Pastika's mother dies at 89

Luh De Suryani, ,  The Jakarta Post, ,  Denpasar   |  Mon, 02/09/2009 5:13 PM  |  Bali

Ni Nyoman Kinten, mother of Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, died of a heart attack at Sanglah Hospital on Saturday morning.

Ken Wirasandhi, head of medical services at Sanglah, said Kinten had been admitted to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit on Friday evening, but her condition continued to deteriorate.

"Maybe it was just her time. Our deepest condolences to Governor Mangku Pastika's family," Ken said.

Her body has been transported back to her home in Petemon village in the Seriring District, Buleleng.

I Putu Suardika, head of the Bali government's public relations division, said Pastika and her family would be receiving condolences at Kinten's home on Feb. 11 and 12.

He said preparations for the Ngaben *funeral ritual* had begun and that the ceremony would be held on Feb. 13, 2009.

"The ritual of her final respects to the ancestors will be held in the Petemon village in the Seriring District in Buleleng, about 80 kilometers northwest of Denpasar," Suardika said. A number of officials have sent condolences along with flower arrangements to her home.

Among them was Commander of Udayana Military Command Maj. Gen. Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan, who praised Kinten for successfully raising Pastika.

"I pray that his mother will be accepted at God's side and those that she left will be given the strength to pass through this ordeal," he said.

Pastika is the second of six of Kinten and I Ketut Meneng's children. During the celebration of Pastika's 57th birthday, Pastika referred to her mother as "Supermom".

On his website, he told of the heroic struggle of his mother, who bore him alone without the aid of a midwife or doctor. Kinten decided to have Pastika all on her own because she was apparently angry at her husband during the time of her pregnancy. He said Kinten had prepared hot water and ngad (a bamboo knife) for the delivery.

He said his mother held on to sheets tied to a wooden plank from the ceiling of her home. He said she squatted, courageously endured the pain and brought Pastika into the world. "After I was born, meme (Balinese for mom) cleaned off all the blood on me and used the ngad to cut my umbilical cord, and then she passed me over to my grandfather," Pastika said.

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