The Minister of Transportation of Indonesia, Budi Karya Sumadi, delivered a public lecture to 1,803 new UGM Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM) students on Thursday (Aug. 1) at the SGLC Building courtyard, FT UGM.
In his address to the new students, Minister Sumadi emphasized the importance of gaining as much experience as possible during their time at UGM.
“Experience is both capital and a form of resilience. Those of you who are privileged, shed that privilege, immerse yourselves, and socialize with the community in Jogja because that’s where you will gain valuable experiences when you compete nationally and internationally,” Minister Sumadi said.
Seeing the new engineering students, the minister reminisced about his own days as a new student in the Architecture program at UGM in 1976. During his studies, he was actively involved in various activities, including seeking sponsorship funds in Jakarta, producing a magazine, and even helping to build houses for people without housing.
“Those experiences were very memorable, and if I look back, I come from a humble family,” he explained.
He shared that he is a Pujakusuma, a Javanese-born in Sumatra. In 1976, he ventured from Palembang to Yogyakarta. The journey took two days, with him traveling by train, boat, and then train again, carrying only a backpack.
He candidly shared that he was physically thin back then. Despite this, he proudly wore the UGM alma mater jacket and, with his slender physique, was appointed as the flag raiser during the university’s orientation program.
“From this, I learned that Javanese people love to appreciate others. The philosophy is profound; it makes us better and extraordinary people. Once again, this is important; appreciating others is a Javanese wisdom I learned. I became the flag raiser from Sumatra and was very proud to be a UGM student,” he said.
After graduating from UGM’s Architecture program in 1981, Minister Sumadi pursued a diverse career. One of his notable achievements was being appointed President Director of PT Taman Impian Jaya Ancol. In 2016, President Jokowi appointed him as the Minister of Transportation.
He says collaboration and appreciating others have provided significant meaning throughout his career. The 2015 Breksit transportation accident further propelled his career.
With these two principles, he found solutions for the three-day massive traffic congestion at Breksit. The success was due to cooperation and collaboration.
“The concept involves cooperation and appreciation. We respected all stakeholders and invited all players to collaborate. For example, if the police took the lead in the field, we just followed. Therefore, I urge the new UGM students to learn and internalize the philosophy of appreciating others,” he advised.
At the end of his speech, he encouraged the new engineering students at UGM always to be grateful, as this would help them emotionally and psychologically appreciate what they have achieved.
“By being grateful, you will develop better and more innovative acting methods. Socialize. Being smart is important, but it will be complete if you have much experience. I am confident you can become prominent people in this country,” he concluded.
On this occasion, Minister Sumadi, Dean of FT UGM Professor Selo, and Onny Henro Adhiaksono, an alumnus of Civil Engineering 1978, distributed 1,803 tumblers to the new engineering students.
This initiative was part of FT UGM’s environmental efforts to reduce plastic beverage packaging.
“The distribution of these tumblers is a step taken by the faculty so that the tumblers can be used by students during their activities on campus, helping us reduce plastic waste,” said the dean.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photographer: Firsto