Farewell, Pak Habibie

Fond memories: The writer with Pak Habibie. — Supplied

MY first meeting with BJ Habibie, who died, aged 83, on Wednesday, was in 2011. I remember being ushered into the book-lined study at the late Indonesian President’s Jalan Cibubur house situated in the quaint part of Jakarta Timur. He was clearly pleased when he noticed me admiring his vast collection of books.

Having lived in Jakarta for six years, I made many friends there but Pak Habibie, whom I later addressed simply as Pak Rudy, was unique. He was introduced to me by his sister, Ibu Sudarsono Habibie, a humanitarian worker and one of Indonesia’s finest daughters.