By Ahmad Syafii Maarif
If Islamic Indonesian culture (Mandar, South Sulawesi) has born a Lopa or Professor Dr. Baharuddin Lopa (27 August 1935 – 31 July 2001) as a legal expert with a guts of an eagle, from Christian Indonesian culture (Saparua) also arise a Sahetapy or Professor Doctor Jacob Elfinus Sahetapy, SH, MA (born 6 June 1932).
Lopa who was younger has gone in his 66 year, while Sahetapy in his almost 80 year yet still persistently crashed all kinds of laws and political flaws until this second. Both of these legal experts were pious people according to their own religions. Today’s Resonance would like to focus on the sharp perspectives of this Indonesia’s born Saparua (Maluku) child.
Sahetapy was born from a mother named Constantina Athilda Tomasowa and a father named Aspenas Adrian Sahetapy. Both of them were teachers, but Sahetapy must experience broken home because his father and mother separated when he was too little to understand the divorce. He once wanted to be a priest, but was forbid by his mother.
Because he had to endure many kinds of obstacles such as Japanese troop landing in Indonesia on 1942, Sahetapy was able to finish his Public School (SR) on his age of 15. It was from his mother Sahetapy understood about nationalism and the meaning of grassroots advocacy. Thus, his mother’s role was so important to shape his character at the early age.
Obstacles on Sahetapy’s life journey were come and go. Because of South Maluku Republic (RMS) revolt, Sahetapy must leave his home to join his big brother, AJ Tuhusula Sahetapy, who stayed earlier in Surabaya. In this City of Heroes Sahetapy finished his education until he earned his bachelor’s degree in law at Gajah Mada University Faculty of Law, Surabaya which then became Airlangga University Faculty of Law.
When an offer for master’s degree in United States came to him, Sahetapy took this opportunity to study in Utah University in Salt Lake City, Utah, majoring business and industry relations. Came back from US he became unemployed because the left wing during the Guided Democracy (Demokrasi Terpimpin) (1959-1966) accused him as US agent, similar accusation also directed to many figures at that time.
After the storm gone, Sahetapy served as a lecture at his alma mater. On 1979 he even elected as the dean of Airlangga University Faculty of Law. A year before, in the same university, he succeeded on defended his dissertation with title Death Sentence for First Degree Murder.
Sahetapy had a bright career in law and politics, but above all, this friend of ours was a nation educator who was straight, consistent, and fearless on expressing his view and judgement. In the realm of bureaucratic he once assisted Governor Muhammad Noor in East Java’s Daily Government (Badan Pemerintah Harian).
In politics, he also served as a member of the House for Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). As a scholar he’s also been a visiting professor in Leiden and Leuven Catholic University, Belgium. His involvement in domestic law and social organizations were too long to list. Hence, recording is not necessary here. We go straight ahead on quoting and commenting his view about the conditions of nation, laws, and politics which were increasingly severe. Many people’s faces would go blushed by Sahetapy’s sharp statements, but of course it was the problem of the man who got shot, not the man who shoots.
(Indira Amaranti)
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