Augustine Magdalena Waworuntu

Augustine Magdalena Waworuntu was an Indonesian politician and educator who became the first post-federal Indonesian mayor of Manado and the first female mayor of Manado. She was born on 4 June 1899 as the daughter of Albertus Lasut Waworuntu, a member of the Volksraad. She studied at the Hoogere Burgerschool and became the first Indonesian woman to hold a certificate for teaching the French language. She also taught German in high schools. She was a member of the Committee for Forming Scientific Terms in the Indonesian Language, alongside prominent figures such as Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana. She was also one of the participants of the Youth Pledge, a historic event that declared the unity of the Indonesian nation. She was elected as the acting mayor of Manado in 1949 and was officially appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 1951. She was the first female to serve as the mayor of Manado. She faced various challenges such as post-war reconstruction, garbage problems, potholes, and trade union protests. She also held the city's first press exhibition in 1954. She resigned from the mayoral office in 1956 and stated that "It is easier to sit in a beauty salon than to sit as a mayor." She lived in Bandung after retirement and died in Jakarta on 21 November 1987. She was buried at a cemetery in Jakarta. She was a pioneer of women's empowerment and a role model for Indonesian women.