Dja Enda Moeda

by Ahmat B. Adam

THE VERNACULAR PRESS AND THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN INDONESIAN CONCIOUSNESS (1855-1913)

Southeast Asia Program
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
1995

DJA ENDAR MOEDA's NEWSPAPERS

Dja Endar Moeda's name as a full-time journalist first appeared when he became editor of the Pertja Barat around 1894 or 1895. At the beginning of the twentieth century he sat on the editorial board of the journal Insulinde. Dja Endar Moeda alias Haji Moehamad Saleh (116) was a Batak, born in Padang Sidempuan in 1861.(117) He had probably attended a Dutch school which enabled him to study at the Teachers' Training School in Padang Sidempuan. He graduated in 1884 and was posted to Air Bangis as an assistant teacher. He was later promoted to become the head teacher at Batahan in the district of Natal. It was while holding this position that he became corresponding-editor for the monthly pedagogical journal Soeloeh Pengadjar which was founded in Probolinggo in 1887. From Batahan he was transferred to Singkil in Sumatra's West Coast. He left for the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1892. On his return from the haj in 1893, Dja Endar Moeda decided to reside in Kota Padang. By this time he had retired from government service and had begun his own private school. At about the same time he took a job as the editor of Pertja Barat which was founded in 1894 by Lie Bian Goan.(118) In 1900 when the Snelpersdrukkerij published Insulinde and Tapian na Oeli, Dja Endar Moeda sat on the editorial boards of both publications as editor-in-chief. Through the Pertja Barat Dja Endar Moeda made a name for himself as a bold editor. His writings and his honest criticisms of the Binnenlandsche Bestuur officials earned him the respect of Dutch journalists who were serving on the Sumatra Courant.(119) Gradually, from his position as editor he managed to gain a foothold in the Insulinde Press by becoming one of its shareholders. In 1905 when the press was to be sold, Dja Endar Moeda bought it and started what became the first native-owned press in Sumatra. Sharp as a journalist, Dja Enda also had a calculating business sense. When the Pertja Barat's popularity was established he expanded his business into retail trade by setting up a shop which he named "Toko Pertja Barat."

Dja Enda Moeda

Dja Endar Moeda's interest in the press business led him to venture into founding other newspapers. In 1906 he started the twice-weekly Pemberita Atjeh (120) [Atjeh Gazette] which was published at Kuta Raja, Aceh, and in 1908 he restarted the Warta Berita which had collapsed the year before.(121) His publishing house also published in that same year the monthly periodical Minangkabau, with himself as the chief editor. However, this periodical appeared only for a short time. Business prospects cannot have seemed good to Dja Endar because, by the end of 1909, Pemberita Atjeh was forced to cease publication, its existence made more difficult by the fact that another newspaper was circulating in Kuta Raja in 1907. Sinar Atjeh [Ray of Atjeh] was published by the Sinar Atjeh Company under the editorship of Lim Soen Hwat, a peranakan, but it managed to survive only up to July 30, 1908. (122) Pemberita Atjeh existed three years only. Like Sinar Atjeh, it never really succeeded in attracting enough readers or acquiring a sufficient number of regular subscribers to support its existence.
Having failed in Aceh, Dja Endar Moeda went to Medan to set up the Sjarikat Tapanuli, another printing house, together with some Batak businessmen.This publication firm had a press of its own, and in January 1910 it published the Pewarta Deli [Deli Reporter] which also had Dja Endar Moeda as its editor-in-chief, with Kamarudin, his son, as sub-editor. Prospects for Pewarta Deli appeared bright because, following the death of Pemberita Atjeh, Kuta Raja was left without a newspaper of its own. Thus Achenese readers could subscribe only to Pewarta Deli. But for reasons which remain unclear, Dja Endar Moeda seems to have fallen out with major shareholders of the company. His relationship with the Sjarikat Tapanuli became strained,(123) and after a brief stay with the company he and his son left Medan. Next, he was reported to have made a second attempt to found a newspaper in Aceh. On June1,1911 Bintang Atjeh [Star of Atjeh] made its maiden appearance in Kuta Raja bearing Dja Endar Moeda's name as editor-in-chief.(124) How long this paper managed to continue is unknown, but it cannot have survived beyond 1913 reference to its existence had ceased by then. Dja Endar Moeda's untiring efforts earned him the reputation as one of the pioneers of the indigenous press in Sumatra. Like Datoek Soetan Maharadja, he had a deep interest in journalism, so deep that both men decided to give up their government posts to venture into the press business; as founders of their own printing houses, as dedicated editors, and as bold social critics.
In comparing Datoek Soetan Maharadja and Dja Endar Moeda as editors and publishers, it is clear that Datoek Soetan Maharadja was more a social reformer, while Dja Endar Moeda was the more deeply involved in journalism and the native press industry. Yet Dja Endar also wrote propagandistic articles calling upon the indigenous people to strive for Western education and progress, even though he was not as active in organizational work as Datoek Soetan Maharadja. Of all the newspapers edited by Dja Endar Moeda, Pertja Barat remained the most influential and lasted the longest. The paper was popular not only in Padang but also in Java. Its pages were filled with news of events both in and around Padang and also those occurring in Java. Reports on the formation of the Journalists' Union and the Teachers' Union in Sumatra were also published. The paper's financial strength may be ascertained from the large number of columns allocated for advertisements.(125) To attract readers, Pertja Barat serialized short stories or hikayat. That its circulation was relatively large was indicated by the fact that it had two editors in 1911 and several correspondents contributing articles or news.(126) While Dja Endar Moeda's name appeared as chief editor and owner of the paper, it was his brother, Dja Endar Bongsoe, who actually worked as the resident editor.(127)
Pertja Barat's attitude toward the other Padang papers was predictably unfriendly because of the competitive market all native newspapers had to face. In its role as a propaganda-maker for Indonesians, however, it was similar to the others. The question of education for native girls and indigenous people in Sumatra in general provoked discussion and debate among its readers.(128) While urging native people to adopt the industrious habits of the Chinese in order to pursue progress, Pertja Barat, like Oetoesan Melajoe, was at times racially hostile toward the Chinese.(129) As late as mid-1911, Pertja Barat could still appear three times weekly. It had undergone few changes, though on July 1, 1911 it began to publish its first printed pictures. Things were proceeding smoothly for the Pertja Barat press when Dja Endar Moeda finally became a victim of the press law.(130) Following this incident, Pertja Barat announced in its No. 88 edition on July 27, 1911 that a Journalists' Union would be "formed in due course in Padang. Its aim, the paper revealed, would be to encourage editors to write articles "which would expose the corrupt and immoral behaviour of the priyayi [officials] in dealing with the people."(131) The representative editor of Pertja Barat, Dja Endar Bongsoe, was to be the first president of the proposed union, because he was one of those who had mooted such an idea.(132) However, on August 11, 1911, Dja Endar Bongsoe died suddenly, shattering the hope of forming the Journalists' Union. It was also a tremendous blow to Dja Endar Moeda, who had lost a dear brother and a reliable assistant to run his business and newspaper in Padang.
On August 15, 1911, Dja Endar Moeda's son, Kamaruddin,(133) assumed the post of sub-editor of the Pertja Barat, but things were never the same again for his press. Following the loss of Dja Endar Bongsoe, the management of Pertja Barat slackened.(134) In order to inject new life into the paper, Dja Endar Moeda employed Sidi Maharadja to serve as its editor from November 1, 1911,(135) while Kamaruddin bin Dja Endar Moeda was to assist him. But Pertja Barat did not fare any better under this new arrangement. By 1912 the paper had ceased to appear in Padang. Its lifespan of a little more than two decades had finally ended, terminating the story of a vernacular newspaper that had seen the passing of the old century and the dawning of the new.
By 1913, Padang had become a flourishing center of the Malay-language press. The large number of newspapers appearing there confronted publishers with a very competitive market, compelling them to rely heavily on advertisements for financial support for their papers. It was, therefore, not unusual for a newspaper to have a greater number of pages allocated to advertisements than to news and articles.(136) Newspapers which failed to woo a sufficient number of advertisers could easily be forced out of circulation. This was exactly what happened to newspapers which catered solely for a native readership and sectarian groups. The most viable and financially most stable newspapers were inevitably those of the Chinese-controlled press, whose sources of advertisement were many and were guaranteed by the existence of a large community of Chinese businessmen and traders. As for the indigenous press, competition with the Chinese-backed press was extremely stiff and it was not unusual for them to suffer financial setbacks whenever subscription dues were not promptly paid. Native newspapers were always faced with a shortage of revolving funds which posed a constant threat to their circulation. Of a total of ten newspapers circulating in Padang in 1913,(137) only the Oetoesan Melajoe and Soenting Melajoe could be said to be strong enough to withstand competition from the Chinese press. Al-Moenir, the organ of the radical ulama, was forced to suspend publication temporarily in 1913 (138) and when it was re-established it survived only up to 1915. (139) The Soeara Melajoe lingered on until 1914, having existed only for a year after the closure of its predecessor, the Soeara Rakjat.(140) The same fate was suffered by the Soeloeh Malajoe, published by Datoek Soetan Maharadja, which had entered the market as a means to counter the kaum muda ulama from the Al-Moenir group. Another attempt to start a religious periodical was made in 1913, when Al-Achbar (141) was produced on April 8, 1913 from the printing press of Al-Moenir. A weekly periodical which appeared every Tuesday, it was edited by Abdul Madjid gelar Bagindo Sinaro,,with Haji Alias of of Java as its correspondent-editor. Although Islamic in orientation, it was less radical than Al-Moenir or AI-Imam of Singapore.(142) However, with its sectarian appeal, it could attract only a tiny readership and thus was unable to survive for long. For this reason it was not until 1918 that Padang saw the appearance of another religious journal.

THE VERNACULAR PRESS IN OTHER SUMATRAN TOWNS

In other towns, namely Medan, Kuta Raja, Sibolga, and Palembang, the native press of this period was less concerned than its precursors about racial polemics or propaganda making. By 1913 there were only two newspapers in Medan. Unlike Padang, Medan did not seem to attract newspaper publishers. In the nineteenth century there had been no attempt to found a vernacular paper there. Its first vernacular newspaper was Pertja Timoer [Eastern Sumatra], which made its appearance in August 1902 from the press of J. Hallerman.(143) Among those who served as editors of Pertja Timoer until its cessation in 1912 were Chatib Radja Soetan [1902], Mangaradja Salambowe [1904],(144) Soetan Malenggang, and Moesa. Appearing on Monday and Thursday of each week, Pertja Timoer for almost a decade, was the only paper catering to Malay-speaking readers in East and North Sumatra. It had four pages, two of advertisements. (145) The paper had columns for stories, readers' letters, and news from Europe. Cable news was taken from the Sumatra Post.
In late 1909, on the initiative of Dja Endar Moeda, a printing press called Sjarikat Tapanuli was set up in Medan. By January 1910, the first newspaper from the printing house, Pewarta Deli, began to appear on every Wednesday and Saturday.(146) Dja Endar Moeda assumed the post of chief editor while Soetan Malenggang was the paper's administrator.(147) As previously mentioned, Kamaruddin, Dja Endar Moeda's son, subsequently became the sub-editor.

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116 see Bintang Barat, No. 186 (August 14,1894).

117 Materials for the biography of Dja Endar Moeda were mostly obtained from the Bintang Hindia, No. 15 (July 25, 1903). In 1903 Dja Endar Moeda's age was given as "about forty-two years old."

118 See Chapter IV, pp. 69-70 above. In 1898 the Pertja Barat was published by the Sumatra Courant and one year later I.N.A.H. Chateline Sr. took over its publication. In 1900, however, it was published and printed by the Snelpersdrukkerij-Insulinde which also published the journal Insulinde.

119 Selompret Melajoe, No. 14 (February 3, 1898).

120 This was the first native paper ever published in Aceh. It was published in the Malay language with Dja Endar Moeda as editor. While serving the Pemberita Atjeh he traveled up and down between Kuta Raja and Padang.

121 Sinar Atjeh, No. 22 (March 19, 1908). There is, however, no evidence to show that the paper survived longer than a year. The Warta Berita's name was mentioned in Koloniaal Verslag 1910. This means that it expired some time in 1909.

122 The paper collapsed because many subscribers had not paid up their subcriptions. See Sinar Atjeh, No. 56 Quly 30, 1908).

123 This was apparent from the contents of the Pertja Barat when referring to the Sjarikat Tapanuli in late 1911. The impression given is that the editor of the Pertja Barat was not on t. best of terms with the editor of the Pewarta Deli and the Tapanuli Company.

124 Pertja Barat, No. 65 (June 3, 1911). The subcription rate of the Bintang Atjeh was fl. 6,- per annum which meant that it was a twice-weekly newspaper. The paper was said to contain "articles on politics and stories of ancient times."

125 Out of four pages, more than two were allocated for advertisements.

126 Its circulation could be roughly estimated as around 1,000 copies for each edition, which was the average circulation for a popularly read paper.

127 This was because Dja Endar Moeda had moved to Aceh (Kuta Raja). See Pertja Barat, No. 51 (April 29, 1911). His brother, Abdoel Kahar gelar Dja Endar Bongsoe, was also an able journalist. He was educated at the government school at Padang Sidempuan. Lim Soen Hin, the editor of Sinar Sumatra, was a schoolmate of his. Ibid., No. 103 (September 2, 1911).

128 Selompret Metajoe, No. 60 (May 19, 1906). See also Pertja Barat, No. 56 (May 11, 1911) and ibid., No. 94 (August 10, 1911).

129 In No. 137 of the paper (date unkown), the Chinese were accused of being extortioners of the natives. The Pertja Barat also lamented about the fact that there were not many native organs (newspapers). See "Press Review" in Koloniaal Tijdschrift, 1911-1912, p. 105.

130 It is not known on what charges he was prosecuted but most likely on grounds of defamation of character or sedition. Dja Endar Moeda was remanded in jail for two months. Other editors facing similar offences were: Sidi Maharadja, Maharadja B., and Soetan Radja nan Gadang. They were all detained "like criminals." See Pertja Barat, No. 82 (July 13, 1911).

131 Ibid., No. 88 (July, 27, 1911).

132 Ibid., No. 99 (August 22,1911).

133 He was previously editor of Pewarta Deli. Pertja Barat, No. 96 (August 15, 1911).

134 This was admitted by Dja Endar Moeda himself. See Pertja Barat, No. 127 (October 31, 1911).

135 Sidi Maharadja's full name was Marah Mohammad Joenoes gelar Sidi Maharadja. His title Sidi implies that he was of Arab descent. He was formerly editor of Bintang Tionghoa but had resigned. Pertja Barat, No. 127 (October 31, 1911).

136 The Warta Hindia, for example, had eight pages but only two were allocated for news and articles, while the rest were reserved for advertisements. The same was true of Sinar Sumatra, another Chinese-owned newspaper.

137 See Appendix F.

138 According to the Koloniaal Verslag of 1914 the Al-Moenir was out of circulation in 1913.

139 Junus, Sedjarah Islam, p. 47. A journal of the same name was started at Padang Panjang in 1918. Ibid., p. 48.

140 The Soeara Melajoe had racial undertones vis-a-vis the Chinese in the articles it published, and because of that it had to rely only on the native readership, thus limiting its market.

141 There is no evidence to support Taufik Abdullah's contention that the AI-Achbar was published by the anti-modernist orthodox ulama. See Abdullah, "Minangkabau 1900-1927," p. 89. The AI-Achbar was in fact produced at the Al-Moenir press.

142 Its motto was:
Long live the government of Holland.
May the Indies have fame
May the natives progress
May Islam live forever.

Its articles ranged from the question of education and moral behavior, to news about Islam in different parts of the world and about Europeans. The war between Turkey and Bulgaria was also closely reported. The periodical also published poetry and other works of literature.

143 J. Hallerman was of German descent. He was founder of the Dutch newspaper, De Sumatra Post in Medan in 1899. He served as publisher and printer of the Pertja Timoer in its infant stage. Muhammad Said, "Sedjarah Persuratkabaran di Medan dan Peranannja," in Merdeka, May 20, 1972.

144 Mangaradja Salambowe first served as administrator of the Pertja Timoer but this post was taken over by. J. Hallerman in 1904 when Salambowe himself became editor.

145 The subscription rate was fl.6,- per year or 7 1/2 cents per copy. For subscribers outside the Indies the rate was fl.8,- per annum. The rate for one advertisement was seventy five cents for 1-5 lines with an addition of ten cents if it appeared more than once.

146 Pewarta Deli, No. 19 (March 8,1910).

147 After Dja Endar Moeda left, he assumed the post of editor.