"W are mourning his passing as we have known him to have actively struggled in the development of the country in the past. May he rest in peace by Allah, the Almighty`s side," said Presidend Yudhoyono who was accompanied by First Lady Yudhoyono during the visit.
The Head of State`s visit to honor Arifin lasted 20 minutes during which he performed a special prayer for the remains of the deceased Arifin led by Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali.
Arifin will be buried at the National Heroes` Cometary in Kalibata, South Jakarta, as he was a lieutenant general of the army during his lifetime and been awarded high class service medals.
Arifin, who died last Sunday in a hospital in Los Angeles, the United States, aged 85, joined a military training camp in Batusangkar,West Sumatra. His military assignments included covering Medan as a platoon commander under the Medan Special Regiment Batallion 3, North Sumatra.
After Indonesian Independence in 1945, Bustanil pursued his bachelor`s degree in law at Padjajaran University, Bandung. Before graduating in 1959, Bustanil met with RA. Su-hardani, a young Javanese girl who later became his wife.
Bustanil`s military career continued to rise and in 1969 he was assigned to hold a post at the Logistics Affairs Agency (Bulog) as a procurement and distribution deputy. Bustanil also enjoyed a short period as Indonesian Consul General in New York in 1972 before he was appointed as Bulog chief and PT PP Berdikari president director a year later.
In 1978, Bustanils career rose to a new height after becoming the junior cooperatives minister while taking charge of Bulog. Successfully running the two jobs, Bustanil appointed by President Soeharto twice as the cooperatives minister from 1983 to 1988 and from 1988 to 1993 without leaving his post as Bulog director.
(SYS/KR-VFT/O001)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
