The Indonesian Irian Independence Party (, PKII) was a pro-Indonesian party in

Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. It contained ...

. The party was established in 1946 by several pro-Indonesian students as a way to support the integration of Papua into the territory of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The party's leader,

Silas Papare Silas Ayari Donrai Papare (18 December 1918 – 7 March 1978) was a Papuan–Indonesian politician and guerilla leader who is a National Hero of Indonesia. Originating from the Yapen Islands, Papare trained and worked as a nurse prior to the Sec ...

, was posthumously declared a

National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...

on 14 September 1993. The party's ideology was based on '' Pancasila'' and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. The party had a youth wing, the Indonesian Youth Union (, GAPI), which was formed on 28 October 1958.

Establishment

The party was established on 29 October 1946 in the town of

Serui Serui Kota (Seroei) is a town and the capital of the Yapen Islands Regency of Papua (province), Papua, Indonesia. As of 2021, the town had a population of 13,568. It is located on the island of Yapen. References

Yapen Islands Populated coa ...

, in the region of Yapen Waropen (present-day

Yapen Islands Regency Yapen Islands Regency is a List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, regency (''kabupaten'') in Papua Province of eastern Indonesia. It covers an area of , and had a population of 82,951 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and ...

). The party was established with Silas Papare as the leader and Alwi Rachman as his vice. The party strove for the recognition of the independence of Indonesia as a united nation from

Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...

to Papua, and served as the point of contact for pro-Indonesian movements all over Papua, such as in

Biak Biak is the main island of Biak Archipelago located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The largest popula ...

Sorong Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia ...

Raja Ampat Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The title has a long ...

Kaimana Kaimana is a district and a small port town in West Papua, Indonesia, and the capital of the Kaimana Regency. The district had a population of 44,332 in mid-2022, while the town had 16,718 and Krooy (the other ''kelurahan'' in the district) had ...

, Inanwatan, and

Fakfak Fakfak (), also known as the District of Fakfak, is a town in West Papua and seat of the Fakfak Regency. It had a population of 12,566 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 18,900 at the 2020 Census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. It is served b ...

. The party had around 4.000 members in Yapen Waropen. The integration of pro-Indonesian movements in Papua under PKII alarmed the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

. To counter the influence of PKII in Papua, the Dutch authorities formed the

New Guinea Council The New Guinea Council () was a unicameral representative body formed in the Netherlands, Dutch overseas territory of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961. History Prior to the formation of the New Guinea Council, there existed a Council of Directors, ...

(, ) in 1961. Some members of the council would later form the pro-independence

Free Papua Movement The Free Papua Movement or Free Papua Organization (, OPM) is a name given to a separatist movement that aims to separate West Papua from Indonesia and establish an independent state in the region. The territory is currently divided into six ...

(, OPM) after the integration of Papua into Indonesia and the start of the

Papua conflict The Papua conflict () is an ongoing conflict in Western New Guinea (Papua) between Indonesia and the Free Papua Movement (, OPM). Subsequent to the withdrawal of the Dutch administration from the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962 and implementa ...

. To connect the pro-Indonesian movement in Papua with Indonesia, the party sent motions and resolutions to the Government of Indonesia in Jakarta regarding the independence of Indonesia and the pro-Indonesian movement in Papua. The party also sent its leader, Silas Papare, to Jakarta, as the representative of PKII.

Development

The party established branches in the villages around the town of Serui on 30 November 1947. The establishment of the branch in the village of Serui-Laut was done by eleven members, who acted as representatives coordinated by Silas Papare. Andris Wayoi and Sakeus Bonai were chosen as the leaders of this branch. The branch had around 300 members as of 1947. To garner more youth members, the party formed the Indonesian Youth Union on 28 October 1958, under the leadership of Piter Wayoi and Aser Samori. The youth wing had around 60 members during its formation.

References

Bibliography

* {{Former Indonesian political parties 1946 establishments in Indonesia 1962 disestablishments in Indonesia Defunct political parties in Indonesia Political parties disestablished in 1962 Political parties established in 1946 Politics of Dutch New Guinea

Establishment

Development

See also

References

Bibliography