JAKARTA: Fikri Jufri (pic), one of Indonesia’s most celebrated journalists, died in Jakarta on Thursday (March 6) at the age of 88.
Fikri's family said in a statement that he died at around 9am. He was laid to rest at the city’s Karet Bivak public cemetery on the same day.
He is survived by his three children.
Fikri died on the same day that Tempo, which he had helped found in 1971, celebrated its 54th anniversary.
Former Tempo chief editor Wahyu Muryadi said that when he was a cub reporter in 1989, Fikri was his editor on Tempo’s business and economics desk.
“I knew and learned so much from him since 1989 when I was posted in Jakarta,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
“He had a very broad network among top diplomats and politicians. He contributed a lot to our desk during the days. He was also a very cheerful but well-informed editor. We used to call him om [uncle] FJ,” said Wahyu.
“With his networking and lobbying skills, I think he was one of the best journalists at the time.”
Wahyu said senior journalist Goenawan Mohamad, a friend and coworker of Fikri’s, had informed him of Fikri’s passing.
Fikri and Goenawan established Tempo magazine in 1971 with fellow journalists Harjoko Trisnadi and Lukman Setiawan, among others. Fikri was the recipient of Stanford University’s John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship in 1973.
Ten years later, he worked with Goenawan once again, as well as other journalists and businessmen, to establish The Jakarta Post.
His 2017 autobiography Saya Al Jufri bukan Al Capone (I’m Al Jufri not Al Capone) offers a glimpse into his journalistic and photojournalistic career, during which he covered countries including Cambodia, Germany and South Korea.
In 2018, the Press Council gave Fikri a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to journalism and press freedom in the country.
Prominent Indonesians paid their respects at Fikri’s residence in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, including former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, former education minister Nadiem Makarim and political expert Effendi Gazali.
Effendi said Fikri had always maintained his idealism, even in the face of Suharto’s authoritarian regime.
“His idealism can be seen through his writing,” Effendi said, as quoted by kompas.id.
Journalists, politicians, scholars and civil organisations sent condolences on social media, including the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International (CSIS).
Fikri was one of 56 journalists who signed a declaration in August 1994 that marked the establishment of the AJI to protest the closure of three media outlets during the New Order regime.
Fikri was also a member of the CSIS’ board of trustees. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
