Tjilik Riwut | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait,c. 1950's – 1960's | |
| 2nd[b] Governor ofCentral Kalimantan | |
| In office 23 December 1959[a] – 17 February 1967 | |
| Deputy | Reinout Sylvanus [id] |
| Preceded by | R. T. A. Milono [id] |
| Succeeded by | Reinout Sylvanus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1918-02-02)2 February 1918 Kasongan,Katingan,Southern and Eastern Afdeelings of Borneo Residency,Dutch East Indies |
| Died | 17 August 1987(1987-08-17) (aged 69) Banjarmasin,South Kalimantan, Indonesia |
| Resting place | Sanaman Lampang Heroes Cemetery,Palangka Raya |
| Spouse | Clementine Suparti |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Indonesian Air Force Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Indonesia |
| Branch/service | Indonesian Air Force |
| Rank | Air Commodore |
| Unit | Paskhas |
Anakletus Tjilik Riwut (2 February 1918 – 17 August 1987) was an Indonesian military officer and journalist who served as the governor ofCentral Kalimantan from 1959 to 1967. He participated in theIndonesian National Revolution, becoming one of the leaders of theKalimantan Physical Revolution inDutch Borneo. In 1988, thegovernment of Indonesia declared him anational hero.
Born in Kasongan,Katingan,Central Kalimantan, on 2 February 1918, to aNgaju tribe family, he completed his elementary school education in his hometown of Kasongan.[2] Then he migrated toJava to continue his studies at thePeraaat School inPurwakarta andBandung. He became a member of theCentral Indonesian National Committee (KNIP), but he later joined theArmed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia (ABRI) and attained the rank ofMajor and later First Marshal, by fighting the Dutch colonial authorities and leading the first Parachute Operation in the history of ABRI. He also succeeded in fully integrating the Dutchportion of Borneo into Indonesia.[3]
After the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty by the Dutch on 27 December 1949, Tjilik Riwut took part in the regional government of Kalimantan. Becoming the Wedana ofSampit,[4] theRegent ofKotawaringin,[5] the coordinator of isolated tribal communities for the entire interior ofKalimantan,[4] and a member of thePeople's Representative Council and theSupreme Advisory Council.[6] Tjilik Riwut then became the military governor of the Central Kalimantan region in 1958. During his tenure, he negotiated and protected the region from theDarul Islam andMandau Talawang Pancasila rebellions.[7] He also mediated the selection of the provincial capital to avoid further conflicts between competing Dayak tribes by choosing the village of Pahandut, which is nowPalangka Raya.[8] He officially became the second governor of Central Kalimantan in 1958, but wasn't inaugurated until 23 December 1959.
Following the aftermath of the30 September Movement, he was forced to resign in February 1967, due to his close association with presidentSukarno, whom he was friends with.[9] He died on 17 August 1987 inBanjarmasin due to complications fromhepatitis and was buried in Sanaman Lampang Palangka Raya Heroes Cemetery. He was declared anIndonesian National Hero on 6 November 1988. The biggest airport in Central Kalimantan, Tjilik Riwut Airport, is named after him.[6] In 2018, government of Palangka Raya city built a statue of him in the middle of the city.[10]
Tjilik Riwut was born in Kasongan,Katingan,Central Kalimantan, on 2 February 1918. He was born into aNgaju tribe family, with his father being named Riwut Dahiang and his mother being named Piai Sulang.[2] When he was born, both of his eyes were wide open, which was unusual. Leading to his parents giving him the nickname of "Silik," which means "peek." As a child, he grew up in thejungles ofKalimantan, and was described as intelligent and resourceful (although living in a modest rural environment). Once, while playingfootball, he wore a fake prosthetic wooden leg under histrousers to appear taller to play, and injured several of his opponents, who had hit his leg.[11] He often referred to himself as an "orang hutan," which literally translates to "jungle man." He also circled the island ofBorneo three times, on foot, byboat and byraft.[3]
Tjilik firstly attended theSekolah Rakyat ("People's School"), in his home town of Kasongan for his early education. When he was in fifth grade, he was assigned by the principal to help teach at the Luwuk Kanan village downstream of Kasongan, with him teaching up to once every week.[11] As a teenager, he left Kalimantan and migrated toJava, to pursue further education. While studying in Java, Tjilik became interested injournalism, eventually becoming ajournalist under the guidance ofSanusi Pane at thePemgoenan Daily. After that, he was entrusted with managing the editorship ofSoeara Pakat, a newspaper belonging to thePakat Dayak association orSarikat Dayak. Also during this time, he began to get involved in thestruggle for independence.[4]
Following theproclamation of independence, he represented tens of thousands ofDayaks, and swore allegiance to the Indonesian government in a customary manner before PresidentSukarno at theGedung AgungYogyakarta on 17 December 1946.[4] He was then sent by theRepublican government to Kalimantan, as a member of the Entourage of Government of the Republic of Indonesia ("Rombongan Oetoesan Pemerintah RI"), which aimed to form an armed force in the form of the MN 1001 unit.[6]
Later, whenIndonesian Air Force commander Surjadi Surjadarma asked all native Kalimantan Indonesian nationalists to join the air force. Surjadarma wanted to establish a line of communication between Kalimantan and other regions in Indonesia and also to break the Dutch blockade between islands. Tjilik and around 60 other Indonesian nationalists were trained in former Japanese facilities in Maguwo and Wonocatur. However, only 12 were qualified for this mission, which would be the first airborne mission conducted by the Indonesian Air Force, which included Tjilik, who became a military officer with rank major.[12]
The operation failed in its objective to transport native Kalimantan Indonesian nationalists without being caught, and after waging more than a month of insurgency in Kalimantan jungles, all the personnel including Tjilik were arrested and jailed inBanjarmasin. They were eventually released in the aftermath ofDutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference.[12]
After the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty by the Dutch on 27 December 1949, Tjilik Riwut took part in the regional government of Kalimantan. Becoming the Wedana ofSampit,[4] theRegent ofKotawaringin,[5] the coordinator of isolated tribal communities for the entire interior ofKalimantan,[4] and a member of thePeople's Representative Council and theSupreme Advisory Council.[6] Whilst serving as Regent of Kotawaringin, henationalized the Dutch-owned Bruynzeel timber operations.[13]
Tjilik Riwut became the military governor of the Central Kalimantan region in 1958. During his tenure as military governor, he negotiated and protected the region from theDarul Islam andMandau Talawang Pancasila rebellions, through the implementation ofmartial law.[14][7] He also mediated the selection of the provincial capital to end further conflicts between competing Dayak tribes by choosing the village of Pahandut, which is nowPalangka Raya.[8] He officially became the second governor of Central Kalimantan in 1958, but wasn't inaugurated until 23 December 1959.[1][13]
However, following the30 September Movement and thechange of political winds, Tjilik Riwut was labeled as a "Sukarnoist," for his close association with presidentSukarno and he was forced to resign on 17 February 1967. One of his daughters, Ida Riwut, recalled that the transition was accompanied by a number of demonstrations targeting her father.[9]
On 17 August 1987, coinciding with the 42nd anniversary ofIndonesian independence, at 04:55 amCentral Indonesian Time, Tjilik Riwut died at the age of 69, after being treated at the Suaka Insan Hospital, inBanjarmasin, due tohepatitis.[15] His body was interred at the Sanaman Lampang Palangka Raya Heroes Cemetery,Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan.[11]
Tjilik Riwut wrote a number of books about theDayak people from his perspective and experiences during the National Revolution. Most of his books were published by his daughter, Nila Riwut, after his death. Some of his books today are used as academic introduction to Dayak culture in Indonesia.[4] These books include :[2]
He was married to Clementine Suparti, anethnic Javanese Roman Catholic woman (for he converted via baptism prior to his marriage) and together they had four children namely Emiliana Enon Herjani, Theresia Nila Ambun Triwati, a Dayak writer, Anakletus Tarung Tjandra Utama and A. Ratna Hawun Meiarti. In addition, he also had a uniquely close relationship with president Sukarno, with him being labeled a "Sukarnoist" during thetransition to theNew Order. In a 2004 documentary, formergovernor of North and Central SulawesiA. A. Baramuli said of him to be "most loved by Bung Karno."[9]
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