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A peek into the life and times of Utomo Josodirdjo
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Leaving a mark: Utomo Josodirdjo signs a banner featuring his biography cover (ZigZag Indonesia/-)
O
ne of Indonesia’s most venerated figures in accounting, Utomo Josodirdjo, celebrated his 90th birthday with the launch of two memoirs commemorating his journey in creating the country’s largest accounting firm SGV Utomo.
A week after his birthday on Jan. 1, Utomo gathered his closest friends and family at the Fairmont Jakarta for a luncheon and launch of his memoir, A Journey Through Time: The Memoir of Utomo Josodirdjo.
Written by former Kompas Gramedia CEO Agung Adiprasetyo and former Kompas daily journalist Maria Hartiningsih, the memoir traces Utomo’s journey from his childhood in Malang, East Java to finding purpose through humanitarian aid with evangelical Christian NGO World Vision International (WVI).
Born Liem King Hok on Jan. 1, 1930, King Hok grew up in the middle of World War II, with memories of visiting his father Liem Hwai Tjioe during the latter’s incarceration by the Japanese forces for association with the Dutch.
After the incarceration, King Hok’s mother Anna Bong entered a period of sickness. His elder brother Harry Liem, who was conscripted into the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL), was sent to Japan to undergo forced labor.
During the Japanese occupation, the teenage King Hok made ends meet by selling pastel after class was over. His elder sister Sianne Liem made the pastel, which King Hok would carry in a tin as he rode through Malang.
