“Mr. Crack” and His Message for the Nation

Ninok Leksono

· 6 minutes read

“Do not spend too much time on discussions, do not be a crybaby, and consistently take the plunge into the value-added process, and Indonesia is sure to lead in Southeast Asia and the world.” (BJ Habibie, Kompas, 9/3/1986)

Ascending to the presidency to replace Soeharto on 21 May 1998 was truly a moment of triumph for Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie. However, as an engineer par excellence, his personal triumph occurred on 10 Aug. 1995, just one week before his beloved homeland celebrated its golden jubilee. It was on that day that his brainchild, the N-250 Gatotkaca aircraft, took off on its maiden flight from Husein Sastranegara Airbase in Bandung, West Java.

Habibie said at the time that the most important message to take away from the N-250’s first flight was that it should inspire the younger generation, many of whom did not have access to proper education. Years later, the problem persists in Indonesia as the country enters a new world that was unforeseen during Habibie’s heyday – the digital era.

Habibie, nicknamed “BJH”, was an engineer and a true technologist. BJH often spoke with journalists with an interest in aviation about aeronautical theories, his eyes sparkling and his hands gesturing expressively. Among these theories was the unducted fan, which was originally planned to be used in a propfan aircraft manufactured in collaboration between Indonesian aircraft manufacturer IPTN (now PT DI), Boeing Commercial Airplane Co. and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB, now part of Airbus).

BJH’s dreams of building aircraft and developing the IPTN into an “Everett of the East” – referring to the US Boeing factory near Seattle, Washington – collapsed when Indonesia was rocked by a financial crisis that turned into an economic and sociopolitical crisis. The N-250 Gatotkaca and its cousins, like the Krincingwesi, became mere scrap metal in their hangars.

However, this same crisis catapulted him to the presidency, which he held for only 17 months (21 May 1998 – 20 Oct. 1999). BJH, ever the democrat, willingly gave up his 1999 presidential bid after the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) rejected his accountability report.

Outside his controversy-ridden presidency, BJH achieved many milestones that helped Indonesia move forward. In a discussion commemorating his 82nd birthday on 24 June 2018, the aviation genius compared Indonesia to a stalled airplane that was nosediving. At the time, Habibie said that the only option for Indonesia was to recover from the stall.

At the very least, Habibie had succeeded in averting crises that were even worse. In addition to giving national press freedom, he also gave the people their political freedom, which led to the mushrooming of political parties. He held the first free and fair legislative election in response to public demand.

At the very least, Habibie had succeeded in averting crises that were even worse.

Habibie also fixed the economy by reducing the inflation rate from 80 percent to 2 percent, which increased the rupiah exchange rate from Rp 16,000 per US dollar to just under Rp 10,000 per US dollar, even reaching Rp 6,500 per US dollar at one point – a feat that has not been achieved since. The minus-13 percent growth reversed and increased to 1 percent.

His critics often blamed him for “allowing” East Timor to declare independence from Indonesia on 30 Aug. 1999. However, the East Timor issue would have continued to be a pebble in the shoe if it was left unresolved (2006, Tirto.id) for those Indonesian diplomats who were overwhelmed by the international pressure, which former Foreign Minister Ali Alatas dubbed “the mother of fatigue”.

Father of technology and nation’s teacher

BJH’s legacy includes the National Research Agency, the Indonesian Academy of Sciences and eight strategic facilities. Although these institutions are no longer part of the mainstream, the nation should look back and truly appreciate them.

With a geographical span of 5,300 kilometers – equal to the continental US or the distance from Istanbul to London or New York to San Francisco – aviation is an inseparable part of Indonesia’s path to progress.

With eight industrial transformation training facilities that supported the concept of adding value, beginning at the end and ending at the beginning, BJH laid down a doctrine for Indonesia’s development strategy, which included technological mastery in aviation, maritime and shipping, land transportation, defense, mechanized agriculture and design, that paved the way for Indonesia’s progress.

While shifting the paradigm from comparative advantage to competitive advantage, BJH believed that Indonesia could advance if it replaced its traditional and oil-and-gas commodities with non-traditional, non-oil-and-gas commodities.

Habibie truly lived by the words of his mentor, former president Soeharto, whose inaugural address on 3 July 1971 at Klewer Market left an indelible mark on his heart and mind. It was this idea that informed his life’s mission.

Pak Harto, who had forged close ties with BJH’s family since he led the Diponegoro Division’s Mataram Brigade in quelling the Andi Azis rebellion, placed great trust in the engineering genius who contributed to the crack propagation theory (which was how BJH earned his nickname of “Mr. Crack”). This was why Pak Harto called on BJH at his residence on 28 Jan. 1974, after which Habibie’s career skyrocketed in both industrial technology and politics.

As many have recognized, Pak Habibie was truly the nation’s “Father of Technology”, driving Indonesia’s technology industry for 25 years. President Joko Widodo also conveyed this on Wednesday evening (11/9/2019), when he visited Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) upon hearing that the former president had passed away.

Indonesia has lost another one of its sons. Habibie, who came from an engineering background, was convinced that “democracy must not be stopped” (The True Life of Habibie: The Story Behind the Success, A. Makmur Makka, 2008).

Pak Habibie, in spreading his love of science and technology, in teaching about the importance of adding value and the necessity of democracy and press freedom, was truly a teacher of the nation at a time when Indonesia was wandering on its path to glory.

Pak Habibie has now been reunited with his beloved wife Hasri Ainun Habibie, who passed away on 22 May 2010 after a marriage that lasted 48 years and 10 days. One can almost hear the tune of “Sepasang Mata Bola” (A Pair of Eyes), the legendary song by Ismail Marzuki that Habibie often sang while studying in Germany. Years later, he asked composer Yazeed Djamin to rearrange the song into a beautiful and virtuosic piano concerto.

Farewell, Pak Habibie. May you rest in peace and for all eternity in Heaven.

Editor:

Nasru Alam Aziz

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