Posted by catri (155.69.5.222) on November 01, 2003 at 10:03:42:
In Reply to: Indonesian names... posted by Olga S. Opfell on March 30, 2002 at 15:49:08:
Indonesians do not usually have a surname, except in certain tribes such as the Batak, Manado, and Moluccans. The so-called "Indonesian surnames" are more appropriately described as a mere last names.
It's not uncommon, however, to find one's father's name as his/her last name. This is the case for the former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid (his father is Mr. Wahid). Mr. Soekarno is a bit more creative, though, so he added "-putra" or "-putri" behind his name as his children's last name. "Putra" really means "son" and "putri" is "daughter"