Yulius Selvanus

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Yulius Selvanus
Official portrait, 2025
Governor of North Sulawesi
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 February 2025
Preceded byOlly Dondokambey
Personal details
Born (1963-09-17) 17 September 1963 (age 61)
Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
Political partyGerindra
SpouseAnik Fitri Wandriani
Parents
  • Daud Lumbaa (father)
  • Gysye Komaling (mother)
Military service
Branch/serviceIndonesian Army
Years of service1988–2021
RankMajor general

Yulius Selvanus (born 17 September 1963) is an Indonesian politician and former military officer who is the governor of North Sulawesi, serving since February 2025. He is a member of the Gerindra Party, and was part of the Kopassus special forces unit for most of his time in the Indonesian Army. He held the rank of major general upon his retirement from active service in 2021.

Graduating from the Indonesian Military Academy in 1988, Yulius joined the Kopassus special forces. He was part of Tim Mawar, a group of Kopassus soldiers assigned to kidnap democracy activists in 1997–1998. He was imprisoned for 20 months in military prison for his involvement in the kidnappings, but returned to Kopassus afterwards and rose through the ranks. Eventually, he reached the rank of major general before his retirement in 2021. He then joined former Kopassus commander Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party, and was elected governor of North Sulawesi in 2024.

Early life

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Yulius Selvanus was born in Semarang on 17 September 1963.[1] His father, Daud Lumbaa, is of Torajan descent and had served in the Indonesian Air Force, while his mother Gysye Komaling worked as a nurse and originated from Minahasa in North Sulawesi.[2] Yulius would use his parents' clan names (i.e. Lumbaa and Komaling) as part of his "personal branding".[3] He spent his childhood at the town of Cepu, Blora.[4] Yulius enrolled at the Indonesian Military Academy, graduating as part of the infantry branch in 1988.[5]

Career

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Military

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Yulius joined the Kopassus special forces. During the Asian financial crisis and the protests in the late 1990s, he was assigned to a small team of 11 Kopassus soldiers, known as Tim Mawar ("Team Rose"), which was ordered to kidnap activists.[6] In a later statement, Yulius claimed that his actions as part of Tim Mawar was to "defend the dignity of the President".[7] Following the fall of Suharto, Yulius (ranked captain) was put on military trial for his involvement in Tim Mawar, and in April 1999 was sentenced to 20 months in jail. He was also dismissed from his post in the armed forces.[8] Following an appeal to the Supreme Military Court, his prison sentence was upheld, but his dismissal was overturned and he remained in service after his release. He was imprisoned at the Cimahi military prison.[9]

By 2002, Yulius had returned to Kopassus and received a promotion to major.[9] Yulius continued to the Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College (Seskoad), graduating in 2004, and by 2009 he was deputy commander of a Kopassus unit in Serang.[10] By 2011, Yulius was a colonel, and was involved in suppressing a labor protest at the Grasberg mine.[9] A clash ensued between the protesters and security forces (mostly Indonesian Police), resulting in the deaths of two protesters.[11] In 2016, he was assigned to head the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency in the Riau Islands, and was promoted to brigadier general. This appointment led to criticism from KontraS' Haris Azhar.[12] He then became commander of the Sorong military area in 2019.[13]

Then-Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto (Kopassus commander during the kidnappings) would provide a recommendation letter for Yulius in 2020, which resulted in President Joko Widodo assigning Yulius as head of the strategic installations agency within the Ministry of Defence. Yulius's appointment resulted in widespread criticism from human rights activists.[14][15] This appointment also resulted in Yulius being promoted to major general.[16] Yulius retired from the Army on 1 October 2021, and was appointed as a special assistant to the Minister of Defence five days later.[17]

Governor

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In 2024, Prabowo Subianto's party Gerindra endorsed Yulius to run in the 2024 North Sulawesi gubernatorial election. He was further backed by a coalition of other nine parties, including Nasdem, PKB, and PAN.[18] Nasdem politician and provincial legislator Victor Mailangkay [id] was his running mate.[19] In the ensuing three-way race, Yulius won 539,039 votes (36.9%), defeating PDI-P candidate Steven Kandouw [id]. North Sulawesi had previously been considered a PDI-P stronghold.[20][21] Yulius and Mailangkay were sworn in, along with most other regional leaders elected in 2024, on 20 February 2025.[22]

As governor, Selvanus pushed for the opening of a flight route from Manado to Tana Toraja to boost tourism.[23] He also promoted a Pekarangan farming program to boost local food self-suffiency.[24]

Personal life

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He is married to Anik Fitri Wandriani,[4] and the couple has three sons.[25] Anik is listed as president for the security company PT Mawar Sebelas (Mawar 11), and also operates a health clinic.[9] Their eldest son, Standius Bara Prima Lumbaa, ran for a seat in the Banten Regional House of Representatives as a Gerindra candidate in 2024, but was not elected.[26][27] Yulius is also active in chess organizations, being deputy chairman of the Indonesian Chess Federation and sponsoring the chess tournament Mawar 11 Cup.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Mayjen TNI (Purn) Yulius Selvanus, SE" (PDF) (in Indonesian). General Elections Commission. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  2. ^ Tobing, Ridho L. (27 January 2025). "Hadiri Natal Kerukunan Keluarga Toraja Sulut, Yulius Selvanus: "Dimana Bumi Dipijak Disitu Langit Dijunjung"". sudara.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Jawaban Yulius Komaling Soal Marganya : Mau Pakai Lumbaa Atau Komaling Itu Personal Branding Saya". Tribun Manado (in Indonesian). 16 September 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Penuh Haru, Momen Yulius Selvanus Pulang di Rumah Masa Kecil, Tunjukkan Foto Ayah dan Ibu Tercinta". Berita Manado (in Indonesian). 23 January 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Abituren Akmil 1988" (PDF) (in Indonesian). Indonesian Army. p. 3. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Diduga Terlibat Kerusuhan 22 Mei, Begini Sejarah Tim Mawar". Asumsi.co (in Indonesian). 14 June 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Cerita Yulius Komaling Jadi Anggota Tim Mawar 1998, Tidak Usah Diperuncing". Tribun Manado (in Indonesian). 16 September 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Anggota Tim Mawar Dihukum dan Dipecat". Kompas. 7 April 1999. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d "Profil Yulius Selvanus Lumbaa". tirto.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Melacak Tim Mawar". IndoPROGRESS (in Indonesian). 27 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Demo Karyawan Freeport Rusuh: Dua Tewas & Belasan Terluka". Deutsche Welle (in Indonesian). 10 October 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Menculik Aktivis 97/98 - Cara Jitu Meningkatkan Karier Serdadu!" (in Indonesian). KontraS. 23 January 2016. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  13. ^ Purba, Hotbert (6 December 2019). "Brigjen TNI Yulius Selvanus Jadi Danrem 181/PVT Jajaran Kodam XVIII Kasuari • Metro Times News". Metro Times News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  14. ^ Renyaan, Hasan; Lailossa, Pier A. L.; Budiman, Arif (31 July 2023). Tatanan yang Dirindukan (in Indonesian). JSI Press. pp. 22–26. ISBN 978-623-360-325-6.
  15. ^ "Polemik Eks Anggota Tim Mawar, Presiden Jokowi Diminta Batalkan Keppres 166". Berita Satu (in Indonesian). 27 September 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  16. ^ Retaduari, Elza Astari (21 October 2020). "Jadi Anak Buah Prabowo, 2 Eks Anggota Tim Mawar Naik Pangkat Jadi Mayjen". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  17. ^ a b Sanding, Muhammad (5 May 2023). "Yulius Selvanus Lumbaa Komaling, Dari Catur Hingga Politik". Indowork.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  18. ^ "YSK Calon Gubernur Usungan Gerindra Didukung 10 Partai dan Relawan". RRI.co.id (in Indonesian). 17 July 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Profil Victor Mailangkay, calon wakil gubernur Sulawesi Utara 2024". Antara News (in Indonesian). 5 September 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  20. ^ "KPU Sulut tetapkan paslon Yulius - Victor menang Pilkada 2024". Antara News (in Indonesian). 7 December 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Pilkada Serentak 2024: Akankah PDI-P Mencatatkan "Hattrick" di Sulawesi Utara?". Kompas (in Indonesian). 1 September 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Prabowo Subianto Lantik Yulius Selvanus dan Victor Mailangkay". RRI.co.id (in Indonesian). 20 February 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  23. ^ "BMI Apresiasi Program Brilian Gubernur Yulius Selvanus Buka Jalur Penerbangan Manado – Toraja". BeritaManado.com (in Indonesian). 3 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  24. ^ "HKTI Sulut Dukung Program Yulius Selvanus, Manfaatkan Pekarangan Untuk Ketahanan Pangan Keluarga". BeritaManado.com (in Indonesian). 11 June 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  25. ^ "First Lady Sulawesi Utara Anik Wandriani,Tiang Doa Dalam Keluarga". indopost.co.id (in Indonesian). 10 December 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Lagi, Oknum 'Kurang Jelas' Catut Nama Anak YSK". sudara.id (in Indonesian). 30 January 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  27. ^ "HITUNG SUARA PEMILIHAN UMUM DEWAN PERWAKILAN RAKYAT DAERAH PROVINSI BANTEN TAHUN 2024 DAERAH PEMILIHAN BANTEN 1". lezen.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 May 2025.