Legal pluralism was a fundamental feature of the political order in colonial Indonesia. It arose not only from the parsimony of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), but also from colonial doctrine. In the nineteenth century, pressure grew to move from pluralism to universalism in law, and policy battles were fought over a series of issues—the arbitrary rights of colonial officials, flogging (rottingslagen), and the death penalty—but progress towards legal unification was slow and incomplete. Legal pluralism had a lasting effect on Indonesians’ attitudes to cultural diversity.