Percha Leanpuri

Percha Leanpuri was an Indonesian politician and bowler. She was born on 24 June 1986 in Belitang, South Sumatra. Her name is an acronym for Lematang, Ogan, Way Umpu, Komering Mix. She was the daughter of Herman Deru, the Governor of South Sumatra, and R.A. Sri Endang, a member of the Regional Representative Council. She graduated from Sunway College in Malaysia with a Bachelor of Business degree and a Master of Business Administration degree. She married Syamsuddin Isaac Suryamanggala, a businessman, in 2012. She became the youngest member of the Regional Representative Council at the age of 23, representing South Sumatra from 2009 to 2015. She was also the chairperson of the Committee IV, which oversees education, religion, health, and social affairs. She resigned from her post in 2015 to run for the mayor of Palembang, but she lost the election. She then joined the Nasdem Party and ran for the People's Representative Council in 2019. She won a seat in the South Sumatra II district and became a member of Commission IX, which oversees health, manpower, and population. She was also appointed as the chairperson of the Indonesian Bowling Association in 2019. She was known for her involvement in various social and health issues, such as literacy, HIV AIDS, tuberculosis, and COVID-19. She was the initiator of the GISAID initiative, a platform for sharing influenza virus data and sequences, which was later used for the COVID-19 pandemic. She also conducted several health research projects, such as the prevalence of hepatitis B and C among pregnant women in South Sumatra, the impact of air pollution on respiratory health, and the effectiveness of telemedicine for rural areas. She published several papers and books on these topics. She died on 19 August 2021 at the age of 35, due to complications from childbirth. She gave birth to a baby boy, who survived, at the Bari Hospital in Palembang. She was buried at the Kebun Bunga Heroes Cemetery in Palembang. She was widely respected and admired for her dedication, professionalism, and integrity. She received several awards and honors, such as the Bintang Mahaputra Utama, the highest civilian honor in Indonesia, and the Harvard School of Public Health Alumni Award of Merit.