Semarang– Doctoral Program of History. Thursday, 30/06/2022, became a day full of joy for the Doctoral Program of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Diponegoro. On that day, the study program successfully graduated two doctoral students, namely Dr. Waskito Widi Wardojo, M. Hum. (Academic Year 2017/2018) and Dr. Saparudin Barus S.T., M.M. (Academic Year 2017/2018). Thus, since its establishment in 2016, this study program has successfully graduated four history doctors.
The exam, which was held solemnly in the Theater Hall of the Faculty of Humanities, was led by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Diponegoro, Dr. Nurhayati, M. Hum., she is also proud of the achievements made by the Doctoral Program of History. “Alhamdulillah, thanks to a profound guidance process with Promoter and co-Promoter, the two Promovedus completed their dissertation in no less than five years, four years and six months. The two Promovendus have also published articles in Reputable International Journals (Q2) indexed by Scopus and international proceedings indexed by Scopus.” Said the Dean, who gave lectures at the Asia University of Taiwan several times.
Promovendus, Waskito Widi Wardojo, a lecturer at Sebelas Maret University (UNS), has defended his dissertation entitled, “The Winding Road to the Nationalization of Dutch Railways in Indonesia, 1949-1973.” Examiner I, Prof. Dr. Agus Mulyana, M. Hum. (External Examiner from the Indonesian Education University/ UPI); Examiner II, Dr. Endah Sri Hartatik, M. Hum. Acting as Examiner III, (as well as co-Promoter) Dr. Endang Susilowati, M.A.; Examiner IV (and co-Promoter) Prof. Dr. Yety Rochwulaningsih, M. Si.; Examiner V (as well as Promoter), Prof. Dr. Singgih Tri Sulistiyono, M. Hum., both are Professors of Universitas Diponegoro (Undip).
The doctoral promotion session with Promovendus Waskito Widi Wardojo started at 12.00 WIB. Promovendus revealed that his dissertation analyzes the complexity of the nationalization process of various Dutch railway companies in Indonesia from 1949 to 1973. This research departs from a problem that many people have assumed the nationalization of Dutch private railways after the war of independence took place straightforward way. In reality, the nationalization had to go through prolonged and tiring diplomacy and required a large budget.
Prof. Dr. Agus Mulyana, M.Hum., revealed that although this nationalization has been realized, it does not provide financial benefits to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia. “It’s like taking ’empty messages’, as Promovendus puts it because the capital required is enormous to repair the slumping national railway industry. However, nationalization remains an option, especially because it is driven by political prestige.”
Co-promoter, Dr. Endang Susilowati, M.A, said this dissertation is rich in historical information, mainly related to the discourse on the takeover of Dutch assets after entering the 1950s. This discourse is closely related to efforts to pressure the Dutch to immediately hand over West Irian to Indonesia. “However, this forced expropriation of Dutch assets did not happen to the Dutch railway company. On the other hand, labour takes part in securing assets. The railroad labour is entities that have high political literacy. In addition, he also has a critical attitude towards company and government management policies that do not favour the interests of workers and the wider community.”
Co-promoter, Prof. Dr. Yety Rochwulaningsih, M. Si., sees that the Neo-Marxist approach applied in the dissertation is appropriate. “The very anti-colonial spirit of nationalism and anti-capitalist socialist ideology played a significant role in nationalizing the Dutch railway companies. The leftist ideology also supports the phenomenon of xenophobia in Indonesian society that railroad labour widely embraces. It has also contributed to the spirit of nationalization of Dutch company assets.”
The promoter, Prof. Dr. Singgih Tri Sulistiyono, M. Hum. who currently serves as the Head of Doctoral Program of History said in the Promoter’s remarks, “This dissertation provides information that the nationalization of railways is still plagued with several problems. Even conflicts between national railway companies and the community lead to asset ownership claims. “Just like a long train track, it turns out that the nationalization of trains still leaves a problem that is winding and has long tails,” said Prof. Singgih, a professor who finished his doctorate at Leiden University in 2003.
The doctoral promotion continued in the afternoon at 15.00 with Promovendus Saparudin Barus, a member of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU). Promovendus has defended his dissertation titled, “Contesting for Hegemony: Dutch-British Competition in East Sumatra in the XIX Century.” Acting as Examiner I, Dr. Phil. Ichwan Azhari, M. S. (from Medan State University (Unimed), Examiner II, Dr. Haryono Rinardi, M. Hum., Examiner III, Dr. Nurhayati, M. Hum., Examiner IV Dr. Alamsyah, M. Hum. Present as Examiner V (co-Promoter), Prof. Dr. Yety Rochwulaningsih, M. Si., and as Examiner VI (Promoter), Prof. Dr. Singgih Tri Sulistiyono, M. Hum.
Promovendus revealed that the East Sumatra region became a very interesting locus to study because it was the most productive region as a producer of tropical plants in the Dutch East Indies since the early 19th century. In line with this natural potential, this region became a contested area for two colonial countries, namely Dutch and British. Both are fighting for hegemony over the region, leading to political and economic dynamics. One of the novelties of this research is that this area of East Sumatra remained an area that the British and Dutch continued to contest, even long after the London Treaty was signed on March 17, 1824.
External examiner, Dr. Phil. Ichwan Azhari, M. S. from Unimed, said that this dissertation is fascinating when the portrait of the British and Dutch contestations is depicted through the use of British (Strait dollar) and Dutch (Gulden) currencies. At the beginning of the 19th century, British money was more widely used by the public; shops and outlets in East Sumatra even preferred to transact with British money because it was more flexible and easily accepted by anyone. “In the end, the Dutch did not want to lose to British domination, so they imposed strict restrictions on the use of currencies other than the guilder through the implementation of the Octrooi right in 1887.” Said the doctor, who is an alumnus from Germany and the founder of the Kotta Cinna Site Museum in Medan City.
The promoter, Prof. Dr. Singgih Tri Sulistiyono, M. Hum., “This dissertation provides a clear picture of how the power of colonialism and global capitalism with its various manifestations continues to this day. That, of course, determines developments at the local level.”
Co-promoter, Prof. Dr. Yety Rochwulaningsih, M. Si. give a positive impression of the results of this research. This dissertation has successfully presented a reasonably comprehensive picture of the complexity of relations between England and the Netherlands throughout the 19th century in East Sumatra. “It turns out that the rivalry between the two colonial entities cannot be separated from the historical facts of the political escalation that has developed in Europe since the early modern period. In the end, the nuances of rivalry coloured the relationship between the two nations when they established economic dominance in the archipelago.” Explained Professor, who was once the Head of the Doctoral Program of History for the 2016-2021 period.