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Jakob Oetama receives military funeral at Kalibata Heroes Cemetery
Former vice president Jusuf Kalla acted as the ceremony inspector in a televised ceremony by Kompas TV.
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Last respects: Relatives of the late Jakob Oetama receive guests paying their last respects to the founder of Kompas Gramedia group at his residence on Jl. Sriwijaya V in South Jakarta on Wednesday. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
L
ate Kompas Gramedia cofounder Jakob Oetama was laid to rest in a military funeral at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, South Jakarta, on Thursday.
Former vice president Jusuf Kalla acted as the ceremony inspector in a televised ceremony by Kompas TV.
“I, Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, on behalf of the country and the Indonesian Military [TNI], hereby present to the Motherland [Jakob’s] body, soul and virtues,” Jusuf said during the funeral, which commenced at 11.20 a.m.
“May his good deeds inspire all of us, may his soul have its rightful place in the afterlife.”
Kompas spokesperson Rusdi Amral said in a statement that the military funeral was meant to pay homage to Jakob’s stature as a recipient of the Bintang Mahaputra Utama honorary award.
Read also: Jakob Oetama bids farewell, leaving journalism legacy
The government granted him the award in 1973 for his achievements in journalism.
“Jakob Oetama’s funeral at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery was meant as a tribute to the Bintang Mahaputra Utama [honorary medal] awarded to him in 1973 when he served as a member of the MPR [People’s Consultative Assembly],” Rusdi said.
Prior to the funeral in Kalibata, Jakob’s relatives officially handed over his body to MPR speaker Bambang Soesatyo on behalf of the government at the Kompas Gramedia building in Palmerah, Central Jakarta, at 10.27 a.m.
“On behalf of the country and TNI, I hereby receive the body of doctor honoris causa Jakob Oetama,” Bambang stated during the procession.
Jakob died on Wednesday at the age of 88 at Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.
Jakob was born in Magelang, Central Java, on Sept. 27, 1931. He started his career as a teacher and later founded Kompas Gramedia, one of the country’s largest media and publishing companies, in 1965 with his colleague P.K. Ojong, who died in 1980. (rfa)
