Izaac Hindom

Izaac Hindom (23 December 193411 March 2009) was an Indonesian bureaucrat and politician who served as the governor of Irian Jaya (now Papua) from 1982 until 1988.

Born in Fak-Fak, Hindom began his education at a Dutch school for native Papuans and ended it in a school for Papuan civil servants.

Hindom worked at various civil servant posts during the Netherlands New Guinea era and unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the New Guinea Council.

Hindom was born on 23 December 1934 in Adora Village, a village located in the Fak-Fak Afdeling (regency).

Hindom began his education at the Hollandsch-Inlandsche School, Dutch school for native Papuans, and graduated from the school in 1949.

He then continued his education at the Algemene Lagere School and the Opleidingschool voor Inheemse Bestuur Ambtenaren (OSIBA), a school for Papuan civil servants.

He graduated from the school in 1954.

Following his graduation from OSIBA, Hindom served as civil servants in various places in Netherlands New Guinea.

Hindom was first employed by the Sub-Division Administrative Head of Fakfak.

He was employed for about a year until he was appointed as the Head of the Etna Bay District in 1955.

He was transferred to Kaimana and was employed to the Sub-Division Administrative Head of Fakfak in December 1957.

Less than a year later, in March 1958, he returned to and was employed again by the Sub-Division Administrative Head of Fakfak until 1959.

From February 1960 until September 1962, he served as the Head of the Arguni Bay District.

During the 1961 Dutch New Guinea general election, Hindom ran as a candidate for the New Guinea Council from the Kaimana constituency.

He ran against Nicholas Tanggama and Mohammad Achmad, but lost to the latter.

According to his official parliamentary biography, Hindom assisted the Indonesians indirectly during Operation Trikora.

For his support to Indonesia's cause, Hindom was appointed the Regional District Head of Teminabuan in June 1963.

After Indonesia annexed Netherlands New Guinea, Hindom was appointed as a member of the Daily Governance Body in 1965.

He was promoted in July 1965 to serve as a member of the Daily Governance Body, a governmental body made to assist the governor.

Hindom resided in Jakarta during his tenure as a member of the Daily Governance Body.

Hindom was nominated as the candidate for the People's Representative Council from the Fakfak constituency.

The local council of Irian Jaya elected him as an MP from the Fakfak constituency with 15 votes.

He was twice elected as a member of the People's Representative Council in 1971 and 1977.

He was inaugurated as an MP on 28 October 1971 and subsequently resigned from his Daily Governance Body membership.

He was elected for a second term as an MP from the Jayapura constituency in the 1977 Indonesian legislative election and was inaugurated on 1 October 1977.

According to political researcher Alexander Griapon, Hindom maintained a good relationship with Indonesian central government officials and Papuan indigenous officials during his term as a member of the Daily Governance Body and the People's Representative Council.

He ended short his second term in the council after being appointed as vice governor on 22 November 1980 and became governor two years later on 4 August 1982 after his predecessor's death.

During his tenure, he planned a massive transmigration program, which would resettle more than half a million transmigrants to the province.

His transmigration program was criticized by various parties, ranging from the transmigrants themselves to Western environmentalists and human rights groups.

He also oversaw the division of the province into three semi-official regions, the exploitation of the province's forests, and launched a campaign to abolish koteka.

After his first term ended, he ran in the next gubernatorial election, but withdrew several weeks after the election commenced.

Hindom was appointed the Vice Governor of Irian Jaya on 22 November 1980 by Governor Soetran, replacing Elias Paprindey who had assumed office as acting vice governor for more than three years.

Hindom's appointment as Vice Governor disappointed certain indigenous Papuan groups who believed that indigenous Papuans should be appointed governor instead of vice governor.

However, Hindom's Fakfak origin gained him support from the local elites of South Papua.

On 3 August 1982, Busiri Suryowinoto, the Governor of Irian Jaya, went to Japan to undergo an operation for his cholelithiasis.

However, Busiri died on his way from the Narita Airport to the Jutendo Hospital the day after.

Hindom, as the most powerful person in Irian Jaya after Busiri's departure, automatically assumed office as the acting Governor of Irian Jaya following Busiri's death.

A gubernatorial election was held several months later to elect a definitive governor.

He was then appointed as a member of the Supreme Advisory Council in 1988, an office he held until 2003.

He died six years later on 11 March 2009.