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Selasa, 01 Desember 2009

Raja from Papua Dies

On the 29th of november 2009 one of the most important rajas of Papua died:Raja Ismail Bauw.
Like his father Raja Ibrahim Bauw:ruled from 1946 and died 1994 , he was an important political leader in Papua.
In the begining of the 1960-ies,when there was the matter of Papua would join Indonesia finally;he tried to keep Indonesia one,so not all kind of independent states in the former Dutch East-Indies.
His son Crownprince Ismail Bauw was then the sub-district chief of the Fak Fak area.
Already soon the crownprince took over the political leadership of his father.
Raja Ismail Bauw as a young politician was in the beginning very much in favour to keep Indonesia one, But later in his more older and mild years he also could understand the ideas of Papuan people, who wished more autonomy for the area.
A big part of his life he was political active. In 1999 he was still the candidate for the local parliament.
The historical grown role of the rajas in Papua is still functioning as a part of the social system.
Before they were under the paramount rule (sometimes at least nominally) of the sultanate of Tidore in the North-Moluccans. The representative of the Tidore sultan in Papua was the raja of Lilinta on the island of Misool in the Raja Ampat islands (before the west coast of Papua).
Locally the raja of Lilinta was represented by the raja of Rumbati, who also was a paramount raja in big parts of the Onin, or Bomberai peninsula.During the course of the history several parts of the Rumbati principality became independent principalities themselves.
Raja Ismail Bauw was already sick for some time.
May his sole can take part in the eternal peace and that his succesor will be a leader with wisdom.

Amin

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