Pandji Wisaksana, a Catholic entrepreneur and philanthropist, has died
A memorial Mass was held in Wisaksana’s honour last week. He funded several Catholic schools and initiatives for the blind and visually impaired. His father lost his sight working in a mine. For years, he promoted corporate and personal social responsibility.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Card Ignatius Suharyo led a memorial Mass last week in honour of Pandji Wisaksana, a well-known Indonesian philanthropist, who passed away on 24 February.
"Throughout his life, from his early years in high school to his death, Wisaksana always showed compassion towards others, giving his wealth to marginalised people,” said the prelate during the service. “His kindness was seen through charity work and donations to humanitarian causes.”
in Indonesia he was known as the “father of plastic and PVC” after his company, Prakarsa Pralon, introduced plastic household items to local markets.
In 1961, he donated two kilos of gold to then President Sukarno when the latter wanted to erect a national monument, the Monumen Nasional (Monas), topped by a flame covered with gold foil to commemorate the Indonesian War of Independence.
“I was about to be fired as CEO from my company when I donated two kg of pure gold for the national monument. It was really a huge amount of money at that time,” Wisaksana told AsiaNews in 2016.
He also made many donations to the Catholic Church of Indonesia, including to the minor seminary in Wacana Bhakti, Archdiocese of Jakarta, the Gonzaga College, the Jesuit-run ATMI Cikarang Polytechnic Institute, and the capital’s St Carolus hospital.
Pandji Wisaksana’s life was marked by a number of events. His father, who came from China to Bangka Island at the turn of the 20th century, went blind from working in a mine. This prompted him to devote himself to charities for the blind and the visually impaired.
In 2006, along with other Indonesian entrepreneurs, he sponsored the Gerakan MataHati (Eye Movement) to pay the cost of cataract operations for the country’s poorest.
Between 2008 and 2009, the Movement it paid for more than 5,000 free cataract operations in 40 hospitals across the nation, reaching 25,000 in 10 years.
For Wisaksana, “giving sight is not only healing the sick, but also transforming their lives.” As a result, healed patients "will become more independent and will be able to do their job and take care of their families.”
Then Health Minister of, Dr Nina Moeleok, an ophthalmologist, welcomed the initiative.
Wisaksana was convinced that personal wealth should serve others. The philanthropist constantly spoke of the need for large companies to practice social responsibility.
“I believe that every individual should also take personal social responsibility”, he said in 2018. "My Christian faith has allowed me to become who I am today, still physically healthy and financially and 'free',” he added.
According to 2017estimates, the richest Indonesians held assets worth 4,000 trillion Indonesian rupiahs or US$ 280 billion.
“If only people’s sense of personal social responsibility led them to offer, let's say 1 per cent of their wealth, this spirit of compassion would generate so many benefits for others," he said in 2018.
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