This biography of Baginda Dahlan Abdoellah opens access to a life story that was almost forgotten, superseded as it was by later and more lasting developments. Dahlan Abdoellah, from West Sumatra,... Show moreThis biography of Baginda Dahlan Abdoellah opens access to a life story that was almost forgotten, superseded as it was by later and more lasting developments. Dahlan Abdoellah, from West Sumatra, went to study at a Sekolah Guru in the Netherlands in 1913, together with Tan Malaka. He was involved in radical actions as a board member of the Perhimpunan Hindia in 1918, the first time Indonesian independence was publicly articulated. After assisting Prof. Van Ronkel in teaching Malay at Universiteit Leiden, he remained a counsellor of the Perhimpunan Indonesia, when it, during the twenties, under the leadership of Mohammad Hatta, turned to a radical course, opposing the Dutch colonial rulers. When back in Indonesia in 1924 Dahlan Abdullah remained a fierce proponent of Indonesian independence, until he, as the Ambassador of the United Republic of Indonesia (RIS), died in 1950. He was active in Parindra and member of the Jakarta local council, even te become a mayor. Suryadi has done a wonderful job, first to collect all kinds of unknown sources on Dahlan Abdoellah, and then organizing his biography to establish Dahlan Abdoellah as a true perintis and pahlawan kemerdekaan Indonesia. Specific mention must be made of the translation in Indonesian of the journal he published in a Dutch newspaper (De Telegraaf) on his ziarah ke Mekah – a rare and valuable source. Show less
The Sultanate of Buton, situated in the south-eastern peninsula of Sulawesi Island, was an archipelagic Islamic kingdom that has long been existed before the arrival of European power in the Malay... Show moreThe Sultanate of Buton, situated in the south-eastern peninsula of Sulawesi Island, was an archipelagic Islamic kingdom that has long been existed before the arrival of European power in the Malay-Nusantara world. Politically, the Sultanate of Buton, that was relatively small, always feels threatened because of the territorial expansion and political rivalry between its large and powerful neighboring kingdoms: Gowa and Ternate. Therefore, the 4th Butonese sultan Dayanu Ikhsanuddin or La Elangi (1578 – 1615) pledged “everlasting alliance” with the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) on 5 January 1613. The essence of the treaty was that the VOC would help Buton if attacked by the enemies, but with some requirements that must be met by Buton. The treaty had “bundled” the next Buton sultans. This paper discusses a 13-pages letter sent by the VOC’s Governor in Makassar, represented the VOC’s Governor General in Batavia, to the 25th Butonese sultan Azimuddin or La Masalumu (1788 – 1791), dated on 25 February 1791,which its digital version owned by The British Library under code EAP212/6/3 and its original manuscript hold in Abdul Mulku Zahari’s collection in Baubau, Buton. This paper provides the Roman transliteration of the letter, discusses its contents and relates them to the socio-political historical background of the sultanate of Buton of that period. Show less
