Habibie presents awards for wife, brother and critics

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie conferred yesterday the country's highest honor, the Bintang Republik Indonesia medal, on his wife Hasri Ainun Besari, six ministers and one former minister.

He also presented the second highest medal, the Mahaputra, to 30 prominent figures. Two recipients, government critics Abdurrahman Wahid and Amien Rais, did not attend the ceremony.

Habibie's brother Junus Effendy Habibie, Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto and a staunch critic of former president Soeharto, H.M. Sanusi, were among the recipients of the Mahaputra.

"The President... decided to confer the Bintang Republik Indonesia award as a special honor for the honorees' extraordinary services to the state and nation, for the sake of the country's unity, existence and glory," Habibie said, as stated in his conferment decree No. 071 dated Aug. 6..

Each honor can be bestowed in five descending categories of merit: Adipurna, Adipradana, Utama, Pratama and Nararya.

They are presented each year in conjunction with Aug. 17 independence celebrations. The nation marks its 53rd independence anniversary this Monday.

The First Lady received the Bintang Republik Indonesia Adipradana, which is likely her most memorable belated birthday gift from her husband. Born in Semarang, Central Java, on Aug. 11, 1937, she is a physician.

Soeharto awarded the same medal to his wife, the late Tien Soeharto, five years after his election as president in 1968.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung, Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision and State Administrative Reform Hartarto and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Alleviation Haryono Suyono received the Bintang Republik Indonesia Utama.

The other three recipients were Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung and former minister of finance Radius Prawiro.

Wiranto and Sanusi were among the five recipients of the Mahaputra Adipradana.

Sanusi, former minister of textiles, was sentenced to 19 years in jail in 1985 for involvement in a series of bombings in Jakarta. He was released in May 1994.

Mahaputra Utama was bestowed on 25 people, including Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, Amien and Junus Habibie.

According to Akbar, Abdurrahman could not attend due to his poor health, while Amien did not give a reason.

In a televised interview later yesterday, Amien said he had planned to attend but changed his mind after he learned that several recipients were chosen in a manner which smacked of "nepotism".

Several of the recipients are considered close Habibie aides. They are Lt. Gen. (ret) Sintong Panjaitan, the secretary of development operation, Jimly Assiddiqie and Ahmad Watik Pratiknya.

As part of the Independence Day celebration, the President will deliver his first state of the nation speech at the House of Representatives this morning.

On the eve of Monday's anniversary, he will lead a state flag- raising ceremony in the Merdeka Palace grounds.

Soeharto and his eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti Hastuti Rukmana, or Tutut, have been invited to attend.

"It will be difficult psychologically for Pak Harto to come. For 32 years he was the inspector of the ceremony, and now he will be just a guest," an official said about the possibility of Soeharto's attendance.

According to Akbar, Tutut was invited in her capacity as former minister of social services.

The families of the country's founding fathers, Sukarno and Hatta, are invited every year to the ceremony. (prb)