InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - Derom Bangun is a legend name in palm oil industries. He is the one that has done many things in these industries. Bangun has been called as ‘Indonesian Palm Oil Ambassador’ by Achmad Mangga Barani, the former General Director of Plantation Ministry of Agriculture because Bangun was often as official delegation of Indonesia to many meetings in international scale.
Bangun was born in Village of Payung, District of Karo, North Sumatera Province on 16 June 1940. Village of Payung is about 17 kilometers from Berastagi City to the west while Berastagi City is 65 kilometers in the southern of Medan City. It means Village of Payung is only 82 kilometers from Medan. Village of Payung can be from Kabanjahe, the capital city of District of Karo or about 18 kilometers, or 94 kilometers from southwest of Medan City. Tanah Karo, in specific Berastagi is famous as mountain tourism town where many visitors come and go there.
Bangun is a son of Johannes Nitip Bangun and Cemalem beru Kaban. Bangun is the third of four children of his parents. The oldest one is his sister - Teringani, the second is his elder brother - bernama Kasim, and the fourth is his younger brother - Lengkap.
His father did transportation business. His mother is a beautiful woman but persistent. His father was honest and widely open minded. His mother always taught him to believe in himself and it needs courages to face anyone.
His parents’ characters are always in Bangun’s mind and delivered much influences to be what Bangun is now. He gets self-confidence and brave anywhere, including in in international levels.
When he grew up, he inherits his fathers’ honest character. Bangun got used not to get offer or gift from others, such as, treated, getting flowers to his home, and others.
The name ‘Derom Bangun’ has its own story. At the time in Village of Payung many wild buffalos lived and got angry, mostly many would mumble, “derroooomm..........deroooooomm” while tapping the back of buffalo. After a while, the wild buffalo got tame and got into mud without anger anymore. “His grandfather, Madan Bangun named Derom Bangun “the spell” to come down.
By the name, his grandfather hoped that Derom Bangun would play many roles particularly to ease the situation in home and the society. What his grandfather wished for, becomes reality. Derom solved many issues in palm oil – his way of life through diplomacy and some disputes in PII (Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia) and Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP), he solved.
Derom is a Karonese – some minor sub-ethnics in Bataknese in North Sumatera Province.
Karonese has patrilineal system which is the blood line is inherited from the male. A boy and a girl in Karonese have the same surename from their father that is why he is Derom Bangun.
Derom’s parents were mostly living in Berastagi. Though he was born in Village of Payung, his little age was always in Berastagi. In 1947, there was the first Dutch military aggression. For a safety reason, his father put him to his grandfather’s house in Village of Payung and had to go to school there.
He once went to study for several weeks there but the Dutch forced his family to move out. They left their home sweet home to Lau Diski on foot, next to Kutacane, District of Southeast Aceh. Aceh Province was a region that the Dutch should not invade based on the agreement that both sides agreed. Derom should left his study.. (to be continued)
By: Maruli Pardamean/Book Author and Palm Oil Plantation Practitioner
