DEDICATION TO MY COUNTRY

                                                 

                                                                               Flobamora (Flores, Sumba, Timor, Alor)

The first thing cross to my mind is Jon F.Kennedy quote said : "Ask not what country can do for you -ask what you  can do for your country". I write this topic just to tell my children and all my grandchildren that their father or grandfather share his dedication to his beloved country, Indonesia.

My first Branch, Atambua


Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Bank BRI) where I am working for 21 years, was a State own Bank, its main missions were to finance agricultural sectors and and small scale business in rural areas. 
 
In Soeharto era the first priority programs were to increase rice production to a level of self supporting with zero import. For this goals Government introduced a new program called BIMAS, Bimbingan Massal or Mass qiudance, where BRI and me highly involved. In 1998, President Soeharto awarded certificate of WHO in Rome, Italy of Indonesia succesed in self supporting in rice production.

In my first involvement in this program started at Head Office, Jakarta in BIMAS Department in setting the policies. And most of the time were in the fields, in the Branches from Subang, Bekasi, West Java, Kebumen and Kudus in Central Java,  Kupang and Atambua in East Nusantara Timur province..

After transferred to Head office back 10 years later, my main functions were managed up to 1.200 Bank BRI Unit offices all over the country, mostly in computerized. I was assigned as a Project manager.from scratch in order to enable BRI created an efficient services to mass costumers and be a solid barrier to protected another Banks to enter the rural areas. Starting from scratch in program/software development and starting from one single Pilot project at Cibinong, Bogor branch, West Java.

Here is a memory will never out of my mind in the rest of my life, interesting and funny as well. Can you imagine, in every meeting the District head (Bupati) asked me to stand up in front of a Black board, writing the list of Villages related to BIMAS loan numbers.

While standing, he introducing my strange name. "His name is Situmeang", he said my family name.The crowded laughing instantly to memorize it. To make it easier to their ears the name was cuted in two words, Situ and Meang. In local Sundanese language Situ mean Pond and Meong is Cat. Situmeang means Pond's Cat. Until then, most of the Village's head in Subang districts familiar with this strange name.

The second memories was  in seted up hundreds of a new Bank BRI  Unit offices in remote island, Sub districts of East Nusatenggara Province. We delighted to got a licenses  from Central Bank, Bank Indonesia Denpasar, Bali branch  including the costs subsidized the new office Buildings and office supplies.

Now, if you happened visit Sub Districts in this province, just named  it. Some of them went through my hands, from licenses application, requesting Logistic, Hardware, supplies till to initiating opeartion.

Governor Ben Mboy in corn harvest time 1983
in Betun Sub District, Atambua


Another dedication, when my Branch office involved in Lorosae program in 1983 to finance growing "corn seed" for whole districts in this province for the next season, 1984

Mr.Martono, BRI Regional manager send a letter to BRI head office to reward me for succed the Lorosae program. We managed to collect 100% of corn seed loan on time, soon after the harvest done.

A new Bank BRI at Maliana, East Timor.

Another unique experiences that not every body had the opportunity was to make a good business relationship with residents and Government of East Timor, now Timor Leste country, neigbourg district in east of Atambua.

I was assigned to set up a new Bank BRI unit in small town of Maliana, Bobonaro district, in my supervision. In right foto, District head dedicated the new office by open a curtain of BRI name board.

In the same period of time I accompanied my superior, Mr.Martono to contacted military authority to get a permit  to open up a new BRI  Bank branch in Dilli, capital city of East Timor, after Bank Indonesia and Bank Dagang Negara.

To do the job done, regularly I went to Maliana through dusting road and cross wide river without bridge while took a lot of cash supply for the Bank in a situation between war and peace.

These stories mostly in eastern part of Indonesia for 5 years or more, beyond the other duties in Java island and Head office that will write in another topics. In total I had spend 21 years services in Bank BRI as my duty, dedication and love my country.