Dato Sri Tahir (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

The National Police have awarded prominent tycoon-turned-philanthropist Dato’ Sri Tahir the honorary Bintang Bhayangkara Nararya medal for his contribution to the corps.

The award was handed over by National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian during a ceremony on Wednesday in Jakarta.

Tito said the police recognized Tahir’s initiatives in rebuilding several police facilities across the country, including the police’s office in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), in August 2018 after it was damaged in the devastating Lombok earthquakes.

“We owe him so much,” Tito said in his speech.

Tito recalled a time when Tahir came to him and said the National Police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Learning Center in Watukosek on the outskirts of Surabaya, East Java, was in a terrible state. Tahir, who is a native of Surabaya, recalled playing there as a child.

“After he told me that the place was terrible, he said he wanted to rebuild it and he did,” Tito said.

Another example of Tahir’s contribution was when he, through the Tahir Foundation, provided 20 houses in July 2017 for the families of police officers who were killed in the line of duty, according to Tito.

“He [Tahir] told me that it would take too much time if we waited for funding from the state budget so, again, he took the initiative to build them,” Tito said.

These contributions led to Tahir being granted the highest recognition of honorary membership of Brimob last November.

On Wednesday, Tahir said the Bintang Bhayangkara Nararya was only the latest of his interactions with the police and there would many more in the future.

He described the police as the most important institution that business players relied on for support, and if the police could improve their service to the public it would eventually create a good business climate.

“The police contribution to businesspeople is amazing. Ranging from the Sabhara [regular beat] officers to those in the highest position. If they were not there, we could not do business,” Tahir said.

The founder of diversified conglomerate Mayapada Group is widely known as an active philanthropist, having been involved in a wide variety of social and public charities.

He has founded the Tahir Foundation through which he has disbursed millions of dollars for education, health and humanitarian causes.

Tahir also donated US$14 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2016 through the foundation to support education and facilities for refugee children.

Tahir, whose $3.5 billion fortune saw him named the fourth-richest man in Indonesia by Forbes magazine in March, has long called on his fellow tycoons to contribute more to the country’s development and prosperity. He has said that to give back was “a logical consequence” as the government supported businesspeople with facilities and infrastructure.

In August 2018, Tahir was awarded the Bintang Mahaputera Nararya medal, one of Indonesia’s highest civilian honors, for his outstanding achievements and contributions to the country and its citizens, by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in a ceremony at the State Palace. (ggq)

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