Guess What? Gus Dur

Guess What? Gus Dur

Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who chaired the
country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), for
15 years, is often assumed by some people to have supernatural
powers.

When he spoke on Tuesday in Yogyakarta at a public dialog
organized by activists from the student magazine Pijar from
Gadjah Mada University's School of Philosophy, in cooperation
with Internet journal site Gusdurnet.com, a student
enthusiastically asked him if his walking stick was invested with
supernatural powers.

"I have twice changed my walking stick. My first stick
was broken into three pieces when a group from NU's security task
force Banser rushed to shake hands with me in Banten. And this
stick I'm holding now is a gift from (politician) Rozie Munir,
which he bought in Tokyo. So, you see my stick has no special
powers," he said amid laughter.

He also said he forgave People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
Speaker Amien Rais, one of his most ardent critics, and his
successor Megawati Soekarnoputri, who had been his vice
president.

"But that is my personal stance, not my group's nor my party's
stance," he said, referring to the National Awakening Party
(PKB). (Asip A. Hasani)