History of Life the Third President of the Indonesia Republic BJ Habibie Part 1

Known as "the father of technology, the father of reform, and the father of democracy", he is Prof. DR. Ing. H. Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie or better known as BJ Habibie, is one of the leading role models who had held the position of third President in the Republic of Indonesia.

Abdurahman Wahid
(Gus Dur)

Before becoming President, BJ Habibie served as the 7th (last) Vice President in the Suharto era for 2 months. Then he officially became the third president after the previous President (Suharto) resigned from his position as President.

BJ Habibie was a president whose tenure was very short, BJ Habibie served only 1.5 years and was later replaced by the 4th President Abdurahman Wahid (Gus Dur).

Wife and Children

Left Habibie, Right Ainun

B.J. Habibie married Hasri Ainun Besari on May 12, 1962, in Rangga Malela, Bandung. The marriage ceremony of Habibie and Ainun was held with Javanese culture, while the wedding reception was held the next day with Gorontalo culture at the Preanger Hotel.

When married to Habibie, Ainun was faced with two choices, choosing to continue working at the children's hospital in Hamburg or participate in working behind the scenes as a wife and housewife.

After discussing with Habibie, Ainun finally chose the second option. From his second marriage, Habibie and Ainun were blessed with two sons, Ilham Akbar Habibie and Thareq Kemal Habibie.

Childhood

Left : Young Habibie, Right Little Habibie

BJ Habibie was born to Alwi Abdul Jalil Habibie and Tuti Marini Puspowardojo on June 25, 1936. His father came from Gorontalo, while his mother came from Yogyakarta. Habibie is the fourth of eight children.

Since childhood, the man who is familiarly called "Rudy" is indeed known as an intelligent child and likes to read books. It is not surprising to see the background of his parents who are graduates of well-known tertiary institutions in Indonesia. Moreover, the father is also an agricultural expert.

In addition to learning about exact sciences at school, he was also educated by his parents about religious knowledge and ancestral traditions. This was done so that Habibie and his seven siblings were not only smart in science but also capable of behaving and carrying themselves well.

Habibie spent his childhood by moving in several places following his father's duties. In 1947, Habibie and his family moved to Makassar because his father, Alwi Abdul Jalil was promoted to be the Head of Agriculture for Eastern Indonesia.

Three years later, his father suddenly died of a heart attack. After the departure of his father, his mother decided to move to Bandung so that the children get a better education.

While in Bandung, Habibie received his high school education at Dago High School, Bandung City in 1954. After graduating from high school, he then continued his education at the Bandung Institute of Technology University (ITB) by majoring in mechanical engineering.

Continuing lectures in Germany

While he was still in college, President Soekarno opened a scholarship for bright and accomplished students to study abroad. Initially, BJ Habibie intended to apply for the scholarship. Unfortunately, the mother did not allow it. His mother did not intend to forbid him to study abroad, but he wanted to send BJ Habibie to school with his own efforts.

After the money was collected, BJ Habibie finally went to Germany and left his education at ITB, which he had only been doing for just six months. In Germany, he continued his undergraduate education at Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen by majoring in Aviation Engineering specializing in Aircraft Construction.

The education that Habibie has taken abroad is not a short course education but is a school for many years while practicing. From the beginning, Habibie was indeed interested in how to build commercial aircraft for the people of Indonesia, which was Soekarno's idea during his leadership.

Arriving in Germany, Habibie was determined to go home with success, bearing in mind his mother's efforts to pay for college and daily life. A few years later, in 1955 at Aachean, 99% of Indonesian students studying there were given full scholarships. Only he has a green or private passport than other friends.

For Habibie, the holiday season is not a vacation for him, instead, it becomes a golden opportunity that must be filled with examinations and looking for money to buy books. After the vacation period ends, all activities are excluded except studying. Unlike other friends, they use more summer vacation time to work, find experience and money without taking an exam.

Then in 1960, BJ Habibie received an Ing Diploma degree, from Technische Hochschule with an almost perfect value of an average of 9.5. With a bagged engineer, the young Habibie registered to work at the Talbot Firm, which is a German railroad industry.

After that, he continued his studies to get a doctorate at the Technische Hochschule Die Facultaet Fure Maschinenwesen Aachen then married in 1962 to Hasri Ainun Habibie who was then brought to Germany.

His life at that time was so difficult, Habibie often had to walk to workplaces far away to save money. Besides that Habibie also had to go home at night even though he still had to study for his studies.

The same struggle was felt by his wife where he had to queue to be able to wash clothes in public places in order to save money. After struggling with his education, BJ Habibie was finally able to get an Ingenieur Doctorate degree from the Technische Hochschule Die Facultaet de Fuer Maschinenwesen Aachen with an average value was 10 making it perfect.

BJ Habibie's career

BJ Habibie did not waste his doctorate, he worked at Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm or MBB Hamburg (1965-1969) as Head of Research and Development on Aircraft Structural Analysis. After that, in 1969-1973 he served as Head of the Division of Methods and Technology in the commercial and military aircraft industry at MBB.

For his performance and genius, 4 years later, BJ Habibie was trusted as Vice President and Director of Technology at the 1973-1978 MBB period and became Senior Technology Advisor to the 1978 MBB Board of Directors. He was also the only Asian man to succeed in occupying the number two position in this leading German aircraft company.

Before entering the age of 40, BJ Habibie's career had been very brilliant, especially in the design and construction of aircraft. He became "excellent" in Germany and he also gained an honorable position, both materially and intellectually, by the Germans.

While working at the German MBB, BJ Habibie contributed various research results and a number of theories to science and technology in the fields of Thermodynamics, Construction, and Aerodynamics. Some of the theories formulated by him are known in the aerospace world such as "Habibie Factor", "Habibie Theorem" and "Habibie Method".

In 1968, BJ Habibie invited a number of engineers to work in the German aircraft industry. There are around 40 Indonesian engineers who were finally able to work at MBB on the recommendation of him.

This is done to prepare the skills and experience of Indonesian engineers to someday be able to return to the country and make industrial aerospace, maritime and land products independently.

And at that time President Soeharto sent Ibnu Sutowo to Germany to meet and persuade Habibie to return to Indonesia. Habibie was willing, this was done by BJ Habibie in order to contribute knowledge and technology to the nation he loved so much. In 1974 even at the age of 38 years, BJ Habibie returned to his homeland.

He was appointed as an advisor to the government (directly under the President) in the field of aircraft technology and high technology until 1978. Nevertheless, from 1974-1978, BJ Habibie still frequently traveled to Germany because he still served as Vice President and Director of Technology at MBB.

Habibie began to really focus after he relinquished his high position at the German Aircraft Company MBB in 1978. And since then, from 1978 to 1997, he was appointed as Minister of State for Research and Technology and concurrently became Chairman of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology. Not only that, he was also appointed as Chairman of the National Research Council and various other positions.