Gemeente Tanjung Balai: City of Port and International Trade for Fish and Gambir Exporting Ports

Abstract

The transformation of an area into a municipality is a manifestation of regional autonomy that has existed since the colonial era. This occurs as a sort of freedom granted to regions to govern themselves based on their own needs within the context of liberal democratization. A form of colonial decentralization was the Gemeente, an autonomous municipality that later became what we know today as a city. The Dutch East Indies administration, of course, determined Gemeente by taking into account the potential and needs of the people living in the region. Tanjung Balai had its own distinct characters and possibilities. Tanjung Balai Gemeente was well-known for its international trade and port, which is directly connected to Malacca. This area was formed not only as a result of the development of its plantations, but also to become a direct connection for trade with other countries, specifically in the heart of international trade in the Strait of Malacca. This paper will explore the circumstances that occurred prior to Tanjung Balai becoming a gemeente. Furthermore, this paper will discuss the influence of the implementation of decentralization (regional autonomy) policies on population demography and port facility development. Up until now,  Tanjung Balai is still a city with significant marine resources, as well as a port that connects Indonesia to Malaysia and Singapore.