In memoriam Neles Tebay, 1946-2019

It was shocking news yesterday: on Palm Sunday, 14 April 2019, Father Dr. Neles Tebay passed away due to leukemia or blood cancer, in the Carolus Hospital of Jakarta. Neles was born in the mountainous regions of Indonesian Papua, the region of the Paniai lakes., and he published  one of his first articles in our journal Exchange on the vision of the Me people about the ideal human being and liberator, Jesus. I wrote in my book on Catholics in Independent Indonesia, p. 222, that he 'combines a deep concern for the need to foster and develop religious spirituality with the struggle for human rights in this part of Indonesia.' He studied at the Fajar Timur Seminary in Abepura, then for a MA in Manila and finally in the Urbaniana University in Rome (Ph.d. in 2006 on the Papua struggle for recognition of their own identity and independence). I was surprised that he quickly adapted to speaking Italian in Rome and felt at home in the world of the Vatican. He was several times in the Netherlands and we visited him in Abepura at Fajar Timur, where he was the rector, in 2009.

He was always a big, noisy, loud speaking and optimistic personality. Although the Catholics are a small minority in the northern section of Indonesian Papua, only 5% against more than 50% Protestants, he could become a major figure in the civil struggle for dialogue, recognition of human rights and freedom for Papua culture and concerns. This was partly because of the division of the Protestant Churches, partly also because of his realistic vision of absolute denial of the use of violence. He wanted dialogue, first between the Papua people themselves, then also with the national government in Jakarta. He was nominated something like the national embassador for dialogue by Jokowi.
From 2010 on he promoted the idea of Papua land of Peace, seen as an alternative for the violent efforts of those who supported a free and indepent West Papua. 'The idea of full independence as the goal of OPM, Organisasi Papua Merdeka was denounced by him as unrealistic at least for the short term.' (Same book, 362) But he was not a dull and meak fighter for peace in Papua: he was a powerful speaker and writer, Always with humour and concern to stay in good contact, naming but also solving conflicts. It is a great loss for Indonesia.