The issue of the liberation of West Papua is always intriguing to discuss. That is because there are so many influential figures involved. However, a name may be unfamiliar to most except for those who have a knack in history, namely Nicolaas Jouwe, the former critical figure of the Free Papua Movement.
Nicolaas Jouwe, the Controversial Papuan Figure
Nicolaas Jouwe, the son of a tribal leader, was born on November 24, 1923, in Jayapura. He grew up in a Christian family and knew several influential religious leaders, Protestant and Catholic. More importantly when the Dutch government specifically assigned him to be the political advisor of West Irian.
In 1945, Nicolaas Jouwe was listed as one of the Bestuur (Pamong Praja) students in Nica City (now Jayapura). He was one of the many Papuan youngsters who attended the school. According to historian Bernarda Materay, they were the first generation of educated Papuan elites.
Nicolaas Jouwe in the Dispute of West Irian
Bernarda Materay said in her book Dual Nationalism of Papuans (Indonesian: Nasionalisme Ganda Orang Papua) that Nicolaas Jouwe believed the destiny of the land of Papua was determined by the native Papuans themselves, rather than by the central government of Indonesia or Dutch.
Nicolaas Jouwe participated in the Round Table Conference in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1949 to discuss the dispute of West Irian (now West Papua). However, he did not represent the Netherlands or Indonesia, rather Nieuw Guinea. He participated as the delegation of the Federal Consultative Body, in which Papua at that time was a member.
Jouwe opted to oppose Indonesia while the Indonesian government put its efforts to liberate West Irian from Dutch colonialization. In 1951, he established the United Movement of Nieuw Guinea as a political party. He wished to build political awareness among Papuans and advocate Papua independence through his party.
Nicolaas Jouwe – The King without a Land
Jouwe opted to settle in the Netherlands in 1961. He was also appointed vice president of the Nieuw Guinea Raad, the Dutch colony’s governing body, at the time. Thus, he rose to become the colonial government’s most powerful politician from Papua.
Jouwe also claimed to be the designer of the Morning Star flag, which became Papua’s national flag. However, his political ambitions were thwarted when Indonesia was able to seize West Irian (now West Papua) in 1962 under the terms of the New York Agreement.
Jouwe was compelled to flee his hometown as a result of this scenario. As long as he remained under the rule of the Indonesian government, he pledged never to return to his homeland.
Jouwe was a member of the separatist organization known as the Free Papua Organization while living in the Netherlands. He was even actively involved in all the agendas of the separatist organization. He returned to his motherland in 2009 after 40 years of living as an exile in the Netherlands and becoming a king without a land.
He was 85 years old when he returned to West Papua. This is attributable to Indonesian Ambassador Fanny Habibie, who successfully lobbied Jouwe. This personal approach is connected through “diplomasi pantun,” according to Rosihan Anwar in the book Napak Tilas ke Belanda.
He returned to his homeland with his two children, Nancy and Nicolaas Jr. A year after his return, Jouwe settled in Jayapura with the status of an Indonesian citizen. In his memoir, Jouwe conveys the reasons why he returned to Papua.
He admitted that he longed for the welfare of the Papuan people. He is willing to return to his homeland to build the Papuan people with the Indonesian government. He then became a king of a land. On September 16, 2017, he passed away at 93 in his homeland West Papua, Indonesia.
