Habibie presents awards for wife, brother and critics
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)