Yohanna - JP/Dhoni

Following the sad news of the passing of The Jakarta Post senior journalist Yohanna Constance Ririhena close to midnight Thursday, on Friday a crumpled blue shawl and a mug were still on her messy desk, witnesses to her routine like everyone else on the often-freezing second floor of the office.

The 51-year-old died around 11:45 p.m., which doctors at St. Carolus Hospital attributed to a brain hemorrhage, leaving an only son, Gunar Kasim, a recent high-school graduate and husband Ifdhal Kasim, a former chairman of the national rights body.

Shocked and grieving colleagues refrained from touching anything on her desk, including reminders of the Post’s style in spelling “Quran” and “Ramadhan” on her computer and a picture of her smiling with fellow employee Karyadi at his child’s wedding.

At the family home in Depok, a relative said she had recently berated Ifdhal, who had only recently joined the presidential staff, for failing to stop President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to stop the next round of executions — which took place around an hour after she passed away.

Her last article was published Tuesday--her appeal to “stop capital punishment now.” Fully aware of the aspirations of our leaders and diplomats to “Indonesia’s rise as a global player”, she wrote: “What a contradiction [...] we are working hard to gain global status but do not care about our own record at home.”

She was last deputy to Novan Iman Santosa on the world desk, where she was referred to as their mentor among colleagues, particularly on international affairs, and a bridge to high level contacts in the foreign affairs community and international organizations.

“She was the kind of editor who always encourages, challenges and motivates coworkers with high respect,” said her former deputy, Dicky Christanto.

In reflection of her meticulous style another colleague who with Yohanna earlier worked at the Suara Pembaruan daily, Elly B. Faizal, quoted Yohanna as saying, “You should read your piece carefully, checking its accuracy […] people may bully you for working very, very slowly. But with an accurate and reliable story, all of those bullies will mean nothing.”

When colleague Ridwan M. Sijabat returned to work after his wife passed away last September, the emphatic Yohanna saw his listless figure and asked him to pray together; she said she had neither quite recovered after the recent death of her mother. Ridwan said Yohanna “was proud of her Muslim husband, and always upheld religious tolerance” despite their differing faiths.

Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir and former foreign minister Marty Natalegawa were among those who conveyed condolences to Yohanna’s family. Former Post chief editor Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, a long time fellow reporter in foreign affairs, said Yohanna was “a good friend, a good journalist who left goodness in the world.”

Colleague Tertiani Simandjuntak, the Post’s chairperson of its Employees’ Council, said Yohanna “was our big sister who greeted everyone passing her workstation, asking how our kids were doing and sharing whatever food she brought”. “Kak Yo was the one behind the regular potluck dinners […] who initiated the collection of donations for outsourced workers ineligible for the Idul Fitri bonus.

“She was the glue” of the editorial team, “two or more of us would gather by her desk munching snacks while pulling each other’s legs a few hours before deadline,” Tertiani wrote.

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