Frans Kaisiepo

In 1945, Kaisiepo met Sugoro Atmoprasodjo at the School of Civil Service. They quickly found common ground due to their shared support for Indonesian independence. Kaisiepo often held discreet meetings to discuss the annexation of Dutch New Guinea by the Republic of Indonesia. He with his brother Markus Kaisiepo wrote an article in British Columbia Camp newsletter with the title “PAPUA or IRIAN” published on 8 September 1945.[1] By this time he and Marcus also lead an effort to change the name of the civil service school, from Papua Bestuur School to Irian Bestuur School.[2]

In July 1946, Kaisiepo was the West New Guinean delegate and only Papuan native at the Malino Conference in South Sulawesi. Before going to Malino on 9 July 1946, on the advice of Corinus Krey, he alongside Corinus met with Sugoro in Abepura prison, facilitated by colonial prison guard Elly Uyo and member of Papuan Batallion Johan Aer. In this meeting they agreed on the name “Irian”.[1] As Speaker, he suggested the territory be called "Irian", explaining the word means "steamy" in his native Biak.[3] In the same month, the Freedom Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: Partai Indonesia Merdeka) was reactivated by Kaisiepo in Biak, with Lukas Rumkoren as the party's elected leader. The party was first founded in September 1945 based in Nusi, before moved to Bosnek after January 1946.[4]

Upon release from prison in the year 1961, and during his time as district head in Mimika, Kaisiepo established Irian Sebagian Indonesia (ISI) Party.[5] that strove to unite Netherlands New Guinea with the Republic of Indonesia. To envisage the decolonization of Netherlands New Guinea, President Sukarno made a speech that established the Trikora (Tri Komando Rakyat, "People’s Triple Command") on 19 December 1961 in Yogyakarta.[6] The command's goals were:

• aborting the formation of the "Papua state" as created by colonial Dutch powers
• raising the Indonesian flag in West Irian, thus affirming Indonesian sovereignty in the area
• preparing mobilization to "defend the independence and unification of the motherland"

As a result of this historic address, many Indonesians including exiles from Papua, volunteers from Singapore and Malaya chose to join in organisation called Perintis Irian Barat (PIB), and was organised into volunteer battalions such as Yon Karya Jaya I under Kodam Jaya V, as part of Operation Trikora.[7] While members of ISI would later be trained to coordinate with Indonesian infiltration forces that managed to land in Mimika.[8]

The Dutch and Indonesian governments signed an agreement known as the New York Agreement on 15 August 1962, 12:01 hours, and the transfer of government administration to UNTEA occurred on 1 October 1962. The transfer of West Irian to Indonesia was conducted by the United Nations the following year on 1 May 1963. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government would be entrusted with developing the region from 1963 to 1969, and at the end of that year, the Papuans would have to decide whether or not to join Indonesia or remain autonomous.

The first governor of Irian was Elieser Jan Bonay, who held the office for less than a year (1963–64). In the beginning, Bonay sided with the Indonesians. However, in 1964, he used the Act of Free Choice in Irian Jaya to call for the independence of West Irian as a separate country; this request was forwarded to the United Nations. His action caused him to resign from his post in 1964, when Kaisiepo replaced him as governor. He later joined as officials in Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs, before working in Regional state companies from 1972–1979. Because of his disappointment with the Suharto military regime, he would later join the Papuan exile in Wijhe, the Netherlands since 1982, leaving his family in Indonesia and playing an important role in the Free Papua Movement.

During Kaisiepo's term as governor of Irian, he strove to promote Papua as part of Indonesia, by campaigning in all regencies like Merauke, Jayawijaya, Paniai, Fak-fak, Sorong, Manokwari, Teluk Cendrawasih and Jayapura for unification. This encouraged support within the state for the Act of Free Choice option of unification, as opposed to full independence, despite huge opposition from some Papuan natives. In 1969, following the Act of free Choice, in which 1,022 Papuan figures chosen by Indonesia voted for incorporation, Irian was became part of Indonesia as Irian Jaya (later Papua) Province.[9] According to Drooglever, during his time as governor the population of Papuan increased and the education level improved compared with situation under Dutch colonial authority.[10] For his efforts in the unification of Papua with Indonesia, he was elected an MP for Papua in the People's Consultative Assembly elections of 1973 and was appointed to the Supreme Advisory Council in 1977 as its representative for Papuan affairs.

Tomb of National Hero Frans Kaisiepo at Kampung Mokmer, Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia

Kaisiepo died on 10 April 1979. He was interred in a plot of land across the street from Cendrawasih Heroes' Cemetery (Indonesian: Taman Makam Pahlawan Cendrawasih) in Biak, which is now designated as the Tomb of National Hero Frans Kaisiepo (Makam Pahlawan Nasional Frans Kaisiepo). The tomb and the cemetery are located several kilometers east of the Frans Kaisiepo International Airport, named after Kaisiepo himself.