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Don't call me 'Mbak': Puan
Newly inaugurated Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani has asked that she be addressed as Ibu (maâam) instead of Mbak (sister) now that she is a public official
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ewly inaugurated Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani has asked that she be addressed as Ibu (ma'am) instead of Mbak (sister) now that she is a public official.
'People have been calling me Mbak, which gives the impression that I am very young. I would like government officials to call me Ibu,' Puan said as quoted by tribunnews.com on Tuesday.
Puan insisted that although she was the youngest member of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's Cabinet, she was not without accomplishment.
'Young people can also achieve a lot. The most important thing is that we are working to develop the nation,' said Puan, who was born on Sept. 6, 1973.
Observers have suggested that Puan's appointment was solely aimed at pleasing her mother, Indonesian Democratic of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla has rebuffed these allegations, insisting that Puan was given the job of coordinating human development and culture minister because she was considered to be adept at managing bureaucracy.
