Co-ordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Puan Maharani, supported the studies done to propose the status of National Hero to Prof. Sardjito.
Minister Puan Maharani affirmed her support in a national seminar organised by UGM to submit the proposal of National Hero status granting to Prof. Dr. M. Sardjito, MPH., in Indonesia Kempinski Hotel, Jakarta, on Tuesday (27/2).
According to Minister Puan, the fight and sacrifice from Sardjito need to be appreciated and sustained. These also went along with the thoughts of President Soekarno who once said not to leave the history behind. “Let’s not become a nation that knows not of its heroes that already made services to the country,” she said.
She explained that apart from health area, Sardjito had a great role in Indonesia’s higher education development. When Bandung was set on fire during the independence war, Prof Sardjito secured the assets by moving the Pasteur Institute to Klaten, ignoring his own safety.
Prof Sardjito was also a man of culture. He presented the research on the reliefs of Borobudur Temple to an international congress in Manila in 1953 that opened the eyes of the world on the ancient Indonesian civilisation. In 1991 Borobudur was named as a world heritage.
“Sardjito had the dedication that was not selfish, but for the sake of science, society, state and nation. His great examples need to be followed by us the next generation,” said the Minister.