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Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie. Image by Office of the Vice President The Republic of Indonesia –

Top 10 Interesting Facts about B. J Habibie

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ir. H. Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie was an engineer and politician. He served as the vice president before he succeeded Suharto. He became the third president and served between 1998 and 1999.

He was born on June 25, 1936, on the island of Sulawesi in Eastern Indonesia. He went to Europe in 1955 to attend university and spent most of the next two decades earning a degree in engineering and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in Germany and working in the aeronautics industry there.

Less than three months after his inauguration as the seventh vice president in March 1998, he succeeded Suharto who resigned after 31 years in office. His presidency is seen as a landmark and transition to the Reformation era.

Upon becoming president, he liberalized Indonesia’s press and political party laws and held an early democratic election three years sooner than scheduled, which resulted in the end of his presidency.

1. Habibie was a brilliant engineer

Official state portrait of President B.J. Habibie of Indonesia Presidential Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia. Image by (Sekretariat Presiden Republik Indonesia) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (Kementerian Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia) –

Habibie studied in the Netherlands and Germany. He worked for German aerospace manufacturer Messerschmitt-B枚lkow-Blohm. As an aeronautics engineer in Germany, he developed theories on thermodynamics, construction, and aerodynamics, which became known as the Habibie Factor, Habibie Theorem and Habibie Method, respectively.

Upon returning to Indonesia, Habibie became a government adviser and chief of a new aerospace company. Later, he headed the Agency for Technology Evaluation and Application.

In these roles, Habibie supervised the heavy machinery, steel, electronics, and telecommunications industries as well as unveiled the first airplane developed in Indonesia.

2. He is the only Indonesia President to have had a technocratic background

Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie Datum. Image by Rob Bogaerts / Anefo –

He had returned to Indonesia as part of President Suharto鈥檚 drive to industrialize and develop the country. When the president appointed him to be the vice president he hinted that he needed someone with a mastery of science and technology.

He worked under President Suharto for 20 years. He started out as the minister of state for research and technology and then as vice president. He oversaw the attempted development of the Indonesian aircraft industry.

It was no surprise then when he was involved in the decision-making processes in the technical field of aviation and aerospace during his presidency.

3. Habibie is the shortest serving Vice President and President in Indonesia

Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie Datum. Image by Rob Bogaerts / Anefo –

He served as the vice-president for 10 weeks. When President Suharto resigned after 32 years, Habibie went to serve as the president for 1 year and 5 months. This was per the constitution which required the vice president to step up in case the president was unable to act.

The economic troubles that had been festering under Suharto’s dictatorship boiled over soon after Habibie’s vice presidency appointment.

He quickly tried to re-write Suharto鈥檚 wrongs by removing Suharto鈥檚 relatives from government offices. He attempted to distinguish himself from his predecessor and win favor with the emerging opposition factions. In 1999 he lost a parliamentary vote of confidence and he withdrew from the presidential race.

4. Habibie was a reformist

BJ Habibie & her mother Tuti Marini. Image by National Library of Indonesia –

As president, he was determined to distance himself from his predecessor. He apologized for past human rights abuses and outlined an eight-point reform program 鈥渢o build a just, open and democratic society.鈥� He ordered the release of political prisoners, dismantled restrictions on the news media, and reformed politics to allow free elections.

He lifted a three-decade ban on the speaking and teaching of Mandarin as part of an easing of discriminatory policies against ethnic Chinese that was instituted by Suharto after his anti-communist pogroms of 1965-66.

He surprised Indonesians by announcing in January 1999 a plan to hold a referendum offering a choice between special autonomy and independence.

5. He was not a fan of Suharto鈥檚 dictatorship

Monument of Habibie. Image by MesinKetik –

Suharto and Habibie knew each other from their childhood. Though their upbringing was quite different they worked well together. Habibie did work for Suharto for 20 years. This does not go to say that the man agreed with the way Suharto ran the country.

When Suharto bowed down from office, many expected Habibie to blindly follow him. However he stood firm and became president. On the second day in office, he removed controversial ministers in Suharto’s last cabinet but did not touch major figures from the opposition.

He did away with all Suharto鈥檚 relatives in government offices, promised an early election, repealed some legislation, and ordered the release of political prisoners. This quite evidenced his displeasure with Suharto鈥檚 governance.

6. Habibie let East Timor become independent

As president, he made some changes despite their unpopularity. He declared independence for East Timor if its people rejected autonomy within Indonesia. The East Timorese voted in favour of independence triggering a wave of violence. The country is now known as Timor-Leste. This did not go well with many Indonesians who did not want to see their country lose territory.

He freed the East Timor independence leader, Xanana Gusmao, who had served seven years in prison. Mr. Gusmao became East Timor鈥檚 first president in 2002 and later it鈥檚 prime minister for seven years.

7. He protected Suharto and his family from corruption investigations

His friendship ties with Suharto were unable to break completely.  He halted an investigation into allegations that Suharto and members of his family had siphoned off vast amounts of wealth from the government. This was self-sabotage.

In October 1999, days before an electoral assembly was scheduled to select a new president, he withdrew his candidacy. He did recognize that defeat was inevitable.

8. Habibie鈥檚 48-year marriage became the subject of two popular movies in Indonesia

Habibie, former President of Indonesia, with his wife, Ainun. Image by Office of the Vice President The Republic of Indonesia –

He returned to Indonesia for three months in 1962 and reunited with and married his high school sweetheart, Hasri Ainun Besari. She returned to Germany with him. They went ahead to be together for the next 48 years! Their long marriage became the subject of two popular movies in Indonesia.

It was turned into two major blockbusters in Indonesian cinema 鈥� Habibie & Ainun (2012) and Rudy Habibie (2016). Another sequel, Habibie & Ainun 3, followed.

His wife died in 2010. Habibie passed on September 12, 2019, due to heart failure.  He was buried next to his wife in the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery slot 120.

9. He was a major contributor to Indonesia鈥檚 aircraft industry

Patung B.J. Habibie. Image by Fiqhi Rizky –

Even during this brief political career, he was still a true engineer. Being bureaucrat did not mean holding him from approaching problems with the mind of an engineer. He always analyzed problems from their roots before finding solutions.

Post-presidency, he remained committed to developing Indonesia鈥檚 aircraft industry. In 2012, he founded a new plane manufacturer, Regio Aviasi Industri (RAI). It is now developing the R-80 aircraft, an 80-seat regional transport aircraft. Local airlines have ordered up to 155 R-80 planes. Its prototype is targeted for flight tests by 2022.