Leaders Who Serve

IL News 022/2017

In this seminar, participants were given a chance to meet up with some national leaders like Jakob Tobing, Maruarar Siahaan, Andreas Yewangoe and Maria Farida. These are leaders who have been known because of their contributions in Indonesia.

Jakob Tobing is one of those who have helped to work on the Amendment of the 1945 Constitution successfully. He gracefully led several leaders from different backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, religions, perspectives, etc to work together for the Amendment. This Amendment lead us into a new Indonesia and change the destiny of the nation. Mr. Tobing has always been trained to give his best in everything which was assigned to him. He was elected as a parliament member in a very young age. Yet he worked very hard and strive to build a good relationship with everyone. He was a responsible member and stayed peaceful with everyone. These two qualities led him to higher positions. People recognised his leadership and he didn’t have to pursue the positions.

Mr. Tobing is a familiar face on Television to talk about current issues in Indonesia. Maruarar Siahaan was one of the first judges who served in Indonesia Constitutional Court. Despite his position, Mr. Siahaan has been known as a humble person with good sense of humour. We can learn from his simplicity. He never considers others based on their social status. To him, everyone is equal: whether they are drivers or public figures. He can fit in well in any situation. His presence cheers the atmosphere and melts the ice.

Andreas Yewangoe has been known for his love for the nation. He cares about the country and always follows the political progress of the nation. Long before Joko Widodo came out on national arena, he has predicted and nominated Joko Widodo to be a candidate for Indonesia President. Apart from politic, he loves to read. For him, reading is a need. Even in his mature age, he never stops reading and is a prolific writer. You can find his writing in some leading newspapers in Indonesia. He has served as Chairperson of the National Council of Churches in Indonesia, the Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Council of Churches in Indonesia. Until today he remains active serving the country and has been selected to serve as a steering member of Unit Kerja Presiden Pembinaan Ideologi Pancasila (UKP PIP) ~ Presidential Working Unit on the Implementation of Pancasila.

Maria Farida is the only woman leader. She is also the only woman who has served as a Judge at the Constitutional Court for two terms. She dares to stand alone and to be different with the others. When they were handling the issue on child-marriages, she stood alone against the other 8 judges. She had a different opinion. She wanted to raise up the marital age. She is also a responsible mother. She handles both her work and her family responsibility well. She told the participants, “life may flow, but let’s let it flow to the right destiny.”