Love has bound first family together

Love has bound first family together

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Who says an only child always grows up to be a dependent, spoilt,
disorganized and underachieving person later in his or her life?

This thesis is certainly unsubstantiated in the case of
Indonesia's sixth president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is the
only child of soldier Raden Soekotjo and Sitti Habibah.

Born in the remote East Java village of Tremas in Pacitan
regency on Sept. 9, 1949, Susilo, or Sus as his parents called
him, was raised in a modest but disciplined family.

Young Susilo left his hometown after his parents divorced in
1965. Four years later he joined the Military Academy in
Magelang, Central Java, and finished his studies there as the
best graduate in December 1973. He was awarded the Adhi Mahayana
medal for his achievement.

He then met Kristiani Herrawati, the third daughter of a
general, the late Lt. Gen. Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, who was then the
governor of the Military Academy.

They fell in love and embarked on a long distance
relationship, with Susilo in Magelang and Kristiani in Jakarta.

Kristiani, or Ani, who was born in Jakarta on July 6, 1952,
was a student at the Indonesian Christian University (UKI),
Jakarta, when she met Susilo.

Susilo's father, Soekotjo, was initially worried about the gap
in social status between his son and Ani. However, his fears
proved groundless.

The lovers got married on July 30, 1976. Their wedding
reception at the Hotel Indonesia, Central Jakarta, was held
together with those for two of Ani's sisters for practical
reasons. Susilo's father-in-law, Sarwo Edhie, who was then the
Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea, refused point-black to
travel back and forth between Seoul and Jakarta to witness his
daughters' weddings.

Susilo was delighted to discover that Ani was pregnant in
December 1977, because as an only child he was worried that they
might have fertility problems.

Ani gave birth to their first son, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono,
in Bandung on Aug. 8, 1978.

Like father, like son. Agus, a basketball and book enthusiast,
joined the Military Academy. He left the academy in 2000 as the
best graduate, which earned him the Adhi Mahayana medal, which
his father had won 27 years earlier.

Agus was assigned to the battlefield in Aceh as an officer in
the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) when the province
came under a martial law, which lasted from May 2003 to May 2004.
During his stint, his troops discovered a mass grave containing
civilians and military personnel killed by Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) insurgents in Manggamat district.

He is now a platoon commander in the Special Forces' 305th
Battalion in Karawang, West Java.

Unlike his elder brother, Susilo's second son, Edhie Baskoro
Yudhoyono, decided to pursue a different career to that of his
father.

Born in Bandung on Nov. 11, 1980, Edhie, or Ibas as his
parents call him, is studying for a bachelor's degree in the
School of Finance and e-Commerce at Curtin University, Perth,
Australia.

Ani says she expects her son to graduate next year.

Hamsina Mukaddas, a member of the team of writers that penned
Susilo's biography, SBY Sang Demokrat (SBY the Democrat), told
The Jakarta Post that Ibas had originally wished to join his
brother in the Military Academy.

"The two siblings are very close to each other. However, Ibas
changed his mind after seeing his friends stop discussing the
reform movement and student demonstrations upon his arrival," she
said.

"Ibas thought his friends might avoid such discussions in
front of the son of a military officer, who at that time was
considered to be opposed to the student movement. He then decided
not to join the military."

Hamsina said that every time Susilo went abroad, he used to
take his sons to a local public library. "This has led the two
sons developing a deep love of books," she said.