Say what you like about the people who run our government, but few Indonesians would have negative things to say about our minister of maritime affairs and fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti. Susi, a high school dropout without any previous political experience was tapped by outside President Joko Widodo to lead the country’s battle against fish piracy and in so doing has become one of Indonesia’s most beloved and trusted leaders.
Recently, netizens have been fawning over photos of Susi chilling atop her domain – the open water. In these photos, which were shared via her Twitter account, Susi showed that rock stars and models don’t have a monopoly on looking nonchalantly cool AF:
— Susi Pudjiastuti (@susipudjiastuti) March 12, 2017
But she’s not all about life’s simple pleasures (smoking and drinking coffee while floating at sea is as pleasurable as life gets, in many Indonesians’ opinion) – she also showed that she is quite an adept standup paddleboarder:
— Susi Pudjiastuti (@susipudjiastuti) March 12, 2017
bu menkes lebih suka yg satu ini pic.twitter.com/myLkgqJL14
— Susi Pudjiastuti (@susipudjiastuti) March 12, 2017
These photos seem to serve an underlying message by Susi, one that reiterates her commitment to protecting Indonesian waters and serve the Indonesian people.
Lebih kencang lagi menjaga Laut untuk Masa Depan Bangsa. Ocean is my real home. Passion, love, commitment👍👍🇲🇨🇲🇨💪💪
— Susi Pudjiastuti (@susipudjiastuti) March 13, 2017
Let’s go even faster to protect the sea for the nation’s future. The ocean is my real home. Passion, love, commitment.
Susi Pudjiastuti is quite an unconventional politician. While others do their best to maintain a clean, conservative image in public, Susi doesn’t seem to mind showing the people she serves her true self even if it might offend some Indonesians’ sensibilities. She doesn’t hide the fact that she smokes, she has tattoos, that she’s a divorcee, but she still commands respect because she is known for being fiercely independent and a completely self-made entrepreneur.
It’s her honesty, and her proven ability to do her job well, that has the general public adoring Susi. In fact, Susi had the highest approval rating among Jokowi’s ministers in a 2015 survey.
And when one of the things she’s most famous for is blowing up foreign vessels found illegally fishing in Indonesian waters, we can’t think of a cooler and more bad-ass minister than Susi Pudjiastuti.
