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Indonesia’s Joko Widodo hails BJ Habibie as ‘true statesman’ as nation goes into three-day mourning

  • In a speech, President Joko Widodo hailed Habibie as a ‘role model for all of the nation’s children’
  • The ceremony was attended by more than 700 officials and public figures, including former presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

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Soldiers carry the coffin containing former Indonesian President BJ Habibie. Photo: AP

Former Indonesian president Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, who allowed democratic reforms and an independence referendum for East Timor following the ouster of dictator Suharto, was buried on Thursday in a state funeral with full military honours.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Jakarta to watch the motorcade carrying the body of Indonesia’s third president to the Kalibata heroes’ cemetery.

Many called out the name of the man whose presidency was the shortest in modern Indonesian history but was transformative.

President Joko Widodo led the ceremony, attended by more than 700 politicians, government officials, foreign diplomats and public figures, including former presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“He is a true statesman, an inspirator, a scientist who believes that without love, intelligence is dangerous,” Widodo said in a farewell speech. “He is truly a role model for all of the nation’s children … surely Indonesia has lost one of its best sons.”

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