We understand it’s easy to be cynical about the Indonesian government considering the widespread rampant corruption and general ineptitude of the people in charge. But sometimes, it’s worth putting cynicism aside and give credit where it’s due to public officials who go above and beyond their call of duty.
Solo Mayor F.X. Hadi Rudyatmo is one such official. Aside from having possibly the coolest name known to man, F.X. has recently kept the hopes and dreams of 90 students from private vocational high schools in his city alive by making sure they get their graduation certificates – with money out of his own pocket.
These students previously couldn’t receive their certificates (and thus officially graduate) because they all came from lower class families who couldn’t afford to fully pay their private school tuition fees. They finally received their certificates at Solo City Hall yesterday directly from the mayor himself after he had spent Rp 57.5 million to cover what all of the students owed.
“I didn’t use [money] from the Regional Budget. On average, [the students] owed Rp 4 to 5 million in tuition fees. Some hadn’t paid their tuition for three years,” said F.X., as quoted by Radar Solo yesterday.
Even though he clearly feels strongly about the cause of education, F.X. admitted that he couldn’t keep doing this every year and so he’s encouraging corporations to get involved as part of their corporate social responsibility programs.
Hats off to F.X. for his incrediblely selfless deed. While cynics may say that he’s only doing it for good press, we doubt that the 90 students whose futures are a lot brighter thanks to F.X. would care.
