions and the needs of the people from her childhood village visits, Kartini’s school were greatly concerned with wood-carving.  In general, wood-carving was the only job woman can do besides taking care of her husband and children. Kartini saw and experienced the distinct suffering that female members of society had to undergo. In her letters, Kartini doesn’t only complain about restrictions on women but she also expresses bewilderment of the idea itself.  In addition to her unique independent thinking, Kartini’s collection of books and newspaper articles furthered her hopes for the emancipation of Javanese women. Not only was she aware of the process of the development of feminism in Europe, but she extended such knowledge and tried to apply it and theorize it on her Javanese fellow individuals. Moreover, Kartini was knowledgeable enough of the uniqueness of her society that she refused to be a pseudo-European, “It is the greatest of all lies that any two human beings can think alike in everything. That cannot be; people who say that must be hypocrites” (p.9). In one of her early letters, she confirms that “Civilization is a blessing, but it has its dark side as well” (p.7). What’s more, she doesn’t idealize European culture but, in fact she points out to many features that she deem wrong.  For instance, “Kissing the foot is the highest token of respect that we Javanese can show to our parents, or elderly blood relatives, and to our won rulers. We do not find it pleasant to do this for strangers; no, the European makes himself ridiculous in our eyes whenever he demands from us those tokens of respect to which our won rulers alone have the right” p. 42

            The greatest achievement that made Kartini’s letters influential to both the Colonizers and the Natives, was her recognition of the significance of education in escaping backwardness and achieving prosperity and progress. She says: “Oh, now I understand why they are opposed to the education of the Javanese. When the Javanese becomes educated then he will no longer say amen to everything that is suggested to him by his superiors” (p.45). As a result,  Kartini made it clear in her letters that, though the Dutch are civilized and friendly, they aim at exploiting the people and the country’s resources. Stimulated by her commitment to her people and sense of duty, she promoted education as a means of revolting against repression and ending the colonization of South East Asian Archipelago. Partly in response to her demands, the age of ethical policy came to achieve Karitini’s dream and awaken the long sleeping Natives of Indonesia. What’s more, Kartini never benefited from the period of Ethical Policy. In her life, Kartini struggled to articulate her thoughts and voice her concerns to the citizens of her country. Taking this into consideration, one can speculate the great revolution that Kartini would have made during the Ethical Policy period had she survived it.