Commander was a natural leader, say lecturers at S'pore school

The commander of Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402, which sank last Wednesday, was a natural leader and thorough military man, said professors who taught Lieutenant-Colonel Heri Oktavian for a master's programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

Lt-Col Oktavian, 42, was a postgraduate student of strategic studies at RSIS in the 2014-2015 academic year, along with a few peers from the Indonesian armed forces.

Associate Professor Anit Mukherjee, deputy head of graduate studies at RSIS, said he first met Lt-Col Oktavian on the football field, not the classroom. Both men were playing in a staff and students football tournament at the school - which is part of Nanyang Technological University - and Prof Mukherjee recalled that Lt-Col Oktavian was "the heart and soul of his team".

Lt-Col Oktavian attended Prof Mukherjee's comparative civil-military relations course, where he offered his insights and experience serving in the Indonesian armed forces. "He was a hard-working and dedicated student who was well spoken and engaged. Most importantly, he was humble and extremely proud of his service to his country," Prof Mukherjee added. "After he left, he sent us a farewell e-mail and said he hoped to get in touch with us again one day in a professional capacity."

Dr Bernard Loo, a senior fellow and coordinator of the MSc (Strategic Studies) programme, said it was Lt-Col Oktavian's attire that set him apart from other students in the class.

"No matter their background, students would usually come in relaxed, casual clothes such as T-shirts or bermuda shorts, but Heri would always come dressed in a pair of smart slacks and freshly pressed shirt with leather shoes. Although as faculty members, we insisted the students could address us by our first names, he would always call us 'Sir' or the Indonesian equivalent 'Pak'," Dr Loo said.

Lt-Col Oktavian would often approach Dr Loo after class for clarifications and further discussion. "He wanted to maximise his learning while he was here. He was always so polite and respectful, you could tell that his peers all looked up to him a great deal," Dr Loo added.

As commander of Nanggala-402, Lt-Col Oktavian was part of a crew of 53 men who took part in a torpedo drill last Wednesday. After communication with the submarine was cut off, the Indonesian navy launched a search operation, in which Singapore's submarine rescue vessel MV Swift Rescue also participated.

Like other staff and alumni at RSIS, Prof Mukherjee learnt that Lt-Col Oktavian was on board the submarine about 24 hours after news broke that Nanggala-402 was missing.

On Sunday, the Indonesian authorities said the submarine was found cracked apart on the seabed in the waters north of Bali, and declared all 53 crew on board dead.

"We were hoping against hope that the crew would be saved. His batchmates are still processing the shock and trauma of this loss. It feels like a promising life and career were cut short too soon," Prof Mukherjee said.

As staff and faculty continue coming to terms with Lt-Col Oktavian's death, Dr Loo finds comfort in a conversation he recalled having with his former student.

"I asked Heri, 'Why did you join the Indonesian navy', and he said, 'I fell in love with the navy and with the sea.' I would like to think that even at the last moment, he died doing what he loved most."