Obituary – Former President Habibie dies

The Indonesian people are mourning for the demise of the country’s 3rd President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie who died at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

Habibie who was born in Parepare, South Sulawesi, on June 25, 1936, died of old age and health complications at the age of 83 after his wife Hasri Ainun Besari or known as Hasri Ainun Habibie who was the First Lady from 1998-1999, passed away on May 22, 2010, at the age of 63.

Before his passing away, Habibie told his family to be buried beside his wife’s tomb at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in South Jakarta.

He was survived by two sons, Ilham Akbar Habibie and Thareq Kemal Habibie.

Habibie was once Indonesia’s 7th vice president succeeding Try Sutrisno. He replaced President Soeharto who stepped down from his presidency on May 21, 1998.

Having an engineering background and graduating from a university in Germany, Habibie was the president director of the Indonesian aircraft manufacturing company Nurtanio which was set up by the Indonesian government on April 26, 1976.

The name of the company was changed into IPTN standing for Nusantara aircraft manufacturing industry on October 11, 1985, before it was changed on August 2, 2000, to be PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) until now. PTDI is located in Bandung, West Java.

The Father of Indonesian Technology’s last dream was making R20 which is expected to fly in 2022.

The Indonesian government has declared a national mourning day and called for raising the flag at half mast for three days till September 14, 2019, to respect late President Habibie who was also the founder of the Habibie Center.

Reporting by Indonesia Window