When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) began to establish
control over the Indonesian archipelago, Madura quickly came into focus. The
island, particularly its eastern part, became a colonial target after the VOC
took control from Prince Puger, also known as Pakubuwono I, in exchange for
canceling the Mataram Sultanate’s accumulated debts. This move would set the
stage for Madura’s rise as a key player in the Dutch East Indies’ salt
production industry.
Before the Dutch gained power, salt production in Madura was
primarily managed by the Chinese community. However, as Imam Syafi’i notes in
his work Competition in Salt Transport in the Madura Strait, 1924-1957,
the Chinese abandoned many salt fields due to the meager profits, converting
them for other uses. This situation shifted dramatically when the colonial
government took over salt production in 1861 and raised prices. Over the next
five years, the number of salt fields expanded as the salt industry became a
lucrative business. Coastal land reclamation and the transformation of fish
ponds into salt fields became common, making Madura the primary salt supplier
for the Dutch East Indies and earning it the title “Salt Island.”
By the 20th century, salt production in Madura had become a
major revenue source for the colonial government. With an annual net profit
exceeding 9 million guilders between 1916 and 1920, salt became even more
profitable than the opium trade. Salt fields were prevalent in villages along
the southern coast of Sampang, Pamekasan, and Sumenep, each with its own
salt-producing centers.
According to a report by the Dutch Colonial Government in
1928, the limestone-rich soil and prolonged dry seasons made Sampang,
Pamekasan, and Sumenep ideal for salt production. However, the salt industry
was heavily controlled by the authorities, who leased the land to salt farmers
under strict regulations, allowing them only the right to collect the yield.
The colonial government introduced advanced technologies in
salt production, establishing factories such as the briquette salt factory in
Kalianget (Sumenep) in 1889. Briquette salt, which was compressed into cubes of
varying weights, became a staple product of these factories, which operated
under strict quality control. To support the factories, the government set up
extensive infrastructure, including 167 salt warehouses across Madura.
As salt production expanded, so did the means of
transporting it. Companies such as OJZ (Oost-Java Zeetransport), KPM
(Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij), and MSM (Madoera-Stoomtram Maatschappij)
handled the shipping of salt outside of Madura. MSM also introduced a railway
system in 1901, revolutionizing salt transportation on the island.
Meanwhile, Sarekat Islam (SI), originally a trade
organization, had gained prominence in Madura by 1913. Branches of Sarekat
Islam quickly spread across the island, demanding better conditions for salt
farmers. The group’s influence grew as they lobbied for higher prices for salt
farmers, especially since the colonial government maintained a monopoly on salt
production and heavily regulated the market.
Despite internal strife within Sarekat Islam Madura, the
organization succeeded in presenting a case for raising salt prices. However,
the Dutch authorities, as well as some members of SI, opposed the proposal,
leading to heated debates. Haji Syadzali, a prominent figure in Sarekat Islam,
proposed raising the price from 10 to 20 gulden per koyang (a
traditional unit of salt). However, his recommendation faced opposition, both
from members of SI and from factions within the colonial government. The
government’s reluctance to fully address the issue led to a failure to
implement any price increase.
By 1920, after numerous meetings and debates, the
much-discussed price increase for Madura’s salt producers had not materialized.
Sarekat Islam Madura, which had campaigned for higher prices to benefit
farmers, found itself mired in anticlimax. The Volksraad, the colonial advisory
council, had approved a price increase in theory, but the discussions bore no
fruit. Salt farmers continued to struggle under the weight of government
control and mounting debts, leaving Sarekat Islam Madura’s efforts unrealized.
Despite the organization’s best intentions, the salt
monopoly and the colonial government’s policies remained firmly in place,
casting a long shadow over Madura’s salt industry and the lives of its workers.
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