A crowd of thousands gathered yesterday at South Jakarta’s Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, joining President Joko Widodo and the elite of the Indonesian political world in bidding farewell to former first lady Ani Yudhoyono.
The 66-year-old, wife of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (aka SBY), had been undergoing treatment for leukaemia at Singapore’s National University Hospital for the past four months when she died at 11:50am on Saturday.
Her body was flown from Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta that same day, and later transported to her house in Cikeas, West Java.
The full military funeral, made possible by the presentation of a special service medal in 2011, was led by Widodo and attended by the country’s two living former presidents, Megawati Soekarnoputri and BJ Habibie, as well as a range of other high-profile figures and foreign guests.
Many took to social media to express their grief and condolences, with the hashtag #RIPAniYudhoyono becoming a major trending topic on Twitter over the weekend.
Widodo himself was among those taking to Instagram to express his condolences, where he said that Ani was an inspirational figure.
“Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono has gone, but her name will always live in the hearts of all the people who loved her,” the president said, in another Instagram photo posted yesterday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNb2g-B7YX/
Yenny Wahid, second daughter of late President Abdurrahman Wahid, described Ani as a “strong woman” on Instagram, and “a loyal wife and a mother protective of her children.”
“She is a figure who never stops fighting until the end of her life, including fighting the disease that she suffered from. May her steadfastness be an inspiration for us all,” Yenny said on her post.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail offered her condolences to Ani’s husband, the former president, through her Twitter account.
“Condolences to the family of @SBYudhoyono and all the people of Indonesia for the passing of former first lady, Ani Yudhoyono. May you be strong through this difficult time,” she tweeted.
Salam takziah buat keluarga @SBYudhoyono dan seluruh rakyat Indonesia atas pemergian bekas wanita pertama, Ani Yudhoyono. Semoga tabah menghadapi berita duka ini
— Dr Wan Azizah Ismail (@drwanazizah) June 1, 2019
US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus also took to Twitter to express condolences, saying “the United States will long remember Mrs. Yudhoyono’s friendship and dedication to her country.”
On behalf of the Government of the United States, I want to convey my condolences to former First Lady Ani Yudhoyono’s family and the people of Indonesia on her passing. In this time of mourning, please accept our deepest sympathy. pic.twitter.com/ItduS0XF12
— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) June 2, 2019
Ani was married to SBY for more than 40 years, and their love story quickly gained the spotlight on news of her passing, with many people highlighting their loyalty and support to each other over the years.
https://twitter.com/znlxndr/status/1134818422359900163
https://twitter.com/asosiasiibuani/status/1134740457022296064
https://twitter.com/auliyaa_04/status/1134713798118391808
Yesterday’s funeral was also the scene of a rare moment between Megawati and SBY, during which they shook each other’s hand and engaged in a brief chat, as reported by Kompas.com. The two had barely spoken since SBY quit as the chief security minister in Megawati’s cabinet to found his Democratic Party and launch his own presidential bid in 2004.
Ani was Indonesia’s first lady between 2004 and 2014, during SBY’s two-term presidency. It was during this time that she became an accidental Instagram star, famous for carrying her DSLR and posting snaps from the presidential palace or intimate moments of the Yudhoyono family. In fact, Ani was still posting photos during her treatment. She had more than 6 million Instagram followers at the time of her death.
In his eulogy, her son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, thanked his mother for her dedication and contribution to the family and Indonesians, according to a report from Antara.
“Farewell, Memo, we love you and we will forever miss you,” he said, addressing Ani by her family nickname.
