Gus Dur cancels checkup plan

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid canceled his scheduled medical examination on Saturday while his aides gave unclear reasons about the President's abrupt decision.

Wahyu Muryadi, head of the presidential protocol bureau, indicated the President called off the checkup because he failed to finish his conversation on time with his guests at Merdeka Palace.

"It is better for you to check directly with his doctors. However, as far as I know the President canceled the checkup because he had to receive guests," Wahyu told The Jakarta Post by telephone.

Abdurrahman skipped Friday prayers at the Baiturrahim Mosque in the grounds of the presidential palace, as his doctors asked him to rest before the medical checkup. The test was scheduled to be held at the Army's Gatot Subroto Hospital in Central Jakarta at about 8 a.m. on Saturday, as a part of his routine six monthly checkup regime.

The clinically blind President had already suffered two strokes before his election to the presidency in 1999.

The medical team, which had been waiting for him at the hospital since 7:30 a.m., immediately left after they heard about his change of plan.

Mayor Kuswara, security chief of the hospital pointed out that the hospital was informed by a palace protocol official about the decision on Saturday morning, a few minutes before 8 a.m.

"According to the information we obtained from the palace the scheduled checkup was canceled," Kuswara told reporters at the hospital.

Without elaborating, head of the presidential medical team Umar Wahid said on Saturday the President would undergo the health check sometime next week.

Another team member, Brig. Gen. Tony Soufyan, disclosed the President could not go to the hospital because he had a more important schedule.

The President attended the wedding of the daughter of his close friend, Utomo Danajaya, at the Nyi Ageng Serang building in Kuningan, South Jakarta, at 11 a.m.

"The President may think that attending a party is more important than monitoring the state of his own health," a palace official, who asked not to be named, complaining about the President's decision. (prb)