Meta description: The First Indonesian Army From West Papua, Major General Joppye, Is Also The Major General For Kasuari’s Military Regional Command In West Papua.
Major General Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau was born in Serui, Yapen islands, West Papua. He was born on 17th July 1962. And he graduated from the military academy in 1986 from infantry.
Major General Joppye is known for being the major general of the regional military command of XVIII (Kasuari) in West Papua, with the predecessor Major General Yosua Pandit Sembiring. Chief of Staff of the Army Mulyono appointed Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau to hold the Major General position. This regional command of XVIII (Kasuari) is the extension of XVII regional command (Cenderawasih) in Jayapura.
A New History: Joppye Is The First Native Papuan Who Holds Major General Position in the Military Force
Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau is the first native Papuan who has ever held a Major General position in the armed force. He was also the first Papuan who held the title of Lieutenant General among the highest rank of military force. Before that, he has served a role in several positions. Major General Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau has a reputable career in the military force.
He had served as a lieutenant colonel in military regional IV/ Diponegoro and as a Brigadier General 172/PWY. He had the experience to serve as Kasdam V/Brawijaya, Brigif24/Bulungan Cakti in East Kalimantan, and as a lieutenant colonel of 0736/Batang. In addition, the Indonesian government trusted him to be a staff specialist in the field of Social Human Rights (Staf Ahli Panglima TNI Bidang Sosial Budaya dan HAM)
Societies of West Papua give a positive response to the appointment of Major General Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau. The chief of the local tribals supports Indonesia’s decision to appoint native Papuan to become the major general in their own home.
They were also happy that the Indonesian government built the regional military command (Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih and Kodam XVIII/Kasuari). Everybody in the region supported the new Kodam, and they were proud because the native Papuan holds the chief position for the Kodam.
In an official ceremony to formalize Kodam Kasuari, the local dance marked the end of the ceremony. The local dance is the tradition of Papua society every time they end an event. Even the Chief of Staff with the head of the locals dance together, which shows the team works together for the sake of building a strong Papua region with military arm force.
About Military Regional Command Of Kasuari
West Papua’s military regional commands use the name of its endemic birds. The first Kodam’s name is Cenderawasih, an endemic bird from Papua. The second Kodam also uses the name of an endemic bird, Kasuari. The name comes from a bird, “Kasuari” with the scientific name bergmus casuarius. It is a special bird and endemic to the region. Kasuari bird has a big body and is unable to fly. It is known for its aggressivity because this bird can attack people or anything if it feels threatened.
The military region of Kasuari is located in Arfai village, South Manokwari district, Manokwari. The distance is 4 kilometers from the governor’s office and 28 kilometers from the center of Manokwari, which makes it a strategic location. The government builds housing, offices, and hospitals around those areas. Chief of Staff of the Army Mulyono made it official on 19th December 2016. This region is the extension of the Cenderawasih military region (Kodam XVII) as requested by the locals.
The locals request the addition of a new military region because the former Cenderawasih military region is located far away, which is in Jayapura. Because the Papua region is very wide, the government added a new military region Kasuari which is located in Manokwari, based on the local’s request.
The personnel of Kasuari military regional command (Kodam Kasuari) mainly consist of the personnel from Cenderawasih military regional command, with some of the major general assistants also coming from other parts of Indonesia. However, Major General Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau plans to add more native Papuans to be personnel of Kasuari military regional command with a percentage of 80 percent of native Papuans.
Indonesian Governments Hope To Establish A More Developed West Papua Through Kasuari Military Region Command
The Indonesian government hopes for the development of the region and its citizens through the establishment of the Kasuari military region command. The region of Papua needs a special army force because of the special geography and the width of the region. In an official ceremony, the government hopes to provide stronger protections for the region of Papua after the establishment of Kasuari Military Regional Command (Kodam Kasuari).
The Chief of Staff of the Army gave thanks and appreciation to the governor, Forkopimda, and all citizens that have participated in the establishment of Kodam Kasuari. He also stated that the chief (Major General) of Kasuari Military Regional is the best person, a native from West Papua, Major General Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau, which societies of Papua should be proud of. He hopes for the development of the region and its people toward a stronger and established region of Indonesia.
Conclusion
Major General Joppye Onesimus Wayangkau is the first native Papuan to hold a Major General position in Indonesia Military Force. This is a new history that Papua people should be proud of. He will lead and become the chief for the region through Kodam Kasuari, located in the South of Manokwari.
References
Kodam XVIII/Kasuari Resmi Berdiri – TNI Angkatan Darat (tniad.mil.id)
Sejarah Baru, Mayjen Joppye Putra Papua Pertama Raih Bintang 3 – TNI Angkatan Darat (tniad.mil.id)