Laurentius Say

Laurentius Say (2 February 1924 – 25 July 2007) was an Indonesian politician. He served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1982, and was previously regent of Sikka Regency in East Nusa Tenggara between 1967 and 1977. Having studied in Java and being a Republican fighter during the Indonesian National Revolution, Say previously worked and led a government-owned copra cooperative operating in Flores before his appointment as regent.

Early life Laurentius Say was born on 2 February 1924 at the village of Uma Uta-Bola, southeast of the town of Maumere in Sikka. His father was a well-off coconut planter, and Say initially studied at an elementary school in Ende. After graduating, Say was sent to Malang in Java for further studies. During the Indonesian National Revolution, Say would join the fledgling Indonesian Army and fought in the conflict, going to Makassar to study agriculture after its conclusion. He briefly took an economics course in the United Kingdom to study the economics of copra.

During the 1971 Indonesian legislative election, Say, like other regional leaders, received an explicit instruction from the Suharto government in Jakarta to campaign and push for Golkar's victory by any means necessary. Say, likely due to his close personal connection with Catholic Party leaders such as Ben Mang Reng Say (his brother) and Frans Seda, opted against doing so and allowed all parties to campaign normally, and ordered the disposal of pre-voted ballots. The Catholic Party won the election in Sikka – the only region of Flores where it did so. Say was later reportedly scolded by Ali Murtopo, but Murtopo relented after a phone call with Seda. Despite expectations from local Golkar functionaries, with one claiming he would "run around town naked" if Say survived two terms, Say managed to secure a second term.

Later life After his DPR term, Say returned to Sikka where he largely stayed for the rest of his life. He continued to work with Seda, in one occasion persuading Seda to drop his ownership of a company which was granted monopoly rights on tourism in Maumere Bay. Say remained active during major events at Maumere, including Pope John Paul II's visit in 1989 and relief efforts following the 1992 earthquake and tsunami. He died on 25 July 2007, and was buried in Maumere.

Maumere's seaport was renamed after him in 2010. Say's son Fransiskus Stephanus Say became active in Sikka's local politics.