Herman Monim (1938/1939 – 9 August 2014)[1] was an Indonesian politician who served as the Vice Governor of Irian Jaya from 1996 until 1999, and as the acting Governor of Central Irian Jaya for four days, from 12 until 16 October 1999.

Herman Monim
Governor of Central Irian Jaya
(acting)
In office
12 October 1999 – 16 October 1999
PresidentB. J. Habibie
Preceded byoffice established
Succeeded byRibka Haluk
(as Governor of Central Papua)
Vice Governor of Irian Jaya
In office
7 October 1996 – 12 October 1999
Serving with Basyir Bachtiar (until 1998), John Djopari (from 1998), and Abraham Octavianus Atururi
GovernorJacob Pattipi
Freddy Numberi
Preceded byPoedjono Pranyoto
Succeeded byConstant Karma
Personal details
Born1938 or 1939
Died9 August 2014 (age 75 or 76)

Life and career

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Before being appointed as the Vice Governor of Irian Jaya, Herman Monim worked in the provincial government as the Head of Village Government Development Bureau[2] and as assistant to the Governor of Irian Jaya for the first territory (Jayapura, Jayawijaya, Paniai, and Merauke).[1]

Monim was inaugurated as the Vice Governor of Irian Jaya on 7 October 1996. Monim was tasked to assist the governor in economic affairs and in governing the second territory (Biak-Numfor, Yapen-Waropen and Paniai). Monim's office was initially located in Jayapura, but later moved to Timika, the de facto capital of the second region.[3] However, due to continuous riots and his inability to face "highland people" (a term used to describe differing Papuan communities, in contrast to "coastal people"), he only stayed in Timika for a month before returning to Jayapura.[4] During his tenure as vice governor, Herman held the office as the acting Regent of Nabire from 1998 until 1999.[5]

After the fall of President Suharto, his successor, President B. J. Habibie, enacted Law No. 45 of 1999 on 4 October 1999, which effectively transformed the second territory into the province of Central Irian Jaya. Monim was inaugurated as Governor eight days later.[6] However, the formation of the province was opposed by Irian Jaya's parliament, and on 16 October they enacted a decree which rejected the law, effectively deposing Monim from his office.[7] The government accepted the parliament's decision and delayed the formation of the province.[8] However, riots between the supporters and the opponents of the province continued following the delay. The riot escalated into a five-day civil war in 2003, causing five deaths.[9] The civil war ended on 27 November 2003 when the government announced the dissolution of the province. A peace accord between the two factions was signed on the next day.[9]

In an interview on 2019, the Regent of Nabire, Isaias Douw, blamed Monim's failure on his origins. According to Douw, Monim's coastal background made him not accepted by rural highland communities of Central Irian Jaya.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b Mentioned as 57 years old in Nicolash RMS, Korano (16 August 1996). "DPRD Usul Tiga Wagub Untuk Irja". Kompas. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. ^ 25 Tahun Trikora. Jakarta: Yayasan Badan Kontak Keluarga Besar Perintis Irian Barat. 1988. p. 329.
  3. ^ NIC (9 October 1996). "Nama dan Peristiwa: Mendagri Yogie SM belakangan ini tidak mau sembarangan memberikan komentarnya kepada wartawan". Kompas.
  4. ^ Ilahi, Wahyu (2 November 2019). "Asosiasi Bupati Wilayah Mee Pago Dukung Papua Tengah | Timika eXpress". Timika Express (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Drs. Herman Monim (Caretaker) – Website Resmi Pemerintah Kabupaten Nabire". Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Dilantik, Gubernur Irja dan Maluku Utara". Kompas. 13 October 1999.
  7. ^ Romli, Lili (2016). "Pro-Kontra Pemekaran Papua: Sebuah Pelajaran Bagi Pemerintah Pusat". Jurnal Penelitian Politik. 3 (1): 27.
  8. ^ Ama, Kornelis Kewa (4 May 2005). "Bergelut dengan Bayangan Sendiri". Kompas.
  9. ^ a b Manggut, Wenseslaus; Levi, Cunding (1 September 2003). "Pemekaran yang Menyulut Perang". Tempo.
  10. ^ Modes (27 June 2019). "Bupati Isaias Titip Pesan Pemekaran Papua Tengah dan Nabire Sebagai Kota Madya". Papua Pos Nabire. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023.