His age is 94 years old, yet Panglima Nayau still travels to several residents in West Borneo only within days to mediate customary land conflicts with oil palm plantation. He intends not to rest until he sees himself the customary land within Indonesia and Malaysia border is free of conflict.
It was not difficult to get direct information from the West Borneo community about Panglima Nayau. The difficult one was to meet him due to his busy schedule traveling to several residents in West Borneo. It was just a coincidence and might be called as a luck that he could be met in Gawai Dayak rituals (a traditional thanksgiving party after rice harvesting) in Tapang Sebeluh, Malenggang Village, Sekayam, Sanggau, West Borneo.
Panglima Nayau is still considered as the elder by Dayak indigenous leaders, moreover, the title Panglima has been given since 1971. "I was earlier appointed as the frontier police when the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia took place," stated Nayau. He was one of the Dayak leaders in the frontier when the confrontation took place. He had the experience of getting in and out of Serawak area so that he was trusted to guard the frontier. Nayau's main duty was to be a secret agent.
"I was caught and arrested in Serawak for seven times, but I could free myself. I was actually considered dead several times by the fighters, as well as the army corps which assigned me on duty," he said. How could Nayau free himself several times from Malaysia? "I was the secret agent, yet they could not prove me as a secret agent. I went to Malaysia undercover as a trader or someone who was visiting relatives,"he said.
After the confrontation was done, Nayau was again trusted as a secret agent to quell local movement so called Pasukan Rakyat Kalimantan Utara (Paraku) and Pasukan Gerakan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS) who refused to surrender. "I mapped the posts and the enemies' strength in front of commanders and generals who came to the frontier when we quell Paraku,"he said. Nayau was on duty along the Indonesia-Malaysia's frontier between Sanggau and Sintang regencies. Even so, he also knew the ins and outs of another Indonesian's frontier in Bengkayang, Sambas and Kapuas Hulu.
Nayau's devotion resulted in several honors from headquarters of Indonesian National Army. In 1971, he was awarded the title of frontier warlords honorary rank of second lieutenant assistant before rising to the rank of the first lieutenant in 1983.
Civilian
Nayau is one example of nationalist civilians who ignores fear to serve Indonesia. Young Nayau who was uneducated worked hard. Several years before the coming of Japan, he worked in a plantation belonged to a Dutch. Nayau and the people who lived in the frontier did not really know when was Soekarno and Muhammad Hatta proclaimed the Indonesian's Independence in Jakarta. It was because Netherland and England were still on power at that time in Borneo. "After the second World War ended, I worked in a plantation in Malaysia. Most of us Indonesian, the community in the frontier, did not know if we were independent or not."
"I learned to read, write and count when I worked at the plantation. We did not have much money to study in the public school," he said. Meanwhile, Nayau also learned every things in the jungle. He studied the frontier which was under England (now is Malaysia's territory) and Netherland. It was this knowledge, that was not owned by others, that made him trusted to be the secret agent during the Indonesian's confrontation with Malaysia as well as during the crushing of Paraku-PGRS.
Riot
His name was again appeared into discussion when there was ethics riot in West Borneo on 1997. That riot in the name of Dayak ethnic and Maduranese was one of the dark side in the history of Indonesia. "I am Dayak, but I disagree to such violence," he said. He took important role in saving hundreds of Maduranese in Sanggau regency who were chased after some Dayaks. "We are all Indonesians. They are also our relatives," said Nayau. At that time, he brought the Maduranese who stayed around the frontier to retreated to the jungle.
"From Sanggau, I brought them to Sintang, and I guaranteed their safety. If there's anything happened to them, I would say that I am the one who will be responsible," stated Nayau. Other than protecting directly the Maduranese, he also played an important role in embracing the Dayak groups to make peace.
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