Tjilik Riwut

Anakletus Tjilik Riwut (2 February 1918 – 17 August 1987) was an Indonesian military officer and journalist who served as the governor of Central Kalimantan from 1959 to 1967.

He participated in the Indonesian National Revolution, becoming one of the leaders of the Kalimantan Physical Revolution in Dutch Borneo.

Born in Kasongan, Katingan, Central Kalimantan, on 2 February 1918, to a Ngaju tribe family, he completed his elementary school education in his hometown of Kasongan.

Then he migrated to Java to continue his studies at the Peraaat School in Purwakarta and Bandung.

He became a member of the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP), but he later joined the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia (ABRI) and attained the rank of Major 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 Dutch portion of Borneo into Indonesia.

Tjilik Riwut was born in Kasongan, Katingan, Central Kalimantan, on 2 February 1918.

He was born into a Ngaju tribe family, with his father being named Riwut Dahiang and his mother being named Piai Sulang.

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 the jungles of Kalimantan, and was described as intelligent and resourceful (although living in a modest rural environment).

Once, while playing football, he wore a fake prosthetic wooden leg under his trousers to appear taller to play, and injured several of his opponents, who had hit his leg.

He often referred to himself as an "orang hutan," which literally translates to "jungle man."

He also circled the island of Borneo three times, on foot, by boat and by raft.

Tjilik firstly attended the Sekolah 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.

As a teenager, he left Kalimantan and migrated to Java, to pursue further education.

While studying in Java, Tjilik became interested in journalism, eventually becoming a journalist under the guidance of Sanusi Pane at the Pemgoenan Daily.

After that, he was entrusted with managing the editorship of Soeara Pakat, a newspaper belonging to the Pakat Dayak association or Sarikat Dayak.

Also during this time, he began to get involved in the struggle for independence.

Following the proclamation of independence, he represented tens of thousands of Dayaks, and swore allegiance to the Indonesian government in a customary manner before President Sukarno at the Gedung Agung Yogyakarta on 17 December 1946.

He was then sent by the Republican 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.

Later, when Indonesian 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.

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 in Banjarmasin.

They were eventually released in the aftermath of Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference.

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 of Sampit, the Regent of Kotawaringin, the coordinator of isolated tribal communities for the entire interior of Kalimantan, and a member of the People's Representative Council and the Supreme Advisory Council.

Tjilik Riwut then became the military governor of the Central Kalimantan region in 1958.

During his tenure, he negotiated and protected the region from the Darul Islam and Mandau Talawang Pancasila rebellions.

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 now Palangka Raya.

He officially became the second governor of Central Kalimantan in 1958, but wasn't inaugurated until 23 December 1959.

Following the aftermath of the 30 September Movement, he was forced to resign in February 1967, due to his close association with president Sukarno, whom he was friends with.

He died on 17 August 1987 in Banjarmasin due to complications from hepatitis and was buried in Sanaman Lampang Palangka Raya Heroes Cemetery.

In 1988, the government of Indonesia declared him a national hero.

He was declared an Indonesian National Hero on 6 November 1998.

The biggest airport in Central Kalimantan, Tjilik Riwut Airport, is named after him.

In 2018, government of Palangka Raya city built a statue of him in the middle of the city.