Frans Kaisiepo is a national hero from Papua and West Papua who was born in Biak, October 10, 1921. He became a national hero because of his services in uniting Papua with Indonesia.
Frans Kaisiepo’s name is well-known in Papua because of his position as the fourth Governor of Papua Province. He also received the title of hero because he was able to fight the Dutch in Papua.
So, how was Frans Kaisiepo’s struggle in defending his homeland? What is its role in uniting Papua? For more details, see the description below, launching from the official website of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia DJPB.
The First Person to Fly the Red and White Flag in Papua and West Papua
August 31, 1945, became the culmination of Frans Kaisiepo’s struggle in defending the land of Papua. He became the first person to fly the Red and White Flag and sing the anthem Indonesia Raya in Papua.
Frans Kaisiepo is also one of the people who uphold the existence of the Republic of Indonesia. In July 1946, he became an envoy for the Nederlands Nieuw Guinea. He also became the only Papuan at the Malino Conference in South Sulawesi.
In his struggle, Frans Kaisiepo opposed the Dutch who wanted to combine Papua amd West Papua also Maluku. He also opposed the Dutch because they wanted to include Papua in the territory of the State of East Indonesia (NIT).
Frans Kaisiepo insisted the Papua region should be led by native Papuans. At that time, he had suggested that the name Papua or Nederlands Nieuw Guinea be replaced with Irian. The name comes from the native Biak language which means ‘light that dispels darkness.’
The reason why Frans Kaisiepo changed the name of Papua was because it was called pua-pua which means curly. Frans Kaisiepo felt that the term was demeaning to the Papuan people. Subsequently, Irian was politicized by Indonesian nationalist groups in Papua as an acronym for ‘Ikut Republik Indonesia Anti Nederlands.’
Had Founded a Political Party
Frans Kaisiepo’s struggle in the political sphere continues. In 1946, he founded the Free Indonesia party in Biak. Even though Indonesia has proclaimed its independence, Frans Kaisiepo has never stopped fighting for and defending Indonesia’s independence in Papua.
Because of his resistance and tough attitude, in 1954-1961 Frans Kaisiepo was imprisoned by the Dutch. However, after being released from prison, Frans Kaisiepo re-founded a party called Irian Part of Indonesia (ISI). This party aims to unite Papua with the Republic of Indonesia.
At that time, the ISI party was involved in assisting the landing of Indonesian troops who were deployed to liberate West Irian in Mimika.
TRIKORA or the three people’s commands was an attempt by Indonesia to liberate West Irian (Papua) from the Dutch. President Sukarno announced the call for this operation in a speech on 19 December 1961 in Yogyakarta.
The West Papua issue began with the Round Table Conference (KMB) in The Hague, Netherlands, on November 2, 1949 regarding the plan to recognize sovereignty over Indonesia by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In short, the operation was successful and Papua officially became part of Indonesia through the New York Agreement of 15 August 1963.
Was Appointed as The Governor of Papua
After 4 years since his role in TRIKORA, Frans was appointed Governor of Papua in 1964. As governor, Frans played an important role in determining people’s opinion (Pepera) in 1969. Frans was busy campaigning to choose Indonesia over independence from Indonesia to the people of Papua and West Papua.
Thanks to his loyalty and struggle, Frans was awarded the title of national hero in 1993. Not only that, but his name was also immortalized as the name of one of the airports in his hometown.
Furthermore, the Indonesian government used the name inherited from Frans Kaisiepo, namely West Irian. However, in 1969 the name was changed to Irian Jaya, and in 2001 again using the name Papua.
Frans Kaisiepo’s efforts to unite Papua and West Papua with Indonesia seem to have paid off. In 1973, he was elected to the Papuan parliament in the election of the People’s Consultative Assembly.
Awarded – Immortalized in Indonesian Armed Forces Ship
Thanks to his struggle, the name Frans Kaisiepo is now immortalized in the Indonesian Navy warship. The ship was named KRI Frans Kaisiepo 368. In fact, the international airport on Biak Island, Papua also uses his name.
A number of personnel from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Police attended the Flower Sowing Ceremony aboard the Republic of Indonesia Warship (KRI) Frans Kaisiepo-368 at Koarmada II, Surabaya, East Java, in 2021. The activity was to commemorate Hari Raya Hero.
Frans Kaisiepo was also awarded the Second Class Adi Pradana Maha Putra Award. Meanwhile, based on Presidential Decree number 077/TK/1993, he was designated as an Indonesian national hero from Papua.
He died on April 10, 1979. He was buried in the Cenderawasih Heroes Cemetery, Biak. The portrait of Frans Kaisiepo was also immortalized in the 2016 issue of IDR 10,000 rupiah bill.
The hope is that Frans’ struggle for Papua is not forgotten by the people and the government itself. In addition, Papua has not become a marginalized region after being fought so hard. Thanks to Frans’ persistent struggle, the regions of Papua and West Papua became part of Indonesia.
