Tri Rismaharini

Tri Rismaharini
23rd Mayor of Surabaya
In office 28 September 2010 – 28 September 2015
President	Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Joko Widodo
Governor	Soekarwo
Preceded by	Bambang Dwi Hartono
Personal details
Born	20 November 1961 Kediri, East Java, Indonesia
Nationality	Indonesia
Political party	Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
Spouse(s)	Ir. Djoko Saptoadji
Children	Fuad Bernardi Tantri Gunarni Saptoadji
Alma mater	Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology
Religion	Islam

Tri Rismaharini (born 20 November 1961) is the current Mayor of Surabaya. Popularly known as Risma, she is both the first directly-elected and first female mayor in the city's history.^[1]

Education

She earned a bachelor's degree in Architecture and a master's degree in Urban Development Management from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya. She was awarded a doctoral degree from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember in 2015.

Career

Public service

She began her career as a public servant at Surabaya. Before being elected as Mayor, she served as government employee in Surabaya City Government for more than 20 years. She was the Head of Surabaya Program Controlling Division and later she became the Head of Surabaya Landscape and Cleanliness Department.

When Tri Rismaharini was first elected Mayor in 2010, Surabaya, although rich in history, was a city neglected by successive governments. It was then described as a concrete dumb. Mayor Risma’s policy has been to make the most of empty land and open spaces. There are now eleven major parks in Surabaya, all with different themes. Many parks also provide Wi-Fi access and include libraries, fitness and other sports facilities. The most prominent is the transformation of Bungkul Park, which has been recognized as the cross-culturally public-engaged park in Southeast Asia.

Surabaya has also enlarged other open spaces such as cemeteries so that they serve as water absorption space - unlike Jakarta, the city had not had any serious flooding for three years - and has added green lanes along main roads and created city forests.

Awards

During her tenure, Surabaya has won a number of awards including the ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City Award 2012 and the Adipura Kencana, the highest environmental awards in Indonesia. Mayor Risma was named as one of the 10 most inspiring women 2013 by Forbes Indonesia. She was also recently named one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine and was one of the top mayors listed last year by the City Mayors Foundation, an urban research institute. March 2016, she was awarded Ideal Mother Award 2016, at Cairo University, given by Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).^[2]

Controversy

Tri Rismaharini policy of closing down brothels has been criticized by aid and health care workers as it makes the sex trade dispersed and not disappear. Making prostitution illegal makes many sex workers work in conditions that are more dangerous and unregulated and therefore more at risk from diseases. Tri Rismaharini's reforms though have wide support in Indonesia.^[3]

Electoral history

Surabaya mayoral election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	PDI–P	Tri Rismaharini	893,087	86.34	+47.81
	Non-partisan	Rasiyo	141,324	13.66	N/A

Surabaya mayoral election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	PDI–P	Tri Rismaharini	358,187	38.53
	Demokrat	Arif Afandi	327.516	35.25
	PKS	Fandi Utomo	129.172	13.90
	PKB	B.F. Sutadi	61.648	6.63
	Independent	Fitradjaja Purnama	53.110	5.71

References

1. Citymayors.com Mayor of the month February 2014
2. 'Mother' for a Million Children, Risma Awarded Ideal Mother source: http://en.sindonews.com/read/1095540/196/mother-for-a-million-children-risma-awarded-ideal-mother-1458814504
3. Sakar Prasain (4 November 2014). "Indonesian Brothel Closures hit HIV prevention". Asia Sentinel. Retrieved 4 November 2014.