Habibie confers annual awards on 107 people
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie conferred meritorious service stars on 107 people, including two posthumous awards to wives of the country's founding fathers, on Saturday.
Many public figures close to Habibie, including 28 Cabinet ministers, were among the honorees.
Awarding of the medals is an annual tradition held at the State Palace in conjunction with Indonesia's independence anniversary. This year's ceremony was distinguished by the exceptionally high number of medals presented.
Besides four Bintang Republik Indonesia, the country's highest award, Habibie awarded 103 Bintang Mahaputra.
With so many recipients and guests packing the hall, the ceremony lacked its customary solemnity. Guests chatted noisily as Habibie gave out the honors.
"This is like a clearance sale," sniffed a protocol official about the long list of recipients.
Bintang Republik Adiprana were awarded to Harmoko, the chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and posthumously to Fatmawati, a wife of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, and Siti Rahmiati Hatta, wife of first vice president Mohammad Hatta.
A Bintang Republik Utama also was conferred posthumously on Soepomo, who headed the team that drafted the 1945 Constitution.
Harmoko collected the award in person, with relatives of the three deceased recipients accepting their honors.
Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) chairman A.A. Baramuli, who has been at a center of various controversies in the past year, said he was proud of his Bintang Mahaputra. He said it deserved it for his extraordinary services for the head of the state.
"I have given 90 pieces of advice to the President," Baramuli said of his one-year tenure.
Twenty-eight members of the Cabinet received the honors. Nine other Cabinet ministers were included in the list last year.
The wives of coordinating ministers Haryono Suyono and Feisal Tandjung received Mahaputra medals, along with the wife of Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, Krisnina Maharani.
Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto, who faces mounting calls to resign for his handling of the Bank Bali scandal, left the palace quickly before journalists could ask him questions.
Minister of Justice/State Secretary Muladi, who received the Bintang Mahaputra Utama, vowed to work harder for the country.
He acknowledged that he was proud the President appreciated his work since becoming a minister in May last year.
State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin confessed to not feeling anything special about the award.
"Now I confer it on you," said Saefuddin as he jokingly conferred the medal on his wife not long after he received it from Habibie.
Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin was accompanied by his family and father.
Habibie's inclusion of his wife Hasri Ainun Habibie and his brother Junus Effendy Habibie among the 37 recipients last year raised eyebrows.
Each star is bestowed in one of five descending categories of merit: Adipurna, Adipradana, Utama, Pratama and Nararya.
Habibie's inclusion of close friends and advisors among this year's recipients included Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association chairman Achmad Tirtosudiro in his capacity as DPA vice chairman and Antara general manager Parni Hadi.
His political advisor Dawam Rahardjo and the president of state oil and gas company Pertamina, Martiono Hadianto, also were on the list.
"This is not only an appreciation but also a burden," Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) chairman Ali Ya'fie said after receiving the medal.
Respected Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid preferred to talk about the next presidential election instead of the ceremony. "We have to learn to accept anyone (as the next president)," Nurcholis said. (prb)