Lukas Enembe (born 27 July 1967) is an Indonesian politician who serves as Governor of Papua Province since April 2013. He had previously served as Regent of Puncak Jaya Regency between 2007 and 2012, and Vice Regent of the same regency from 2001 until 2006. In September 2017, Enembe was called on by the

Corruption Eradication Commission Corruption Eradication Commission ( id, Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi), abbreviated as KPK, is an Indonesian government agency established to prevent and fight corruption in the country. Firli Bahuri, an active police general, is the current ch ...

as a suspect in a graft case; supporters of Enembe protested at the National Human Rights Commission, claiming that the issue was politicized due to the 2018 gubernatorial election in Papua. The Commission later named Enembe as a witness in a graft case involving misappropriation of scholarship funds in Papua, and Enembe met with the Commission face-to-face to clarify his wealth report. The

Lukas Enembe Stadium The Lukas Enembe Stadium, formerly known as Papua Bangkit Stadium (''Rising Papua Stadium''), is a multi-purpose stadium located within the Lukas Enembe Sports Complex in Jayapura Regency, Papua, Indonesia. Located between the Cyclops Mountains a ...

Jayapura Regency Jayapura Regency is one of the regencies (''kabupaten'') in Papua Province of Indonesia. It is situated to the west of but does not include the city of Jayapura. Previously covering most of the north-east portion of Papua province, it was reduce ...

, used as venue for the opening ceremony of Indonesia's 2020 National Sports Week is named after him.

Early life and education, and early career

Lukas Enembe was born Lomato Enembe on 27 July 1967 in Kampung Mamit, Kembu District in what is now Tolikara Regency, to Tagolenggawak Enembe (father) and Deyaknobukwe Enumbi (mother). He spent his childhood in Tolikara, including his elementary school years; he studied at YPPGI Elementary School in his village of Kampung Mamit and graduated in 1980. It was during his years in YPPGI Elementary that young Lomato began to be known as Lukas; he was frequently called Lukas by his teacher and friends, and the name has been used ever since. He is a member of the

Koteka people The Koteka are seven major ethnicities of the highlands of Western New Guinea in Indonesia (particularly Papua (province), Papua province) with a common culture: the Lani people, Lani, Ekari people, Mee, Amung people, Amungme, Moni people, Moni, D ...

who inhabit the western

New Guinea highlands The New Guinea Highlands, also known as the Central Range or Central Cordillera, is a long chain of mountain ranges on the island of New Guinea, including the island's tallest peak, Puncak Jaya , the highest mountain in Oceania. The range is home ...

. Originally after graduating elementary school, Lukas attempted to enroll in a junior high school in Mulia, Puncak Jaya Regency, where his mother came from; the plan was to find a relative from his mother's side to live with until he finished junior high school. Sadly, he couldn't find any of his mother's relatives; he then moved to Sentani, Jayapura Regency to study in what is now SMP Negeri 1 Sentani (Sentani 1st State Junior High School) from 1980 until 1983. Immediately after, he continued to study in SMA Negeri 3 Sentani (Sentani 3rd State Junior High School) and graduated in 1986. He then enrolled at

Sam Ratulangi University Sam Ratulangi University ( id, Universitas Sam Ratulangi, abbreviated as ) is a state university in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was established on September 14, 1965. The current rector is Prof. Dr. Ir. Ellen Joan Kumaat, M.Sc., DEA. H ...

in Sulawesi, studying

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Enembe returned to Papua in 1995, and was accepted as a civil servant in 1996. He unsuccessfuly tried to become a lecturer at

Cenderawasih University Cenderawasih University ( id, Universitas Cenderawasih) is a university in Jayapura, Papua province, Indonesia. The university is the leading educational institution in the province. The university has faculties in economics, law, teacher trai ...

in Jayapura, and later accepted an offer as a civil servant in

Merauke Regency Merauke Regency is a regency in the far south of the Indonesian province of South Papua. It covers an area of 46,791.63 km2, and had a population of 195,716 at the 2010 Census and 230,932 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2 ...

, Papua. From 1998-2001, Enembe studied at Cornerstone Christian college in New South Wales Australia, having been sent by a missionary agency.

Political career

In 2001, Enembe unsuccessfully participated in the election to become

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of Puncak Jaya Regency. From 2001 to 2006 he served as Vice Regent of Puncak Jaya Regency alongside Elieser Renmaur. In 2006 he was elected to the chair of the local Papuan division of the

Indonesian Democratic Party The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was one of the two state-approved parties during the New Order era of the late 20th-century in Indonesia. Origins Ten political parties participated in the 1971 legislative elections, a number that Pres ...

. Also in 2006 he unsuccessfully ran for the office of governor of

Papua Province Papua is a province of Indonesia, comprising the northern coast of Western New Guinea together with island groups in Cenderawasih Bay to the west. It roughly follows the borders of Papuan customary region of Tabi Saireri. It is bordered by the ...

. In 2007, he was successfully elected as the regent of Puncak Jaya Regency. In 2013 Enembe successfully ran for the governorship of Papua Province, serving alongside Klemen Tinal as vice-governor, and was re-elected to the position alongside Tinal in 2018.

Embezzlement allegations

In September 2022, it was reported that Enembe was under investigation by Indonesia's Anti-Corruption Commission for allegedly since 2017 having missappropriated 560 billion rupiah (approximately $56 million AUD) of state funds, reportedly spending a significant proportion of the money at casinos in Singapore and Australia. Enembe's reported official salary was less than AUD$1,000 (approximately 10 million rupiah) a month. Enembe denied the charges, claiming that they were politically motivated due to his membership of the Democratic Party.

Personal life

Enembe is married to Yulce Wenda, and has three children; Astract Bona T.M. Enembe, Eldorado Gamael Enumbi, and Dario Alvin Nells Isak Enembe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enembe, Lukas 1967 births Living people People from Highland Papua Papuan people Democratic Party (Indonesia) politicians Governors of Papua (province) Regents of places in Indonesia Sam Ratulangi University alumni