Politician
p. 47 · Read in the full issue
New Governor Is A Shrewd Politician
est New Guinea's new Governor, >r Jan Bonay, 38, presides over a y - appointed 38 - member People's anal Council, which has replaced the ember New Guinea Council of the h administration. The New Guinea icil was partly appointed and partly ed but the Indonesian Council is all tinted. Only a handful of the old tcil members appear in the new one.
R. BONAY has announced that he will not take up residence tie former Governor Platteel’s hill mansion but remain in his own se in Hollandia with his wife and dren. In fact, Governor l onay i’t have much power at all—that be in the hands of an Indonesian iuty Governor to be appointed. r et Governor Bonay is a shrewd tician, who cannot be written oft a complete stooge of the Indo an leaders. He has a mind of own and in the past has favoured nion between West New Guinea, Papua-New Guinea, and inde dence for them both. Indonesia Id well encourage Bonay’s views a united island of New Guinea it would be a union on Indonesian ns and that would not include ependence.
Bonay was born at Seroei-Laut, in Biak region, and was educated a village schol there before starting a clerk with the Dutch District
Office at Seroei in 1941. After the war he had various jobs in various places with the NNG Administration; he opened a new sub-division in the Waropen region in 1955; did a course in administration at Hollandia and was District Officer at East Biak from 1957-60 and later in charge of Japen south. Just before the Dutch left he was active in politics with the PARNA party, and was an elected member of the New Guinea Council.
The fact that Bonay was an elected Council member no doubt had some thing to do with his selection by the Indonesians. Bonay had a Papuan following because of his political activities and was also well con sidered by the Dutch; he was a middle-of-the-roader. He was not a strong man, and the Indonesians knew there was no danger of him taking control, yet he would be a man who would not be considered a mere puppet.
[?] former Dutch Governor's House in Hollandia. The new Governor doesn't live there.
Governor Elizier Bonay.