Biography of B.J Habibie

B. J Habibie's Biodata

Name         : Prof. DR (HC). Ing. Dr. Sc. Mult. Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie

Nickname  : Rudy

Born           : June 25, 1936, Parepare, South Sulawesi

Religion     : Islam

Parents       : Alwi Abdul Jalil Habibie (Father), RA. Tuti Marini Puspowardojo (Mother).

Siblings      : Junus Effendi Habibie, Alwini Karsum Habibie, Satoto Mohammad Duhri Habibie, Sri                        Sulaksmi Habibie, Sri Rahayu Fatima Habibie, Sri Rejeki Habibie, Ali Buntarman,                              Suyatim Abdurrahman Habibie

Wife           : Hasri Ainun Besari Habibie

Child          : Ilham Akbar, Thareq Kemal

Childhood

His full name is Prof. DR (HC). Ing. Dr. Sc. Mult. Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie. He was born in Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi, on June 25, 1936. He is the fourth of eight children, the couple Alwi Abdul Jalil Habibie and RA. Tuti Marini Puspowardojo.

Habibie who was married to Hasri Ainun Habibie on May 12, 1962 was blessed with two sons namely Ilham Akbar and Thareq Kemal. Habibie's childhood was spent with his brothers in Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi. The strict character adheres to the principle that Habibie has demonstrated since childhood.

Habibie who has a passion for horseback riding and reading is known to be very intelligent when he was still in elementary school, but he had to lose his father who died on September 3, 1950 due to a heart attack while he was praying Isha.

Shortly after his father died, his mother then sold his house and vehicle and moved to Bandung with Habibie, after the death of his father, his mother worked hard to finance the lives of his children, especially Habibie.

Because of the willingness to learn Habibie then studied at the Gouvernments Middlebare School. In high school, he began to appear prominent in his achievements, especially in exact lessons. Habibie became a favorite in his school.

Enter ITB and Study in Germany

Because of his intelligence, after graduating from high school in Bandung in 1954, he entered at ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology), he did not finish there because he got a scholarship from the Minister of Education and Culture to continue his studies in Germany.

Because remembering the message of Bung Karno about the importance of mastery of technology that is nationally-minded, namely Aerospace Technology and Aerospace Technology when Indonesia was still developing at that time.

At that time the Indonesian government under Sukarno was intensively financing hundreds of intelligent Indonesian students to study abroad to study there. Habibie was the second group among hundreds of high school students who were specifically sent to various countries.

In the biography of B.J Habibie, it was known that Habibie then chose the Department of Engineering with specialization in aircraft construction at the Rhein Westfalen Aachen Technische Hochschule (RWTH).

The education occupied by Habibie abroad is not an education in a crash course but for many years while working in practice.

Since the beginning, Habibie was only interested in 'how to build commercial aircraft' for the Indonesian people who became Soekarno's idea at that time. From there came strategic companies, there were PT PAL and one of them was IPTN.

When he arrived in Germany, Habibie was determined to be truly monitored and must be successful, keeping in mind the efforts of his mother to pay for her college and daily life.

A few years later, in 1955 in Aachean, 99% of Indonesian students studying there were given full scholarships. Only he who has a green or private passport than his other friends.

Habibie's B.J Award

These geniuses and achievements led Habibie to be recognized by international institutions, including the Habibie Award, which was Gesselschaft fuer Luft und Raumfahrt (Aeronautics and Space Agency) Germany, The Royal Aeronautical Society London (UK), The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (Sweden) , The Academie Nationale de L'Air et de l'Espace (France) and The US Academy of Engineering (United States).

Meanwhile, the prestigious awards that Habibie has achieved include the Edward Warner Award and the von Karman Award, which is almost equivalent to the Nobel Prize. Domestically, Habibie received the highest award from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Ganesha Praja Manggala Bhakti Kencana.

Habibie's steps are much admired, full of controversy, many admirers, but not a few who disagree with him. Every time, the winner of the prestigious Theodore van Karman Award, back from the "habitat" of Germany, he always made the news.

Habibie only studied for a year at ITB Bandung, 10 years in college to get a doctorate in aircraft construction in Germany with the title Summa Cum laude. He then worked in the leading aircraft industry MBB Gmbh Germany, before fulfilling President Soeharto's call to return to Indonesia.

B.J Habibie Makes the Gatot Kaca N250 Airplane

In Indonesia, 20-year-old Habibie served as State Minister of Research and Technology / Head of BPPT, leading 10 Strategic Industrial BUMN companies. In 1995, Habibie succeeded in leading the manufacture of the Gatot Kaca N250 aircraft which was the first Indonesian-made aircraft.

Habibie's N250 aircraft at that time was not a plane that was made carelessly. Designed in such a way by Habibie, his N250 aircraft has flown without experiencing excessive 'Dutch Roll' (flight term for airplane), the aircraft technology is very sophisticated and Habibie has prepared it for the next 30 years.

Habibie took 5 years to complete the initial design. The Gatot Kaca N250 aircraft is the only turboprop aircraft in the world that uses technology ‘Fly by Wire.

The N250 Gatot Kaca aircraft has flown 900 hours according to Habibie and is one step away from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) certification program.

PT IPTN even built a special N250 aircraft factory in America and Europe for the markets of those countries, although at that time many underestimated the Indonesian-made planes, including some within the country.

 When IPTN under Habibie's command had begun to prosper and employ 16,000 people, Suddenly President Soeharto decided that IPTN would be closed and so would other strategic industries. This was done when the storm of the monetary crisis hit Indonesia between 1996-1998.

Another reason for the closure of IPTN at that time was that Indonesia received financial assistance from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) where one of the conditions was to stop the N250 aircraft manufacturing project which was the pride of Habibie.

All experts working at IPTN and other strategic industries are forced to spread and work abroad, most of them scattered in various countries, especially aircraft factories in Brazil, Canada, America and Europe.

Habibie Became President of the Republic of Indonesia

After the closure of IPTN, Habibie, who was then Minister of Research and Technology (Menristek) was then appointed as vice president of Indonesia on 14 March 1998 to accompany Suharto in the Development Cabinet VII. He served as vice president for only a few months until May 2, 1998.

The great political turmoil and reforms demanded by the Indonesian people reached its peak in May 1998. The resignation of President Soeharto on May 21, 1998, which was accompanied by the announcement of his resignation.

This made Habibie then officially replace him as President of the Republic of Indonesia. He was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to become the President of the Republic of Indonesia to replace Soeharto as the 3rd President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Soeharto handed over the presidential position to Habibie based on Article 8 of the 1945 Constitution. B.J Habibie served as the third Indonesian President more than one year from May 21, 1998 to October 20, 1999.

At that time, B.J Habibie inherited the conditions in which Indonesia was very chaotic after the fall of Soeharto where there were many riots and many areas which claimed to want to escape from Indonesia.

In his administration as President, Habibie made many important decisions. One of them is giving birth to the Regional Autonomy Law. He also freed the people in aspirations so that many new political parties emerged.

Habibie also managed to suppress the value of the rupiah against the dollar to below 10 thousand even though at that time the value had reached 15 thousand per dollar, he also liquidated several troubled banks.

Releasing President's Position

Until finally President Habibie was forced to step down from the position of president of Indonesia after the general session of the MPR in 1999, the Speech of his responsibility as president was rejected by the MPR.

In addition, one of the causes of Habibie's downfall was the release of the East Timor province which chose independence and formed a new state.

But in Habibie's book entitled "Seconds of Determining: Indonesia's Long Way to Democracy", he said that the problem of timor-timor is "inhibiting political and economic stability". So that conflicts from timor can disrupt the implementation of the Reformation.

After placing his position as President and being replaced by K.H Abdurrahman Wahid (Gusdur) as President, B.J Habibie also returned to being an ordinary citizen, he resettled in Germany even though he usually returned to Indonesia.

Habibie's work in calculating and designing several aircraft:

• VTOL (Vertical Take Off & Landing) DO-31 Transport.

• TRANSALL C-130 Military Transport Plane.

• Hansa Jet 320 (Executive Plane).

• Airbus A-300 (for 300 passengers)

• CN - 235

• N-250

And indirectly participate in calculating and designing:

• BO-105 helicopters.

• Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA).

• Several missile and satellite projects.

Habibie's Education History:

• Pare-Pare Elementary School

• SMP 5 Bandung

• Gouvernments Middlebare School (SMAK Dago Bandung)

• Bandung Institute of Technology

• Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

Employment history :

• Wagoner Engineer Talbot, Aachen, Germany

• Vice President of Technology at Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) Hamburg, Germany

• Managing Director of PT. Nusantara Aircraft Industry / IPTN.

• Minister of State for Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia.

• Chair of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology / BPPT

• Managing Director of PT. PAL Indonesia (Persero).

• Chair of the Batam Island Industrial Area Development Authority / Batam Opdip.

• Chair of the Defense Security Industry Development Team

• Managing Director, PT Pindad (Persero).

• Deputy Chair of the Strategic Industry Development Board.

• Chair of the Strategic Industry Management Agency / BPIS.

• Chair of the Indonesian / ICMI Association of Muslim Scholars.

• Daily Presidium Coordinator, Golkar Board of Trustees.

• Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia

• President of the Republic of Indonesia.

That is a bit of a story about the profile, biodata and biography of B.J Habibie, many interesting and inspiring things that can be learned from the story of his struggle with his wife, Mrs. Ainun Habibie.