Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Makassar Grieving at 9.35 pm, Bendera Setengah Tiang for 3 Days Ex-Minister of Defense and Security, Pangab Jendral (Purn.) M Jusuf, passed away late Wednesday from kidney failure and other complications, at his home Sungai Tangka street, Makassar. He was a former Indonesian army chief who played a pivotal role in the rise to power of former dictator Suharto nearly four decades ago. He was 76. M Jusuf was buried Thursday at Panaikang cemetery in Makassar. All people in Makassar and the whole South Sulawesi grieved, and raise Indonesian flag half pole for 3 days. Good bye, M Jusuf! Thanks for what you did for Indonesia. Someone recently observed that people don�t attend funerals much anymore. It�s not a very pleasant thing to do, so we just don�t go. Funerals are sad, but they are also very important. A funeral puts things into perspective. We need to face the reality of our friends passing away. We�re reminded then about the things that are eternal, and that our life today really ought to be spent on ministering to others, taking care of family, kids, grandkids. And that our life is not totally made up of keeping a job and retirement; it�s made up of dealing with people�loving them, serving them, ministering to them, and eventually joining them in Heaven.