Abdurrahman turns 60 today

Abdurrahman turns 60 today

JAKARTA (JP): A simple gathering of family and friends will be
held at Cipanas Presidential Palace, West Java, to commemorate
President Abdurrahman Wahid's 60th birthday on Friday morning.

Wahyu Muryadi, head of Presidential Protocol Bureau, said the
party would be a simple family affair involving close relatives,
Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri and religious leaders.

"Three deers from Bogor Palace are being prepared for the
party," Wahyu told The Jakarta Post, while quickly adding that
the Palace grounds are overpopulated with deers.

The gathering takes place just three days before the start of
the crucial People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session
starting Monday.

Different from his three predecessors -- Sukarno, Soeharto,
and B.J. Habibie -- who were all born in June, Abdurrahman was
born in August.

Abdurrahman was born in Jombang, East Java, on Aug. 4, 1940.
His wife was also born in the same city, but is eight years
younger than him.

According to Wahyu, First Lady Sinta Nuriyah along with their
daughters Alissa Qotrunnada Munawaroh Rahman, Zannuba "Yeni"
Arifah Chafsoh Rahman, Anita Hayatunnufus Rahman, and Inayah
Wulandari Rahman will jointly lead the gathering.

The President often describes himself and his wife as a
perfect couple. "We are a perfect couple, as she cannot walk and
I cannot see," he often quips.

Sinta Nuriyah was partly paralyzed after a traffic accident at
Jagorawi toll road in 1993. Abdurrahman's mother, Sholehah, died
in the incident.

During the birthday celebrations Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri is expected to be accompanied by her husband Taufiq
Kiemas.

"Ibu Mega is the most important guest for the first family,"
said Wahyu.

Religious leaders from various denominations -- including
Islam, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu and Buddhist -- are also
invited and are expected to pray for the President.

After conducting Friday prayers at the Great Mosque in
Cianjur, about 15 kilometers from the Palace, Abdurrahman will
visit a Buddhist monk at nearby Pacet.

The monk is said to be an old acquaintance of the President.

Later in the afternoon the President will return to Jakarta to
conduct state business by receiving Papua Council Presidium
leaders, including Theys Hiyo Eluay and Tom Beanal, at the
Merdeka Palace.

"In the evening the President will watch a wayang (shadow
puppet) performance, which is organized by Ibu Nina Akbar," said
Wahyu, referring to the wife of the House of Representatives
Speaker Akbar Tandjung.

Abdurrahman comes from a family of national heroes. His father
Wahid Hasyim, was the country's first minister of religious
affairs.

His grandfather, Hasyim Asy'ari, was the founder of the
country's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama. (prb)