REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KLATEN -- Sukiat is no celebrity nor high rank official. Yet, the man who comes in the spotlight today is an important figure behind the "student-made car fever". The "fever" is sparked by the launch of Kiat ESEMKA, then dubbed as national car.
Since he was 6 year old, Sukiat suffered from polio. Sukiat graduated from a senior high school. He started his business by opening a service center to repair bike or motorcycle in 1977 di Kradenan, Trucuk, Klaten, in Central Java. Ministry of Social Affairs sent him to Japan and Thailand, to join a short course in automotive.
Later, he sat as a chairman committee in a vocational school namely SMKN I Trucuk. He was obsessed that the students of SMKN I who specialized in automotive were able to build car body. Then he committed to give up his sedan type of Toyota Crown and multi vehicle car (MPV) or popular as Toyota Kijang, so the students could learn better and practise more.
Originally, the idea was to support the students to build car body. Yet, it was beyond his expectation when the student could transform the sedan into sport utility vehicle (SUV) type of car. He was so excited to step further: he wanted to support the students to build a car. Now, the other dream has come true. The students succeeded to set a new trend in Indonesia: the birth of national car.
Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika