Johannes Latuharhary

Johannes Latuharhary (6 July 1900 – 8 November 1959) was an Indonesian politician and nationalist of Moluccan descent, who served as the first Indonesian governor of Maluku from 1945 until 1955, though he did not assume office in Maluku until 1950. A Protestant Christian, Latuharhary was an early proponent of Moluccan inclusion in the Indonesian state and he was an active participant in the struggle for Indonesia's independence.

Born in Ullath, Saparua, Latuharhary moved to Batavia to pursue higher education, before receiving a scholarship to study at Leiden University. Upon his return to the East Indies, he worked as a judge in East Java and began participating in the Indonesian nationalist movement through the Ambonese diaspora association ''Sarekat Ambon''. He later resigned from his position as judge and became an advocate and politician, merging the ''Sarekat'' with the mainstream movement of Indonesian nationalism after initial rifts caused by the issue of religion in politics. He moved to Jakarta and worked under the Department of Home Affairs during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies to manage Moluccans in Java, being arrested three times for different reasons. By 1945, had become a member of the BPUPK and PPKI organizations.

Through his membership in the BPUPK and PPKI, Latuharhary took part in the initial drafting of the Constitution of Indonesia. He unsuccessfully championed federalism and opposed the inclusion of religion in government through the Jakarta Charter and later opposing the formation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Following the proclamation of independence, he was appointed Governor of Maluku, but could not take power and instead organized Moluccans in Java to join the revolutionary cause. He was for some time part of the Central Indonesian National Committee leadership and he participated in the Indonesian delegations of the Renville and the Roem–Van Roijen Agreements. He eventually took office in 1950, where he attempted to establish the government and rebuild the ruined city of Ambon, before he was removed from his post. He died on 8 November 1959.

Early life and career

Education

Latuharhary was born on 6 July 1900, in Ullath, Saparua, in what was then the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), to the couple of Jan Latuharhary, a school teacher in a neighboring village, and Josefin Hiarej. He initially studied at the local first grade school in Saparua which taught students the Dutch language, but he later moved to Ambon at the age of 9 to study at a '' Europeesche Lagere School'' (ELS) there. Though the ELS was primarily designated for Europeans, He was admitted as his father was a teacher. He studied there up until 1917, before he moved to Batavia for higher education. In Batavia, he graduated from the city's Hogere Burgerschool (HBS) in 1923.

After graduating from the HBS, Latuharhary later received a scholarship from the ''Ambonsch Studiefonds'' to study at the Leiden University. Throughout his time at Leiden, Latuharhary did not directly participate within the student organization Perhimpoenan Indonesia (PI), but he had significant interactions with its members and is often considered as a member due to his connections with PI leaders such as Ali Sastroamidjojo and Iwa Koesoemasoemantri. In June 1927, he graduated from Leiden, becoming the first Moluccan to receive a '' Meester in de Rechten'' (Master of Law) degree from the university. By the time Latuharhary returned home, his time in Leiden had made him a proponent of Indonesian nationalism and unity.

Early career

Following his return to the Indies, Latuharhary (who had secured a recommendation letter from his professor Cornelis van Vollenhoven) was hired as an assistant at Surabaya's High Court, and he was later promoted to a judge there before being appointed chief judge in the district court at Kraksaan (in what is today Probolinggo) in 1929. He also joined the ''Sarekat Ambon'' (SA; Ambon Association) and worked on its reorganization after its leader Alexander Jacob Patty was exiled to Bengkulu then Digul. He was also assigned as the chief editor of the SA's official newspaper ''Haloean'', and applied for the SA to be granted legal status in 1930, though it did not receive it until 1933. Latuharhary also formed a trade cooperative for Moluccans in response to the economic hardships from the Great Depression.

Several members of the SA had proposed for the organization to join the Association of Political Organisations of the Indonesian People (PPPKI), which consisted of various nationalist and local organizations such as the Indonesian National Party, Sarekat Islam and Budi Utomo. Latuharhary was, however, opposed to the inclusion of religious organizations in political movements, and the SA did not join the PPPKI initially. Eventually, however, in the SA's third congress in early 1932, the leadership made the decision to join the PPPKI. Latuharhary had previously participated in the PPPKI's congress in January 1932, where he delivered his preamble ''Azab Sengsara Kepoelauan Maloekoe'' (Suffering of the Mollucas) which described economic devastation by the Dutch East India Company. He also wrote that the Dutch education system for the Moluccans was geared towards creating "scribes and clerks, soldiers and sailors".

Political career

Dutch colonial period

Throughout this time, Latuharhary had leaned towards a more federalist structure for the future Indonesian state, in accordance to others such as Sam Ratulangi, Tan Malaka and Mohammad Hatta. In 1932, his preamble was published as a book, though it was censured by the colonial government. He later resigned from being chief judge following an ultimatum from the colonial government to pick between his job or being part of the nationalist movement, and he became a lawyer instead. As an advocate, one of his first cases was suing sugar factories for taking over local farmers' land. Latuharhary won the case and gained local renown in East Java, and he was elected a member of the ''Regentschapsraad'' (municipal council) of Kraksaan.

During his time at Kraksaan, Latuharhary married Yet Pattyrajawane on 26 September 1931. The couple had seven children together. Latuharhary moved with his family to Malang in 1934 and later was elected to East Java's ''Provinciale Raad'' (provincial council). He was a member of the council until 1942. Latuharhary was later named as chairman of the ''Jong Ambon'' (Ambon Youth) upon the organization's founding in 1936. Three years later, Latuharhary ran for a seat in the Volksraad, campaigning in Ambon. Throughout the campaigns, Latuharhary spread his nationalist views and set up or restored several SA branches. In the end, he lost to a candidate from the ''Regentenbond'' (nobles' association). He later joined the Great Indonesia Party (Parindra), a pro-independence political party.

Japanese occupation

Following the Japanese invasion and takeover of the colony, Latuharhary and other Parindra leaders were arrested and imprisoned. After around four months, his wife managed to convince a Japanese admiral to arrange for the party leader's release. In September 1942, Latuharhary moved to the recently renamed Jakarta, where he took care of the wives and children of Moluccan and Timorese soldiers who were arrested or had evacuated to Australia. After moving to Jakarta, Latuharhary also began working for the Japanese, under the Department of Home Affairs to manage the Moluccans in Java, holding responsibility for their actions.

In 1944, a group of Ambonese including Latuharhary were arrested by the Kenpeitai and brought to Bogor

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