Ex Indonesian President Dies at 83

Ex Indonesian President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie passed away, late Wednesday, at the age of 83, after suffering a sudden health attack, according to his son Thareq Kemal Habibie.

Mr. Habibie’s son said that his father was receiving treatment for heart problems at Jakarta’s Gatot Subroto army hospital.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will lead Habibie’s official funeral, set to be held today, Thursday afternoon at the Kalibata Heroes Memorial Park.

In 1998, former Indonesian President took power during a stormy transitional period, following the resignation of his powerful successor Suharto, who ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for 32 years. However, Habebi held power for only 17 months.

He succeeded Suharto as Indonesia’s third president only months after becoming his deputy, just as the country sank into spasms of rioting and economic upheaval following the Asian financial crisis.

Habibie was also known for his quest to turn Indonesia into a technological powerhouse, including trying to develop a national aircraft industry.

Speaking at the hospital shortly after Habibie passed away, Widodo described him as “the father of technology in Indonesia”.

Moreover, Malaysian prime minister posted his condolences on his official page on social network “Twitter”, saying the death of Habibie was a “big loss”.