Loa Sek Hie Sia (born in Batavia in 1898 - died in The Hague in 1965) was a colonial Indonesian politician, parliamentarian and the founding ''Voorzitter'' or chairman of the controversial, ethnic-Chinese self-defense force

Pao An Tui Pao An Tui () sometimes incorrectly spelled Po An Tui or Poh An Tui, was a self-defense force of the Chinese-Indonesian community during the Indonesian Revolution (1945–1949). The group has often been accused of pro-Dutch sympathies in the ...

(1946 - 1949). He was a ''

Peranakan The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...

'' of

Chinese-Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have l ...

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

and Javanese descent. In his political career, he campaigned against racial discrimination and demanded better healthcare and education for ethnic Chinese in the Dutch East Indies.

History

Family and education

Loa was born in

Pasar Baru Pasar Baru is an administrative village in the Sawah Besar subdistrict (kecamatan) in Central Jakarta of Indonesia. It has postal code of 10710. Pasar Baru is also the name of a 19th-century market which was established in the neighborhood and ga ...

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

in 1898 into one of the city's most prominent families, part of the '

Cabang Atas The Cabang Atas (''Van Ophuijsen Spelling System'': Tjabang Atas) — literally 'highest branch' in Indonesian language, Indonesian — was the traditional Chinese establishment or gentry of Dutch East Indies, colonial Indonesia. They were the fa ...

' or ''Peranakan'' Chinese gentry of Java. His grandfather was the tycoon

Loa Po Seng ( ), also called loa or loi, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerat ...

, o
Jalan Poseng
in Pasar Baru, while his father, Loa Tiang Hoei, served as ''Kapitein der Chinezen'' of Pasar Baru. This was a civil government appointment with legal and political authority over the local Chinese community. Loa's mother, Louise Goldman, came from an

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...

family of Austrian-Jewish descent, but long settled in the Indies. His adoptive and stepmother, Tio Bit Nio, was a first cousin of Tio Tek Ho, 4th Majoor der Chinezen of Batavia. As a descendant of Chinese officers, Loa bore the hereditary title of ''Sia''. He was educated at the Europeesche Lagere School (ESL) and the Hogere Burgerschool (HBS) in Batavia, then studied commerce at Prins Hendrik School, graduating in May 1917. In November 1917, Loa married Tan Pouw Nio, daughter of Tan Liok Tiauw ''Sia'' and granddaughter of Tan Tiang Po, Luitenant der Chinezen, the '' Landheeren'' or landlords of Batoe-Tjepper. The young couple settled down in the then new, fashionable suburb of

Menteng Menteng is the south-central district of Central Jakarta, one of the administrative municipalities in the capital city Jakarta, Indonesia. The nexus of its heritage is the Menteng neighbourhood (Project), a new urban design developed mainly i ...

in the outskirts of Batavia.

Colonial career

Loa was appointed to the ''Gemeenteraad'' (the municipal council) of Batavia in 1919, and to the ''Volksraad'' (the parliament of colonial Indonesia) in 1927. From 1928 until 1951, he served on the Executive Board of

Chung Hwa Hui Chung Hwa Hui (1928–1942; the 'Chinese Association'), also known as CHH, was a conservative, largely pro-Dutch political organisation and party in the Dutch East Indies (today Indonesia), often criticised as a mouthpiece of the colonial Chines ...

(CHH), a center-right political party that advocated change through cooperation with the Dutch colonial state. Loa was also part of the Masonic Lodge of Batavia. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Opening van de Volksraad door gouverneur-generaal Van Limburg Stirum op 18 mei 1918 op Java TMnr 10001373

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Opening van de Volksraad door gouverneur-generaal Van Limburg Stirum op 18 mei 1918 op Java TMnr 10001373

As parliamentarian, Loa worked closely with Hok Hoei Kan, chairman of CHH, to abolish discriminatory policies against Chinese subjects of the colony. He campaigned further for the creation of educational and health institutions for the Chinese community. To remedy perceived government indifference, Loa played a leading role in the establishment of Jang Seng Ie (no
Husada Hospital
. He served on the governing council of the hospital from 1924 until 1951. Around 1929, he provided a character reference to the government for Liem Bwan Tjie, a well-known architect whose return from overseas had been obstructed due to suspected communist sympathies. Liem stayed at the Loa family residence, and helped remodel it - a project that became the architect's first commission back in the Indies. In 1940, Loa was appointed by

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

as an Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

in recognition of his civic service. When the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

broke out, Loa was apprehended by the occupying Japanese forces due to his perceived closeness with the Dutch colonial state. He was interned for much of the war, and was released in 1945.

Revolution

In the feverish atmosphere that followed the end of the War and the start of the

Indonesian Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during postwar and postcoloni ...

, he deemed it important for the Chinese community to be able to defend its interests militarily. So, Loa became one of the founders of

, which many revolutionaries later accused to be a fighting, pro-Dutch militia. He served as ''Voorzitter'', or chairman, of the organization's Central Committee. Pao An Tui received both arms and funding from the Allies, but also obtained the support of Indonesia's first Prime Minister, Sutan Sjahrir. During the tenure of the

Netherlands Indies Civil Administration The Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (abbreviated NICA; nl, Nederlandsch-Indische Civiele Administratie) was a semi-military organisation, established April 1944, tasked with the restoration of civil administration and law of Dutch colonia ...

, Loa acted as an advisor in the emergency cabinet of

Hubertus van Mook Hubertus Johannes "Huib" van Mook (30 May 1894 – 10 May 1965) was a Dutch administrator in the East Indies. During the Indonesian National Revolution, he served as the Acting Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1942 to 1948.Kahin ...

, the country's acting Governor-General. After it became clear that

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

was to attain independence, Loa supported the federal movement. Federalism, however, did not gain widespread popular support due to perceived Dutch patronage. With the defeat of federalism by the centralist faction, led by Sukarno and

Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta (; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman and nationalist who served as the country's first vice president. Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indone ...

, Loa withdrew from the political sphere.

Emigration and death

Sukarno consulted Loa Sek Hie on issues ranging from Dutch business interests to Freemasonry in Indonesia, but generally ignored the latter's advice. Loa left Indonesia for the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1964. He was naturalized as a Dutch citizen in 1965, and died in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

later that same year.

References

Works cited

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Loa, Sek Hie 1898 births 1965 deaths People of the Indonesian National Revolution People of the Dutch East Indies Indonesian Hokkien people Indonesian people of Chinese descent Indonesian people of Austrian descent Indonesian people of Austrian-Jewish descent Indonesian Jews Dutch people of Indonesian descent Dutch people of Chinese descent Dutch people of Austrian descent Indo people Javanese people People from Batavia, Dutch East Indies Dutch Freemasons Indonesian Freemasons Members of the Volksraad (Dutch East Indies) Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Recipients of the Order of Orange-Nassau Sia (title) Indonesian landlords