List of Governors of West Papua Throughout History

West Papua is a province in western Indonesia led by a governor. General elections are held to choose the governor. Below is a list of governors of West Papua as of late. It includes governors who served both before and after the province’s name change.

The governor is in charge of fostering political stability, making sure the government functions, and maintaining regional security. Meanwhile, the tenure limit for the governor of West Papua is five years.

1. Abraham Octavianus Atururi

Abraham Octavianus Atururi served as president of West Irian Jaya from 2003 to 2005, 2006 to 2011, and 2012 to 2017. Atururi previously held the position of Regent of Sorong from 1992 to 1997 before taking office as governor. By presidential appointment, Atururi became the first governor of the province.

He joined the Marine Corps to begin his career. Later, he held the positions of Chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross in Irian Jaya, Chairman of the Indonesian National Sports Committee in West Papua, and Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian National Sports Committee in Irian Jaya.

Ataruri passed away on January 17, 2017. On December 13, 2021, his name was inscribed as the name of a naval knight.

2. Dominggus Mandacan

Dominggus Mandacan, who was born on December 16, 1959, succeeded Atururi as the second governor of West Irian Jaya. He held office from 2017 to 2022. Previously, Mandacan presided over Manokwari as regent for two periods, from 2000 to 2005 and 2005 to 2010.

In addition, from 2013 to 2015, he served as the Regent of the Arfak Mountains. Meanwhile, according to his organizational background, Mandacan served as the NasDem Party’s chair of the West Papua Regional Leadership Council. He has been in this role since 2018.

3. Timbul Pudjianto

Timbul Pudjianto worked as an official for the Ministry of Home Affairs, formerly the Department of Home Affairs. Previously, Pudjianto held the position of acting governor of West Papua from July 23, 2005, to July 24, 2006.

He was responsible for serving as the acting governor of North Maluku between 2007 and 2008 the following year. Additionally, Pudjianto served as the Department of Home Affairs Director General of Regional Financial Administration.

4. Tanribali Lamo

Tanribali Lamo was born in Bone, South Sulawesi, on November 15, 1952. His father, Achmad Lamo, was Governor of South Sulawesi and Deputy Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia. After enlisting in the military in 1970, Lamo earned his second lieutenant degree four years later.

On March 31, 2011, Lamo was appointed as Central Sulawesi’s acting governor. Lamo took office in West Papua on July 25 after his term ended on June 17. He took over from Atururi and oversaw operations for an entire year.

5. Nataniel Mandacan

Mandacan, or simply Nataniel Mandacan, served as the governor of West Papua’s daily executor. However, he began his career in administration as a civil officer for the Manokwari Regional Government.

On the other hand, despite losing, Mandacan had contested the general election in 2010. He became the regional secretary in West Papua a year later.

6. Eko Subowo

As on January 30, 2017, Eko Subowo is the governor of West Papua. Subowo was once the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Director General of Regional Administration Development. Then, Subowo was sworn in as North Sumatra’s governor in 2018.

7. Paulus Waterpauw

Paulus Waterpauw was the most recent governor of West Papua as of May 12, 2022. A former member of the Indonesian National Police, Waterpauw. He has recently held the West Papua Regional Police Chief position twice.

His most recent role in law enforcement was as Director of the Indonesian National Police’s Intelligence and Security Agency. When it came to responding quickly to the grievances and demands of his populace, Waterpauw was a legendary governor.

Final Words

There have reportedly been several changes of governors since West Papua was made a province by official decree. You can examine the province’s administrative history by using the list of governors of West Papua from above.