Jakarta, 1954. In the quiet study of Indonesia’s Vice President Mohammad Hatta, his secretary, Wangsa, notices the worn black shoes that have carried Hatta through years of public service. Knowing Hatta has long admired a pair of Swiss Bally shoes, Wangsa gently suggests using a small amount of remaining official funds to buy them.
Hatta refuses.
To him, the issue is not the price of the shoes, but the price of integrity. Using public money for a personal desire, however small, would mean placing a value on his honesty. His old shoes may be worn, but they have walked on a clean path.
Behind his refusal, however, Hatta remains deeply human. He still longs for the shoes. He quietly keeps their faded advertisement inside his old wallet, carrying a dream he chooses never to fulfill at the expense of the people.
Years later, after Hatta’s passing, Wangsa discovers the advertisement still preserved. Only then does the weight of that small sacrifice fully reveal itself.
SEPATU BUNG is an intimate story about simplicity, restraint, and integrity, showing how the dignity of a nation can be protected through choices that may appear insignificant. Sometimes, the measure of a great leader is not found in what he owns, but in what he is willing to give up.
