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Extract of article from :
New Straits Times
(www.nst.com.my)
Features
21st December 2003
Diplomatic Despatches: Envoy an ‘expert’ on Dutch colonial past
Balan Moses
The mere mention of 17th-century Dutch influence in Malacca will set Jonkheer John von Muhlen off on a monologue on what appears to be the subject closest to his heart at the moment.
Not that this is a negative development at all as it reveals the depth of his love for a period in time when the Dutch were the closest they would probably be to Malaysia in every sense of the word.
Von Muhlen, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Malaysia, seems to have a map etched in his mind of the remnants of buildings and relics from that period in time which he refers to often when the topic is broached.
He delights in talking of efforts being made to restore the 18th-century Dutch-built Christ Church, creating a detailed archives of the Portuguese and Dutch colonial period from 1511 to 1824 or translating ancient Dutch writing on gravestones in Malacca. He is also a hands-on man when it comes to history, no detail or concern out of his reach.
An excellent example of this can probably be seen in his successful efforts to determine the facts behind the location of the remains of the wife of a former governor of the VOC (Dutch East India company) in Malacca which were later moved to South Africa.
Von Muhlen, whose youthful appearance belies his 33 years in diplomatic service, is undeniably an authority on the influence of the Dutch colonialists in Malacca.
His utter joy in delving into the Dutch colonial past dawned on this writer in a recent 90-minute interview at his office.
His face literally glowed with happiness when the issue of the Dutch colonial relationship came up after a rather academic exchange on economic and political ties.
"I am doing something to ensure the perpetuation of the Dutch heritage in Malacca, mainly by way of restoration and renovation of historical buildings," he said when asked about his priorities as ambassador.
"It is rewarding to see interest in efforts to remember the Dutch colonial past although there are, of course, the negative elements which are a fact of life. But I am happy with the excel-lent reception from all sectors to the positive features of the relationship." The England-born von Muh-len, who sometimes speaks with a distinct American accent, is very much an internationalist as can be seen in his efforts to take Netherlands-Malaysia relations to new heights through his work in Malacca.
Fleshing out the missing bits in the Dutch colonial relationship and giving it the right historical perspective appears to top his agenda at present.
This, however, does not mean he has put bread-and-butter issues like promotion of trade and political ties, looking out for new opportunities for bilateral co-operation and establishing new friendships on the back burner.
The fact that the Netherlands was the sixth largest overall investor in Malaysia in the first half of this year or that bilateral trade amounted to RM15.4 billion last year is important to him. So are the implications of the RM223 million investment by Dutch companies in Malaysia in the first half of this year and the increasing presence of Dutch corporate giants like Shell, Unilever or KLM in Malaysia.
He is also actively engaged in preparations for the visits of two Dutch ministers next year which will certainly strengthen bilateral ties.
It just means that von Muhlen is an extraordinary plenipotentiary, a reverse of the oft-used official title of plenipotentiary extraordinary for heads of diplomatic missions worldwide.
His unique position lies in the fact that he is an envoy of one of only four countries (Portugal, Holland, Britain and Thailand) to ever colonise all or part of Malaya.
He is the person who has literally given new life to the local Eurasian community of Dutch descent with names like De Witt and De Wind with his academic excursions into the life of a people who came into existence quite by chance.
Recently, he was at the 250th anniversary celebrations of the Christ Church which saw a special service being held to allow parishioners and others to, among other things, view the restoration done to the building.
The Eurasian community of Dutch descent is, by his own admission, the smallest compared with the British or Portuguese in that there was limited inter-marriage with locals in the 200odd years they were in Malaya.
This resulted in few lasting reminders of the colonial presence like a local Dutch patois (as compared with the Cristang spoken by locals of Portuguese descent) or distinct cultural heritage.
The exception would perhaps be the existence of Dutch family names and edifices like the brick-red Stadhuys (pronounced Stadhouse).
Von Muhlen revels in narrating the minutiae of the Dutch colonial past like which governor-general of the VOC did what and when and to whom beside providing general impressions of colonial rule in Malaya.
In fact, von Muhlen was instrumental in convening a gathering of the descendants of former VOC governors, the De Witts happening to be Malaysian, in April.
"We liaise quite a lot with the local Eurasian community and found that the De Witt family, specifically that of Dennis De Witt, can trace its roots back to a former governor by the name of Adriaan Koek who was in Malacca around 1823," he said.
Von Muhlen is gratified that he is not alone in his task to revive interest in the Dutch colonial past here.
"I maintain close contact with the Chief Minister of Malacca, who is one of our benefactors. The head of the Museums Department in Malacca is another person who has helped a great deal." His immediate interest is the possibility of working with the Portuguese and European Commission missions in a joint conservation project in Malacca.
"It will be wonderful to do something in this regard. I will be speaking again to Thierry Rommel, the EU Ambassador on the matter. The only problem is that Portugal does not have a mission here, but I will try to contact its representative in Bangkok." The joint venture could be the restoration of the St Paul's Church, a Roman Catholic-built building which the Dutch converted into a Dutch Reformed church.
Nothing appears to be a problem for von Muhlen who has his heart set on making a discernible difference in Dutch-Malaysian relations through his work in Malacca.
The facts are almost all at his fingertips; his personal computer holding most of the details that this writer required.
Von Muhlen may be very much into historical traditions but he is still the consummate 21st-century diplomat in most respects, depending a great deal on high technology to preserve the distant past.
When he is not talking about Malacca, he is actively promoting economic and political ties with Malaysia.
He is keen to repeat the Window on Holland exhibition held earlier this year in another year or so.
"There is so much to be done in terms of enhancement of bilateral trade and investment. We have a long history of economic relations which can help us in the road ahead," he said when asked about trade possibilities for the future.
Educational ties were also important to him as they helped to bridge the gap between societies, he said.
In this respect, he feels that Malaysians will find themselves at home in the Netherlands where English is the second language as it is in Malaysia.
The envoy, who arrived here in 2001, is clearly enamoured of Malaysia, specifically Malacca which he finds scintillating in its rustic nature and historical appeal.
Malaysians can be assured that they will hear more of von Muhlen in time to come as he searches history to give new meaning to the future.
New Straits Times
(www.nst.com.my)
Features
21st December 2003
Diplomatic Despatches: Envoy an ‘expert’ on Dutch colonial past
Balan Moses
The mere mention of 17th-century Dutch influence in Malacca will set Jonkheer John von Muhlen off on a monologue on what appears to be the subject closest to his heart at the moment.
Not that this is a negative development at all as it reveals the depth of his love for a period in time when the Dutch were the closest they would probably be to Malaysia in every sense of the word.
Von Muhlen, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Malaysia, seems to have a map etched in his mind of the remnants of buildings and relics from that period in time which he refers to often when the topic is broached.
He delights in talking of efforts being made to restore the 18th-century Dutch-built Christ Church, creating a detailed archives of the Portuguese and Dutch colonial period from 1511 to 1824 or translating ancient Dutch writing on gravestones in Malacca. He is also a hands-on man when it comes to history, no detail or concern out of his reach.
An excellent example of this can probably be seen in his successful efforts to determine the facts behind the location of the remains of the wife of a former governor of the VOC (Dutch East India company) in Malacca which were later moved to South Africa.
Von Muhlen, whose youthful appearance belies his 33 years in diplomatic service, is undeniably an authority on the influence of the Dutch colonialists in Malacca.
His utter joy in delving into the Dutch colonial past dawned on this writer in a recent 90-minute interview at his office.
His face literally glowed with happiness when the issue of the Dutch colonial relationship came up after a rather academic exchange on economic and political ties.
"I am doing something to ensure the perpetuation of the Dutch heritage in Malacca, mainly by way of restoration and renovation of historical buildings," he said when asked about his priorities as ambassador.
"It is rewarding to see interest in efforts to remember the Dutch colonial past although there are, of course, the negative elements which are a fact of life. But I am happy with the excel-lent reception from all sectors to the positive features of the relationship." The England-born von Muh-len, who sometimes speaks with a distinct American accent, is very much an internationalist as can be seen in his efforts to take Netherlands-Malaysia relations to new heights through his work in Malacca.
Fleshing out the missing bits in the Dutch colonial relationship and giving it the right historical perspective appears to top his agenda at present.
This, however, does not mean he has put bread-and-butter issues like promotion of trade and political ties, looking out for new opportunities for bilateral co-operation and establishing new friendships on the back burner.
The fact that the Netherlands was the sixth largest overall investor in Malaysia in the first half of this year or that bilateral trade amounted to RM15.4 billion last year is important to him. So are the implications of the RM223 million investment by Dutch companies in Malaysia in the first half of this year and the increasing presence of Dutch corporate giants like Shell, Unilever or KLM in Malaysia.
He is also actively engaged in preparations for the visits of two Dutch ministers next year which will certainly strengthen bilateral ties.
It just means that von Muhlen is an extraordinary plenipotentiary, a reverse of the oft-used official title of plenipotentiary extraordinary for heads of diplomatic missions worldwide.
His unique position lies in the fact that he is an envoy of one of only four countries (Portugal, Holland, Britain and Thailand) to ever colonise all or part of Malaya.
He is the person who has literally given new life to the local Eurasian community of Dutch descent with names like De Witt and De Wind with his academic excursions into the life of a people who came into existence quite by chance.
Recently, he was at the 250th anniversary celebrations of the Christ Church which saw a special service being held to allow parishioners and others to, among other things, view the restoration done to the building.
The Eurasian community of Dutch descent is, by his own admission, the smallest compared with the British or Portuguese in that there was limited inter-marriage with locals in the 200odd years they were in Malaya.
This resulted in few lasting reminders of the colonial presence like a local Dutch patois (as compared with the Cristang spoken by locals of Portuguese descent) or distinct cultural heritage.
The exception would perhaps be the existence of Dutch family names and edifices like the brick-red Stadhuys (pronounced Stadhouse).
Von Muhlen revels in narrating the minutiae of the Dutch colonial past like which governor-general of the VOC did what and when and to whom beside providing general impressions of colonial rule in Malaya.
In fact, von Muhlen was instrumental in convening a gathering of the descendants of former VOC governors, the De Witts happening to be Malaysian, in April.
"We liaise quite a lot with the local Eurasian community and found that the De Witt family, specifically that of Dennis De Witt, can trace its roots back to a former governor by the name of Adriaan Koek who was in Malacca around 1823," he said.
Von Muhlen is gratified that he is not alone in his task to revive interest in the Dutch colonial past here.
"I maintain close contact with the Chief Minister of Malacca, who is one of our benefactors. The head of the Museums Department in Malacca is another person who has helped a great deal." His immediate interest is the possibility of working with the Portuguese and European Commission missions in a joint conservation project in Malacca.
"It will be wonderful to do something in this regard. I will be speaking again to Thierry Rommel, the EU Ambassador on the matter. The only problem is that Portugal does not have a mission here, but I will try to contact its representative in Bangkok." The joint venture could be the restoration of the St Paul's Church, a Roman Catholic-built building which the Dutch converted into a Dutch Reformed church.
Nothing appears to be a problem for von Muhlen who has his heart set on making a discernible difference in Dutch-Malaysian relations through his work in Malacca.
The facts are almost all at his fingertips; his personal computer holding most of the details that this writer required.
Von Muhlen may be very much into historical traditions but he is still the consummate 21st-century diplomat in most respects, depending a great deal on high technology to preserve the distant past.
When he is not talking about Malacca, he is actively promoting economic and political ties with Malaysia.
He is keen to repeat the Window on Holland exhibition held earlier this year in another year or so.
"There is so much to be done in terms of enhancement of bilateral trade and investment. We have a long history of economic relations which can help us in the road ahead," he said when asked about trade possibilities for the future.
Educational ties were also important to him as they helped to bridge the gap between societies, he said.
In this respect, he feels that Malaysians will find themselves at home in the Netherlands where English is the second language as it is in Malaysia.
The envoy, who arrived here in 2001, is clearly enamoured of Malaysia, specifically Malacca which he finds scintillating in its rustic nature and historical appeal.
Malaysians can be assured that they will hear more of von Muhlen in time to come as he searches history to give new meaning to the future.