www.mastoni.com
DISCUSSION FORUM
The following are emails I wrote in response
to criticisms of my articles on this site.
I thought it might be a useful contribution
to our on-going forum. The respondents wrote:
 Tilly, Delft Mas Toni, with due respect, taking into account the first mentioned article I cannot understand your more or less hostile remarks towards the Dutch in the Carakan article, the more so as the present selfish and aggressive attitude of the (Javanese) ... continue Roy, AmsterdamGiven your assertion that the Dutch was so cruel in Indonesia, how do you explain the fact that so many political refugees from Indonesia seek asylum in the Netherlands? continue M.M Medeiros, USAWhat is the source of your loyalty to the feodal system (if I read you rightly)? Would YOU like to be an abdidalem?continue Dirk Vrancken, BelgiumI was reading your discussion forum and many items are agressive written. They all contain a lot of truth, but some phrases are not that entirely correct and are just an escape from the reality. continue Dirk Vrancken, BelgiumIn respond to your question: "Do you really believe that we were supposed to make something good out of this?": Yes, I really believe this. The Dutch conquered Indonesia and abused its resources for many decades. This is a fact which can not be changed. It is a part of Indonesian history and has to be accepted. There are 2 ways to deal with this... continue Ed Vos, NetherlandsI don't think it is accurate to say, as the author did, that the Balinese use the same script as the Javanese do. I also think that it is totally inaccurate to accuse the Dutch of a sort of conspiracy to eliminate this part of Balinese culture. Historically, it is well known that the Dutch did exactly the opposite... continue M.M Medeiros, USADon't let's always be so beastly to the Dutch. They invented and produced the type for the Indonesian languages -- beautiful typefaces, too, very sensitive to the calligraphic opportunities. Otherwise there'd have been no printing of these languages... continue Tilly, Delft Weet U Mas Toni, ik heb na al het gedoe van de feestdagen eindelijk tijd gehad om te doen wat ik wilde doen om uw eerste uitgebreide mail te beantwoorden. Ik hoop dat u het goed vindt dat ik in het Nederlands schrijf, want volgens mij beheerst u die taal uitstekend en kunt u die althans goed lezen en begrijpen. Ik heb de'Nyanyian Angsa' van Rendra gelezen vorige week en die begrijp ik ook best, maar vraag me niet om daarover te discussieren in BI baku!... continue Tilly, DelftWat uw mailtje betreft: U zegt er genoegen in te scheppen om andere mensen te irriteren of zelfs te beledigen en dat allemaal vanwege de geschiedenis van uw land waar u noch de lezer van uw website persoonlijk deel aan hebben gehad. Ook kunt u niet nalaten provocerende teksten ten aanzien van de Europeanen in het algemeen en de Nederlanders in het bijzonder te plaatsen. Dat is spijtig en het zal zeker niet het door u gewenste effect hebben. Een man als Pramoedya vertelt hoe de geschiedenis inelkaar steekt zonder dat te doen. Ook hij is Javaan en werkelijk niet de eerste de beste. continue Jono Hardjowirogo, New YorkUnderstanding the death of the Javanese culture is one of my pet projects that I've been trying to put into a book for a long time. Let me share some of my observations here. Your assertion that the Dutch killed Javanese culture is totally inaccurate. I personally think that Indonesian nationalism as well as the underlying Anti Javanese sentiment killed the Javanese culture. Historically, ... continue Jono Hardjowirogo, New YorkGranted, colonialism did alter the history of the world not only in Java and Indonesia. Javanese culture is of course not dead and thanks to hardy soul like yourself, we may yet see a resurgence of this great culture. continue Peter van Kan, NetherlandsI wonder, mas Toni, if you ever asked yourself where the original Javanese religion; Kedjawen, culture, language and writing has gone to? With all respect to you and your material on these matters, I must correct you as a Javanese on these very delicate matters. continue |
