Fee paid to Gus Dur after three years

Fee paid to Gus Dur after three years

JAKARTA (JP): What's is the price of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid's comments for a book?

"It's US$900," said Tadjus Sobirin, who had used Gus Dur's
comments in his book published in 1996 but only paid the latter
some three years later.

"The same comment is used in my second book. Should I pay it
again? I don't know," the Golkar Party's Jakarta chapter chairman
said during the launch of his book entitled "Kadal Si Topi
Bundar, Tadjus Sobirin Tokoh Tanggung Dari Kampung" (Lizard, the
Rounded Hat, Tadjus Sobirin, Unsettled Figure from Village) on
Thursday.

Tadjus, 59, who ruled Tangerang regency for 10 years from
1983, was referring to Gus Dur's new status as the country's
President.

He admitted that he paid his debt to Gus Dur last month only
after the latter reminded him about the unpaid fee at a seminar
earlier.

"Pak Tadjus, where's my honorarium," Tadjus quoted Gus Dur as
saying at the seminar.

Tadjus however did not disclose when exactly the seminar was
held and whether or not his visit had anything to do with his
attempt to get closer to Gus Dur, who few weeks later was elected
as the country's fourth President.

He only said that he then visited Gus Dur's office on Jl.
Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta and gave the dollars in an
envelope to Gus Dur.

Gus Dur's remarks titled "Unsettled Figure from Village" was
first printed in Tadjus' biography Kebengalan dan Kesalehan
(Tokoh Tanggung Dari Kampung)" (Disobedient and Piety --
Unsettled Figure from Village), which is written by Muslim
scholar Emha Ainun Nadjib.

The second book, mostly about the good part of his life and
experience, was written by Tadjus himself.

In the second book, Tadjus also dares to tell "hidden" stories
of former president Soeharto and his former boss in Golkar,
Harmoko.

"This book is about the experiences I wrote in my diary,"
commented Tadjus, who was recently promoted by former president
B.J. Habibie from major general to a three-star general.

He disclosed that he would soon publish his third book about
the country's former presidents Sukarno and Soeharto.(jun)