Johanis Hermanus Manuhutu (born in

Haria, Saparua Haria (traditionally called ''Leawaka Amalatu'') is one of the 17 villages on the island of Saparua, Maluku, Indonesia. Pela relationships Haria has a pela (traditional village connection) with the following villages: *Waesamu *Hative Besar *L ...

on 9 April 1908 - died in Haria, Saparua, 22 August 1984) was a South Moluccan civil servant in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

and the first president of the

Republic of South Maluku South Maluku, also South Moluccas and officially the Republic of South Maluku, was an unrecognised secessionist state that claimed the islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram, which currently make up most of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The ...

(or South Moluccas) in 1950.Tirto: RMS yang Mencoba Bertahan di Negeri Belanda

Biography

Manuhutu completed his initial education at

Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs ( Dutch, "more advanced primary education") was during part of the twentieth century a level of education in the Netherlands, Suriname and the Dutch East Indies. The system was comparable with the junior high school ...

Ambon Island Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon, Maluku, Ambon to the south, and three districts (''k ...

and then studied at the Education School for Native Civil Servants (OSVIA) in

Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...

. Starting 1929 he worked at the Inland Government Service in Ambon. Later he was transferred to

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

where he suffered Japanese occupation during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After that war he was, among other things, head of the South Moluccas Daïra (province) of the (federal)

State of East Indonesia The State of East Indonesia (, old spelling: ''Negara Indonesia Timoer'', ) was a post–World War II state formed in the eastern half of Dutch East Indies. Established in December 1946 by the Dutch, it was a puppet state formed during the Ind ...

during the time of the

United States of Indonesia The United States of Indonesia (, ; abbreviated as RIS or RUSI, also known as Federal Republic of Indonesia) was a short-lived federal state to which the Netherlands formally transferred sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies (except Netherlands N ...

. In response to the attempts of centralization by the government in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, the initiative was taken to withdraw the Daïra of South Moluccas from the federation. On April 25, 1950, at the initiative of

Chris Soumokil Christiaan Robbert Steven Soumokil (13 October 1905 – 12 April 1966) was a South Moluccan politician and prosecutor who served as the second president of the Republic of South Maluku from 1950 until his execution in 1966 by Indonesian fo ...

and

Johan Manusama Johannes Alvarez Manusama (17 August 1910 – 29 December 1995), a former schoolteacher and freemason, RMS Minister of Education and Minister of Defence (1950), was the third president of the unrecognised secessionist Republic of South Mol ...

, the independent Republic of South Moluccas (in

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

, ''Republik Maluku Selatan'') was proclaimed by a declaration signed by Johanis Manuhutu and Albert Wairisal. Manuhutu was appointed as president and Waisiral became prime minister. On May 3, 1950, Chris Soumokil succeeded him as president. In early 1952, Manuhutu was captured by the Indonesian army in an operation on

Seram Island Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent i ...

, and was sentenced to five years in prison. He stated that he had issued the proclamation under heavy pressure from the military at the time. In August 1955, he was pardoned and thus effectively released after three and a half years of imprisonment. Later he went to live near Jakarta with his wife and brother, where he worked for a shipping company. He reconciled with the Indonesian authorities and in 1970 he may have been involved in discussions about the possible return of Ambonese people from the Netherlands. Manuhutu was married and had seven children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuhutu, Johanis 1908 births 1984 deaths Presidents of the Republic of South Maluku Moluccan independence activists Moluccan people