Leading oil figure Julius Tahija dies
\n
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Julius Tahija, a leading figure in the country's oil and
\nbanking sector, died on Tuesday morning at the MMC Kuningan
\nhospital at the age of 86.<\/p>\n
Julius will be buried on Thursday in the family plot in Tugu,
\nPuncak district, West Java, adjacent to his Australian wife Jean,
\nwho died in June last year, according to his youngest son Sjakon
\nG. Tahija.<\/p>\n
Sjakon told The Jakarta Post that his father had been
\nreceiving medical treatment for a month before passing away.<\/p>\n
\"Since mom died a year ago, he appeared to have lost the will
\nto live and was often sick. Before his death, he told us he
\nwanted to see mom,\" Sjakon said.<\/p>\n
Several noted figures, including state oil and gas company
\nPertamina's president Baihaki Hakim and former minister Emil
\nSalim paid homage to the deceased on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Julius was survived by Sjakon, who followed in the footsteps
\nof his mother by becoming a doctor, and eldest son George S.
\nTahija, who took after his father by becoming a businessman.
\nGeorge is now the president of mining firm PT Austindo Nusantara
\nJaya, which holds several mining concessions in the country.<\/p>\n
In the first years of his adulthood, Julius was involved in
\npolitics and military activities, and made a name for himself in
\nboth. For his bravery in the fight against the Japanese during
\nWorld War II, he was granted a top Dutch military honor, and he
\nserved as a minister in the East Indonesia federal state after
\nIndonesia gained independence in 1945.<\/p>\n
But, Indonesia remembers him not because of his political and
\nmilitary career, but his achievements in business.<\/p>\n
In 1951, Julius quit politics and joined American oil and gas
\ncompany PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia. He became the first
\nIndonesian to lead a multinational company operating here when
\nthe country's largest oil producer appointed him chairman of the
\nboard of the directors in 1966.<\/p>\n
He is also known as the former majority shareholder of Bank
\nNiaga, which was one of the country's best run banks when the
\nTahija family sold their stake to the Sumitro Djojohadikusumo
\nfamily before the economic crisis in 1997.<\/p>\n
Above all, Julius gained respect from many parties for his low
\nprofile and integrity in doing business, which was in contrast to
\nthe many tycoons who dominated the country's economy during the
\nSoeharto era. While many businessmen then sought to profit from
\ntheir connections with the palace and aggressively expand their
\nbusinesses, Julius maintained his focus on the banking sector,
\nand continued to prudently manage Bank Niaga.<\/p>\n
While all the politically-linked conglomerates collapsed in
\nthe wake of the economic crisis, the business of the Tahijas is
\namong the few large businesses from the Soeharto era that has
\nbeen able to survive and even continue to prosper.<\/p>\n
Julius, who was born in Surabaya, East Java, to an Ambonese
\nfamily confessed in his English biography \"Horizon Beyond\",
\npublished in 1995, that he had loved business from childhood, and
\nhad learned much from a childhood friend of Chinese descent.<\/p>\n
On many occasions, he voiced admiration for the Chinese way of
\ndoing business.<\/p>\n
\"The main assets of the Chinese are loyalty and togetherness.
\nThese feelings go beyond family ties. Once you gain their trust,
\nthey will help and support you on all occasions. Once you cheat
\non them, you'll never regain their trust. You'll become an
\noutcast,\" Julius said in an interview with the Kompas daily in
\n1995.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/leading-oil-figure-julius-tahija-dies-1447893297",
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