The nation is mourning the death of former president Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, who died on Wednesday at the age of 83.
Habibie died following a sudden deterioration of his health. He had been in intensive care in the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital since Monday. To honor the late former president, the State Secretariat instructed government institutions, as well as members of the public, to fly the nation’s flag at half mast for three days starting on Thursday.
A prominent engineer and respected leader of the country, Habibie had dedicated his life to being research and technology minister for 20 years during the presidency of Soeharto. He later assumed the presidential office after Soeharto resigned in May 1998 and held it until 1999.
Throughout his life, Habibie left many legacies for the next generation. One of his prominent achievements was to sign Law No. 40/1999 on the press, which gives journalists the freedom to circulate their work without direct government censorship.
Condolences are pouring in from those who feel their lives had been greatly affected by Habibie. The following are a selection of the condolence messages:
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (President of Indonesia)
"On behalf of the Indonesian people and the government, I would like to convey my deepest condolences over the death of BJ Habibie, our third president and Indonesia’s Father of Technology. Sometimes he came to the Presidential Palace, sometimes I visited him at his house. He was a very respectable statesman whom we all should look up to."
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