P

eople who do menial jobs are rarely recognized for the services they provide. But the Finnish government acknowledges the services of all kinds of people, including foreigners, who work for it.

Finnish Ambassador to Indonesia Kai Sauer honored on Friday two Indonesians with first class medals for their meritorious service to the Finnish government.

'Our government decided to award the Medal First Class with Golden Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland to Elizabeth De Lima and Agus Nurkarya for their long, dedicated and meritorious service to the Finnish government,' Ambassador Sauer told The Jakarta Post after presenting the medals at his residence.

Both Elizabeth and Agus have worked as local staff at the Embassy of Finland in Jakarta for a long time.

Established in 1919 by former Finnish president Karl Gustaf Mannerheim in his capacity as regent at the time, the Order of the White Rose of Finland is usually awarded to people for merit. There are eight classes in this order, the highest of which is the Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, which the Finnish president wears on a neck chain. Elizabeth and Agus received the seventh-highest order in the Order of the White Rose of Finland.

Elizabeth, who has worked at the embassy for 16 years, said she was extremely happy and thanked the ambassador for recommending that she receive this honor. 'It will motivate me to work even harder,' she said.

Agus, who has been working at the embassy for more than 30 years, voiced a similar view.

The medals do not provide any additional financial benefits to its recipients.

Finland is not the only country to recognize foreign staff working at its embassy. Last year, Argentine Ambassador Javier A. Sanz de Urquiza presented the Caballero title and the Orden de Mayo (Order of May) medal to three of his Indonesian office staff for their long and dedicated service to the Argentine government.

Many foreign embassies employ Indonesians on a contract basis and they can fire them at will. These contract employees are not entitled to promotions or other benefits on a par with regular employees.