Albert Tanutama

It was three years and four days ago, when my grandfather passed away. It was a sad, and yet peaceful – knowing that he had finally relieved from all the pains. Reflecting back, I didn’t know much about his life. I kinda happy with all the fond memories that I have had of him. I didn’t realize what I missed, that is until I read a little biography of him, written by his nephew. It was touching, because he was not forgotten. It was sad, because I missed the opportunity to know him better. It was exciting, that he actually lived his life to the fullest. Thus, I’d just like to share his story here, titled “Dr. Tjan Joe Hok, my uncle” written by my uncle Pandu.

“Grand father, true to the old Chinese belief that the more children you have, the more luck you will have, had eight healthy children. Grand mother said the first ten or fifteen years of her marriage was always expecting babies, some were still born. After the First World War grand father was prospering trading supplies for the tobacco industries, which were booming at that time prior to the introduction of cigarette excise. He traded in textile too, and had several outlets in Garut and the villages around it. He later moved from Bandung to Garut. He was very lenient toward, or even bordering to spoiling his children, since his own childhood was very tough. It was the time when the Dutch introduced the Ethical Policy here, so that his children had the chance to go to schools available to them: the T.H.H.K. (Chinese school) or the H.C.S (Dutch school for Chinese). But with his leniency only one of his six sons got the proper Dutch education: he was my uncle Joe Hok.

Uncle Joe Hok was studious and calm, and soon became the darling of grand mother. On the other hand he was devoted to her much more than his siblings. She often took him when she visited her relatives in Bandung. He enjoyed these trips, in Bandung he could ride his bike around town, and visited the museums; he marveled at the paintings of the Dutch and Javanese Masters. Later he finished the high school in Bandung.

A dedicated Boy Scout, he liked the out door and mountain climbing. He pumped the iron to get in shape. He went to Batavia to study medicine, a choice fully supported by grand mother. He told her how hard it was during the initiation period for new students, how bad it was in the anatomy lab. But anyway the early years in the medical school was a happy one for him.

The World Economic Crisis late in the Twenties and the introduction of the Tobacco Excise signaled the decline of grand father?s business. Bad accounting and a fire in one of his textile outlet left him with big debts to his Dutch suppliers. In 1936 he was declared bankrupt. The house that he built, the best in the block at that time was auctioned out. Nothing was left, and uncle had still to finish his medical study. Grand father could no longer pay for it. Luckily the host family in Batavia was kind enough to dispense with some payment, and an elder cousin lent some money. So with a little disturbance uncle was able to get his M.D. certificate.

Uncle moved to Malang, I think the mountainous area that he liked, and the wish to go far away from Garut, where his father was broke, motivated him to move there. He was employed by the newly established Tiong Hwa Ie Shia Hospital and had his own office at home. Quickly he became a popular doctor in Malang. He was the first doctor there to have an adjoining laboratory. But turbulent time came; the world was again in war. The Dutch was mobilizing here too, and every body should get involve. As a doctor he was called to train nurses, Para-medics and volunteers for the First Aid Corps. It turned out this was a blessing for him; one of the volunteers, a young school teacher was among the numerous young girls in the First Aid Group. She caught his attention, and her parents alarmed by the rumors that the Japanese army would snatched young unmarried girls for what was later called Comfort girls, rushed her to marry uncle.

During the Japanese occupation not much can be done, except to obey their orders and bow you head as deep as possible every day. He was compelled to work in the government hospital too. When the war was over, Soekarno declared Indonesian independence, which he predicted long before the War began. The subsequent fighting between the Dutch occupation force and the Indonesian revolutionaries in Surabaya brought uncle, as an ?army? doctor now to the front line. He was very moved when on a train ride back from the front, he found the revolutionaries brought back big bundles containing their dead comrades for burial in their village. That in such chaotic time the youth would still attend to their comrades? corpses, was an admirable deed, uncle said.
Although he had a Dutch education he inclined to support the Indonesian cause. He soon befriended Bung Tomo, the leader of the Indonesian revolutionary force. The friendship lasted for decades. When the Dutch stormed into Malang though, he remained there citing his family and hospital works as reason.

With the Scorch Earth policy of the Indonesian Malang suffered a lot. The Dutch encourage the Chinese to organize (A Divide and Rule policy?); mostly they are docile, except for Pao An Tui (Security Corps), which caused big conflicts with the Indonesian youth in West and Central Java, but not in Malang. With his good standing as a doctor and as foremost scholar uncle was soon elected to chair the Chung Hua Chung Hui (Federation of Chinese Associations). It was a debacle! He was crushed between the Totok Chinese and the Pranakan, between Kung Chang Tang and Kuo Min Tang, between the Pro- and Anti- assimilation, and even between the Pro- and Anti Indonesian Independence. That was the only time he was involved in politic or civic organizations.

He lived peacefully afterward in Malang as a respectable doctor, raised his family, and make money! He bought a new house, built a villa, bought another villa. But he was a lousy investor, together with his lawyer friend Oei Pek Hong, he invested in obscure companies that were soon never heard of! I thought he would soon migrate to Europe some place, but he said in Holland, the Chinese were treated as second class citizens, and he hated discrimination.

When grand mother died at the age of 93, he was dazed for a while. And when grand father died three years later at the same age, he took it stoically. He was by nature a loner, and was impatience toward ignorance; furthermore his standing in society distanced him from many people. In his old age he was mostly alone, even playing tennis without any opponent, just hitting the balls around the court! He loved nature He liked art. He was not religious, but he respected the beliefs of his parents, the Catholic religion of his wife, and even the Moslem religion of his aids. He read a lot, Chinese culture and beliefs, Indian occult, but also the Kung Fu (Silat) stories in the daily paper. He never judge peoples? faith, but sometimes pointed out the illogic of religions. He would take his mother to the temple and joined her burning the joss sticks without disgust. He considered celibacy as un-natural. He never boasted of being an Atheist, but humbly said that god is beyond his comprehension.
In his ripe old age he suffered T.I.A , which might have caused dementia later. Another malady of his was the B.P.H. Immobilized for almost three years, he listened to the Teaching of Buddha from Pak Kusno, a young dedicated Bhiksu, who was his patient in Malang a long time ago. Sometimes the prayers brought tears into his eyes. Did he follow Buddha then? Did he find God? He left, following the tradition of his parents at 93, alone peacefully toward the Great Unknown three years ago this day.

February 24, 2005.”

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