“The enemies now are poverty and ignorance. You cannot be stupid, you cannot be poor. That is what we are fighting against," the minister stated at the event "Strengthening Heroic Values Through Students" held at the Convention Building of the National Heroes' Cemetery (TMPNU) Kalibata, here, on Monday.
The minister told the students that she also harbored high aspirations for Indonesia.
Rismaharini cited some of her activities as an example of her unyielding spirit by working tirelessly, such as traveling for six hours from a work visit to Nganjuk District, East Java, Sunday, November 21, all the way to Banjarnegara District, Central Java, to review the impact of landslides.
The minister then spoke of having arrived in Jakarta at 4 a.m. local time for a visit to the Social Affairs Ministry's Office again and then headed to the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery for a dialog with students at the event.
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Risma encouraged the students while emphasizing that everyone had the right to succeed and had the same opportunity to achieve their goals.
The minister also recalled a difficult time while she was pursuing her education in the Netherlands when her laptop got infected with a virus.
Rismaharini had to persuade the campus guard to let her borrow a computer, so she could complete her assignment, without being allowed to turn on the heater in the winter.
Eventually, the minister did manage to become the best graduate in her campus with all the efforts she had made.
"Success depends on you yourself, not others," she affirmed.
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The minister also reminded the students that in the era of world openness, they face global competition and should not lose to others.
The event was attended by 200 students from elementary, junior high, and high schools in Jakarta, Tangerang, Bekasi, and Bandung.
The series of Heroes Day events was concluded with the awarding of prizes for scientific work competitions and dialogues with the social affairs minister.
The earlier series of events included visits to the tomb of first vice president Mohammad Hatta, Kalibata Main National Heroes Cemetery, as well as the Museum for the Formulation of the Proclamation Manuscript, the Sasmita Loka Ahmad Yani Museum, the AH Nasution Museum, and the Pancasila Sakti monument, followed by watching the documentary film of the November 10, 1945, meeting.
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Translator: Devi N S R, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
