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)