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'Putera-Puteri Bahari' award winners announced
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he Association of Indonesia’s Maritime Youngsters (Ikatan PPBI) held a Putera-Puteri Bahari Indonesia (a maritime contest for young men and women) in Jakarta from Dec. 4 to 9, which attracted 49 participants from all over Indonesia.
They took part in education and training activities at the education and training center (PUSDIKLAT) of the Finance Ministry’s tax directorate general in Jakarta. The participants were briefed about the concept of nationhood as well as maritime, entrepreneurship and political knowledge. After that they had to write a test, went through two interview sessions and a final selection process.
This year, the ministry held the contest in cooperation with the Indonesian Tourism Association and Dharma Ayu Bahari Jaya Foundation, which is Ikatan PPBI’s holding institution.
The contest’s goal is to help Indonesia become the global maritime axis by employing the best and brightest as maritime ambassadors.
After a tough selection process, Muhamad Afit Syahputra, 21, a law student at Sriwijaya University in South Sumatra and Ramadhanti, 18, a dentistry student at the University of Indonesia, who hails from West Nusa Tenggara, won the Putera-Puteri Bahari Indonesia 2018 award, beating 12 other couples to the punch.
All of the finalists expressed their readiness to raise awareness about Indonesia, which is the world’s largest archipelagic country, particularly among youngsters.
“Having a huge maritime potential, Indonesia can function as the global maritime axis. The annual competition will produce a generation that will contribute to the development of the Indonesian maritime sector,” Afit said.
Ikatan PPBI hopes that the Indonesian government will fully support the event as a way to strengthen unity and develop its maritime sector.
“Becoming a Puteri Bahari Indonesia award winner is a huge honor for me and I will help in the fight to develop Indonesia’s maritime sector, especially in increasing the number of tourists in this sector. It will need the support of Ikatan PPBI and all stakeholders, including the government, private sector and public,” Ramadhanti added.
Concurring with Ramadhanti, Afit said he was confident that with the help of Ikatan PPBI he would do his best to promote the maritime sector. “It is our duty as Indonesian citizens to maximize the use and protect the maritime potential for the welfare of the public,” he added.
Putera-Puteri Bahari Indonesia is committed to producing Indonesia’s best sons and daughters who are high achievers, active, productive, have a strong sense of nationalism and act as agents of change amid on-going modernization at a global level. As a country with a long history of being a maritime power, Indonesia should have no problem in reaching that heights again. (*)
