But most notably he was among the gallery of fascinating personalities that emerged during Indonesia’s formative years to be simply remembered as the boy from Banda.

Des died in his sleep Friday morning at his home in Permata Hijau, South Jakarta, four days shy of his 83rd birthday as he was recovering from a heart operation.

He is survived by his two daughters, Mira Alwi and Tanya Alwi, as well as his son, Ramon Alwi.

His wife, Anna Marie Mambu, and first child, Karma Alwi, had passed away.

Born on Nov. 17, 1927, in the island of Banda Naira, Maluku, his grandfather, Said Badilaa, was a prominent pearl and nutmeg businessman.

It was this chance meeting on Banda shores in 1935 where he met with two giants of history — former vice president Mohammad Hatta and the nation’s first prime minister Sutan Sjahrir — living in exile.

The serendipitous meeting forever sealed the eight-year-old’s fate and infected him with a spirit of independence and constant curiosity to explore the frontiers of life.

As a teenager, he marched with compatriots in the battle for Surabaya, East Java, in 1945, and later moved to Yogyakarta where he worked at the Voice of Indonesia radio station.

Then, he went studied at King’s College in the UK where he met with future Malaysian political leaders, including Tun Abdul Razak.

Des served tenures as a diplomat in several embassies, including Bern, Vienna and Manila.

Although he shared Sukarno’s taste for life’s beauties, Des was quickly disillusioned with the grand leader’s  dictatorial tendencies. He controversially settled in Kuala Lumpur at the height of  Indonesia’s “Konfrontasi” with Malaysia where he engaged, using a pseudonym, in a broadcast to lambaste Sukarno.

But ultimately Des also played a role in easing political tensions between Indonesia and Malaysia in the 1960s by approaching then Malaysian prime minister Tun Abdul Razak.

In the 1970s, Des developed an interest in documentary films when he made a film about Hatta. The filming process inspired him to not only collect, but also make several documentaries.

He also directed movies such as Tanah Gersang (Barren Land) in 1972, Cucu (Grandchild) and a comedy about espionage 0013 in 1973.

In the latter stages of his life, he focused much attention and personal investment on his beloved Banda. Des managed a hotel and resort in Banda Naira, with a guest list featuring the late Princess Diana, rock star Mick Jagger and Sarah Ferguson.

This passion for home motivated Des to release a book on the history of Maluku and Banda Naira, which was published to great acclaim. (JP/gzl)

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