Hasjrul Harahap (November 18, 1931 – February 7, 2014) was an Indonesian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and government official. Harahap served as the Minister of Forestry from 1988 to 1993 under former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

. Harahap was born on November 18, 1931. He was raised in

Sipirok Sipirok is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and the seat (capital) of South Tapanuli Regency. It is known for the Batu Jomba Sipirok, a badly maintained highway which becomes difficult and dangerous during wet weather. Notable residen ...

North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...

. Harahap received a doctorate of science in 2004 from

Bogor Agricultural University IPB University (, abbreviated as IPB) is a state-run agricultural university based in the regency of Bogor, Indonesia. The institute began as an agricultural school formed by the Dutch colonial regime in the early 20th century. After independenc ...

at the age of 73. He was the oldest student to receive a doctorate from the university. Harahap had defended his doctoral dissertation, "The Influence of Lead Pollution from Vehicles and Land on Tea Plants and Quality." He had researched the levels of lead pollution found in the roots of

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

plants grown in the

Puncak Puncak or Puncak Pass (Indonesian for "top" or "peak") is a mountain pass in West Java, Indonesia. The pass connects the city of Bogor and Bandung, and is spread within the regencies of Bogor, Cianjur, and Sukabumi. Puncak Pass is located betwee ...

region of

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

: the Gunung Mas, Malabar, and Sidamanik

tea plantation Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and norther ...

s. Harashap founded that the highest levels of

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

were found in the branches and soil of tea grown in the Gunung Mas plantation. The largest concentrations of lead in the roots of tea plants were discovered at Sidamanik. Harahap concluded in his dissertation that plantation workers were susceptible to symptoms of lead pollution. His biography, ''Hasjrul Harahap, dari Mandor jadi Menteri'' (translated to ''Hasjrul Harahap, from a Supervisor to a Minister'') was released in 2008. The 456-page book chronicling his life was co-authored by Aristides Katoppo and Nina Pane. The

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

was launched at a party held 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 November 28, 2008. Hasjrul Harahap died on February 7, 2014, at the age of 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harahap, Hasjrul 1931 births 2014 deaths Government ministers of Indonesia Forestry in Indonesia People from North Sumatra Bogor Agricultural University alumni