Habibie visits grave of great grandfather

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie and First Lady Asri Ainun Habibie visited the grave of his great grandfather Tjitrowardojo in Purworejo, Central Java, on Friday morning, drawing a crowd of curious villagers.

Accompanied by several government officials, including Minister of Defense/Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto and Central Java Governor Mardiyanto, Habibie walked some 600 meters from the city square to his great grandfather's grave in Baledono village.

"My first visit here was in 1954 before I continued my studies in Germany," Habibie said.

The Presidential Palace took great care in preparing for Habibie's visit to the grave of his mother's grandfather. His mother, Tuti Marini Puspowardoyo, is the daughter of Puspodirdjo Puspowardojo and Sadini Tjitrowardoyo. His great grandfather, an ophthalmologist, was the first Javanese doctor during colonial rule.

A leaflet about Habibie was distributed by the State Secretariat in the area on Thursday. It said Habibie's mother is Javanese, while his father, the late Alwi Abdul Djalil Habibie, was a Bugis and hailed from South Sulawesi.

The leaflet also contained Habibie's picture wearing traditional Javanese dress. The photograph was taken on Dec. 18, 1983.

"Tjitrowardoyo, the first Javanese doctor, who later continued his studies to become an ophthalmologist, hailed from Purworejo, Central Java," the leaflet read.

This was the second time this month the Presidential Palace attempted to publicly promote the President.

As part of the commemoration marking his first year in office, palace officials distributed T-shirts, pins and stickers bearing the President's likeness.

The T-shirts bore a picture of Habibie with a slogan which read: The leader of today and tomorrow. While the pin contained Habibie's photo and a slogan saying: The leader of the future.

"We want to show to the people that Pak Habibie is just an ordinary man," an official said on Monday.

Some officials, however, said the President was campaigning to attract the sympathy of the Javanese.

After the visit, the President flew to Magelang aboard a helicopter, where he gave a speech at the Military Academy.

In the speech, the President criticized people who act and talk as if they were the true defenders of justice, morality and democracy, although their own behaviors were immoral, unfair and undemocratic.

"These people should practice some introspection. If they do not change, they should be ready to face the law," he said.

The President said the government would give such people time to change their behavior, but warned the government's patience was limited.

"Our tolerance is limited. If they cannot improve their behavior and if they commit crimes, these people must accept all the consequences," he said.

The President and his entourage returned to Jakarta on Friday. He will return to Magelang on Sunday to attend a ceremony marking Buddha's Day of Enlightenment at Borobudur Temple. (prb/har)