Mooryati, never too old to study<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Every time King Paku Buwono XII of Surakarta celebrates his
\nascension to the throne, this woman will always be present in the
\npalace, seated in the very front row among the consorts.<\/p>\n
In the center of feudalism like the Surakarta palace, the
\nsocial status of a guest is immediately apparent by where she or
\nhe is seated.<\/p>\n
Mooryati Soedibyo will always be among the kings's concubines
\nin the palace's formal functions. So there is no question about
\nher friendship with the king.<\/p>\n
Mooryati, who has the royal title \"Bendara Raden Ayu (BRA)\" is
\nan entrepreneur and the president director of PT Mustika Ratu,
\none of Indonesia's jamu (herbal medicine) makers.<\/p>\n
She is one of the grandchildren of King Paku Buwono X and was
\nonce betrothed to Paku Buwono XII.<\/p>\n
\"When I was young, I was once proposed to by Sinuwun (Paku
\nBuwono XII) but after some time I returned everything connected
\nwith this marriage proposal. If I had married the sultan and
\nbecome his queen then, I would not be what I am now. Surely, I
\nwouldn't be able to run a business or even go to lectures again,\"
\nshe said in an interview with The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Of late, at close to 75 years of age, she often commutes
\nbetween Jakarta and Surakarta to attend lectures at Sebelas Maret
\nUniversity in the old city.<\/p>\n
\"For the past two years, I have taken lectures at the
\nuniversity for my master's degree. I've almost completed my
\nthesis. I need only the signature of one of my supervisors. I've
\ncommuted between Jakarta and Surakarta for thesis guidance.<\/p>\n
\"I'm not ashamed about my age. I now have the time to study at
\nthe university, so why be shy? Learning knows no age limit, you
\nsee? If you are mentally active, you will remain healthy and feel
\nencouraged to make progress,\" she says.<\/p>\n
The 200-page thesis that she will have to defend late this
\nyear is titled \"Fifty Effective Tricks to Maintain Your
\nCustomers\". It is an analysis of a number of English books on
\ntricks introduced by the world's most successful figure heads and
\nbusinesspeople.<\/p>\n
\"I enjoyed working on this thesis very much. The content is
\nclosely related with my business. Effective tricks from the
\nworld's leaders may be applied here and some are exactly the same
\nas the way we do business here. In fact, these tricks are no big
\ndeal. They are just small things that usually escape our
\nattention.\"<\/p>\n
Among her employees, the food supplement and natural cosmetics
\nindustrialist is known to have a great concern with details. She
\nobserves minute things that usually escape people's attention and
\nacts like a sales promotion girl and often does not hesitate to
\nact as a spearhead in the marketing field.<\/p>\n
When recently PT Mustika Ratu introduced various traditional
\ndrink products to hotel owners in Surakarta, she took this job
\nupon herself, explaining from memory various traditional drinks
\nfrom Indonesia, including the mixture of rice and greater
\ngalingale, tamarind and palm sugar, or coffee mixed with ginger.<\/p>\n
She began her career in 1973 as a vendor of Javanese
\ntraditional herbal medicines, such as the mixture of rice and
\ngreater galingale, in limited quantities at her home. She bottled
\nthis traditional herbal medicine and sold it to athletes in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
She started her business as a home industry with two workers
\nbut it has now developed into a fully fledged business employing
\n3,600 people.<\/p>\n
At first she produced only a few bottles of the traditional
\nrice and greater galingale concoction but now her industry
\nproduces 1,000 products, comprising traditional herbal medicine
\nand cosmetics. The products have been exported to Europe, Japan,
\nRussia and other Asian countries.<\/p>\n
Her obsession is to introduce Indonesia's traditional herbal
\nmedicines to the entire world. Why the Indonesian herbal
\nmedicines, not the Javanese concoctions?<\/p>\n
Because, she says, traditional herbal medicines are not
\nconfined only to the Javanese. Besides, the materials are taken
\nfrom every part of the country. It is wrong, therefore, to call
\nthese products Javanese traditional herbal medicines.<\/p>\n
\"Believe it or not, the biggest market share of traditional
\nherbal medicines produced by PT Mustika Ratu is North Sumatra. It
\nis popular among the Batak people, no longer just among Javanese.
\nThat's why I prefer to call it Indonesian herbal medicines,
\nalthough the formula has been handed down to me by my Javanese
\nancestors,\" she says.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, she says, is home to the world's biggest biological
\npotential which can be used as the raw materials for traditional
\nherbal medicines and other drugs.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure, Indonesia's traditional herbal medicine products
\ncan be accepted worldwide because this medicine is prepared from
\nnatural substances. If local herbal medicine producers can work
\ntogether to explore the foreign market with the full support of
\nthe government, I'm convinced we can compete with China.\"<\/p>\n
She is dismayed that, despite the huge potential, the Health
\nMinistry treats jamu only as an alternative medicine on the
\ngrounds that its healing properties have not been proven
\nscientifically.<\/p>\n
\"We know that the formula, which has been handed down to us by
\nour ancestors, has been tested throughout the centuries. It is
\nnow left to us to ensure that its packaging meets international
\nstandards. Sometimes I wonder what the government is really
\nafter?\" she asks.<\/p>\n
Despite her age, Mooryati remains active in popularizing jamu
\nthrough her organization, the Indonesian Association of
\nIndonesian Traditional Herbal Medicine Producers.<\/p>\n
\"I've taken lectures again, among other things, to ensure that
\nI will be able to keep on doing my job, thinking and innovating
\nfor the development of jamu,\" Mooryati says.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mooryati-never-too-old-to-study-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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