Des Alwi Abubakar (November 17, 1927 – November 12, 2010) was an Indonesian

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, writer and advocate of the

Banda Islands The Banda Islands ( id, Kepulauan Banda) are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and constitute an administrative district (''kecamatan'') within the Centr ...

. He was the adopted son of

Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta (; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman and nationalist who served as the country's first vice president. Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indon ...

, the first

Vice President of Indonesia The vice president of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Wakil Presiden Republik Indonesia) is second-highest officer in the executive branch of the Indonesian government, after the president, and ranks first in the presidential line of suc ...

, whom he called "Oom Kacamata" ("Uncle Eyeglasses").

Early life

Alwi was born on November 17, 1927, on

Banda Neira Banda Neira (also known as Pulau Neira) is an island in the Banda Islands, Indonesia. It is administered as part of the administrative Banda Islands District (''Kecamatan Kepulauan Banda'') within the Central Maluku Regency in the province of ...

, the largest of the

in the

Moluccas The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ...

. He first met Mohammad Hatta, as well as Indonesian intellectual

Sutan Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian politician, and revolutionary independence leader, who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, from 1945 until 1947. Previously, he was a key Indonesian nationalist organiz ...

, while Hatta was in internal exile on Banda Neira. Hatta adopted Alwi as his son. As a teenager he participated in the battle for

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Java and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern border of Java island, on the Mad ...

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern and so ...

in 1945.

Career

Alwi's early career included working at the

Voice of Indonesia RRI World Service, Voice of Indonesia ( id, Layanan Dunia RRI, Suara Indonesia) is an autonomous division under Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI), an Indonesian public radio service. It is a national radio station that broadcasts all over Indonesi ...

radio station in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

. He later studied at

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

where he met with future Malaysian political leaders, including

Tun Abdul Razak Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Dato' Hussein ( ms, عبد الرزاق بن حسين, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 11 March 1922 – 14 January 1976) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia ...

. As a diplomat, Alwi served tenures in several embassies, including in Bern,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

. He became disillusioned with

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader ...

’s dictatorial tendencies. He controversially settled in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

at the height of Indonesia’s “ Konfrontasi” with

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

where he engaged, using a pseudonym, in a broadcast to lambaste Sukarno. Alwi played a role in easing political tensions between Indonesia and Malaysia in the 1960s by approaching then Malaysian prime minister Tun Abdul Razak. In the 1970s, Alwi developed an interest in documentary films when he made a film about Hatta and later made other documentaries. He directed Tanah Gersang (Barren Land) in 1972, Cucu (Grandchild) and a comedy about espionage in 1973.

Later life

Alwi married Anna Marie Mambu, and had four children; Karma Alwi, Mira Alwi and Tanya Alwi and Ramon Alwi. In the latter stages of his life, he focused much attention and personal investment on his beloved Banda. Des managed a hotel and resort in Banda Naira, with a guest list featuring

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her a ...

, rock star

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and

Sarah Ferguson Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a member of the British royal family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles III ...

. He co-authored a book "Turbulent Times Past in Ternate and Tidore" together with Willard A Hanna on the history of Maluku and Banda Naira. Des Alwi died in at his home in Permata Hijau, Jakarta on November 12, 2010, at the age of 82.

References

1927 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Indonesian historians Indonesian diplomats People from Maluku (province) Indonesian people of Moroccan descent {{Indonesia-historian-stub