Christina Maria Rantetana (24 July 1955 – 31 July 2016) was an officer of the
Indonesian Navy, where she was the first woman to hold a star rank.
Early life and career
Rantetana was born in the town of
Makale in
Tana Toraja Regency on 24 July 1955. After completing high school at a Catholic institution in 1974, she obtained a diploma in general care before joining the Indonesian military in 1979. She later obtained a bachelor's degree in
public health from the
University of Indonesia and a master's degree in the same subject from
Tulane University.
Naval career
In the Navy, Rantetana became a representative of the military and police (
TNI/
Polri) faction in the
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, DPR-RI), also known as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), ...
for two periods, 1997-1999 and 1999-2004. In the latter period, she was the faction's secretary.
On 1 November 2002, she was promoted to
commodore (a
one-star rank position), becoming the first woman to achieve that rank in the
Indonesian Navy.
She was further promoted to
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
in June 2013, when she was assigned to the
as an expert on ideology and constitutional affairs. The following month, she was reassigned to TNI headquarters, as she was approaching her retirement.
Death
Rantetana died in a navy hospital in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
on 31 July 2016.
She was buried in a
military-accompanied traditional
Toraja funeral, where her body was placed in a hollowed out cavity 30 meters up a cliff accompanied by salvo shots.
Personal life
She had five children, and she took part in the construction of the
Jesus Buntu Burake
''Jesus Buntu Burake'' ( id, Patung Yesus Kristus Memberkati, "Statue of Jesus Christ Blessing") is a Roman Catholic statue of Jesus Christ at Makale in Tana Toraja Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is the tallest statue of Jesus Christ in ...
statue in Tana Toraja.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rantetana, Christina Maria
1955 births
2016 deaths
University of Indonesia alumni
Tulane University alumni
Indonesian admirals
People from Tana Toraja Regency
Female admirals
Members of the House of Representatives (Indonesia), 1999
Indonesian Catholics