Gus Dur cancels checkup plan

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)