Former Muhammadiyah leader dies<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Abdur Rozak Fachruddin, for 22 years the leader
\nof the Muhammadiyah, the country's largest socio-educational
\norganization, died in Jakarta yesterday from a long bout with
\nseveral illnesses.<\/p>\n
He was 79 years old and is survived by his wife Hajjah
\nKomariyah and seven children. He was buried later in the
\nafternoon in Yogyakata.<\/p>\n
Fachruddin suffered from heart trouble, leukemia and vertigo.
\nBefore being treated at the Islamic Hospital for two weeks, he
\nhad been treated in a Muhammadiyah hospital in Yogyakarta, his
\nhometown.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto paid his respects to Fachruddin at the
\nJakarta hospital yesterday morning. He also ordered Fachruddin's
\nbody to be flown by a special Hercules plane to Yogyakarta later
\nin the day for burial.<\/p>\n
When Fachruddin was in hospital here recently, Soeharto
\nassigned one of his specialists to help the hospital's team of
\ndoctors. The President also ordered Minister of Religious Affairs
\nTarmizi Taher to represent the government at the burial ceremony.<\/p>\n
Also paying their respects yesterday were Minister Tarmizi,
\nDeputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Ismail Hasan
\nMetareum, the visiting Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak
\nand chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas' Council KH Hasan Basri.<\/p>\n
Fachruddin was chairman of Muhammadiyah from 1968 until 1990,
\nthe longest serving leader of the organization, which runs some
\n12,000 schools.<\/p>\n
Fachruddin stepped down in 1990, refusing to be re-elected due
\nto his deteriorating health, even though his popularity among
\nthe leaders in the provinces was unchallenged.<\/p>\n
At the end of his tenure, when the government imposed the
\nadoption of Pancasila as their sole ideology and some groups
\nrejected it, Fachruddin accepted. He compared the obligation to
\n\"ordering a motorcyclist to wear a helmet.\" The order had just
\nthen been introduced.<\/p>\n
His activities in the organization started as a teacher and
\nas a leader of the Muhammadiyah boy scouts in Palembang in 1934.
\nDuring the Indonesian revolution Fachruddin joined the Moslem
\nmilitia, which was later integrated into the formal army. He
\nended his military career as second lieutenant.<\/p>\n
His later years saw him as an official of the Ministry of
\nReligious Affairs apart from his continued teaching career.
\nBetween 1988 and 1993 he was member of the Supreme Advisory
\nCouncil, an august state body in charge of giving advice to the
\nPresident.<\/p>\n
Fachruddin, who never had his own home until his death, was
\nknown as a humble man. Minister Tarmizi quoted President Soeharto
\nas saying recently that Fachruddin was a very modest person,
\nsimple at heart and dignified in the way he talked.<\/p>\n
\"This nation needs leaders with Fachruddin's quality,\" the
\nPresident said as quoted by Tarmizi. (tis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-muhammadiyah-leader-dies-1447893297",
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