Hasri Ainun Habibie

Hasri Ainun Habibie was an Indonesian physician and the wife of former President B. J. Habibie. She served as the First Lady of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. She was born in Semarang, Central Java, to a well-educated and intellectual family. She studied medicine at the University of Indonesia and graduated in 1961. She worked at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta. She married her high school friend, B. J. Habibie, in 1962 and moved to Aachen, Germany, where he worked as an engineer. They had two sons, Ilham and Thareq. In 1978, Habibie was appointed as the Minister of Research and Technology by President Suharto. Ainun joined the Dharma Wanita organization under the leadership of First Lady Siti Hartinah. She also led the Dharma Wanita of her husband's ministry and consolidated non-department organizations with other ministers' wives. She founded the Yayasan Karya Bhakti RIA Pembangunan (YKBRP) in 1978, which aimed to improve the welfare of the people through health, education, and social services. She also chaired the PPMTI, an organization that supported the development of medical technology in Indonesia, from 2000 until her death in 2010. In 1998, Habibie became the Vice President of Indonesia under Suharto, and Ainun became the Second Lady. After Suharto resigned in May 1998, Habibie succeeded him as the President, and Ainun became the First Lady. She supported her husband's reform agenda and advocated for democracy, human rights, and women's empowerment. She also accompanied him on various state visits and hosted foreign dignitaries. She was known for her elegance, intelligence, and compassion. She died in 2010 in Munich, Germany, after battling ovarian cancer for three years. She was buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta with full state honors. She was widely mourned by the Indonesian people and received tributes from many national and international leaders. She was also the subject of a biographical film, Habibie & Ainun, which was released in 2012 and became one of the highest-grossing Indonesian films of all time.