Gus Dur leaves Merdeka Palace for U.S.

JAKARTA (JP): For thousands of passionate supporters, former president Abdurrahman Wahid left the Merdeka Palace on Thursday afternoon full of grace.

Before officially leaving the palace for the U.S., where he will undergo a medical checkup, Abdurrahman addressed thousands of his supporters who had been waiting in front of the palace since morning.

"We will continue our struggle for democracy, if necessary with our sweat, blood and tears," Abdurrahman vowed.

Abdurrahman received a continual stream of guests from Thursday morning until he departed the palace.

The most prominent was newly elected Vice President Hamzah Haz, who immediately paid a courtesy call on Abdurrahman after being elected on Thursday afternoon.

"I just came here to say farewell to Gus Dur," Hamzah said, referring to the former president by his nickname.

Abdurrahman's adjutants escorted him and former first lady Sinta Nuriyah into a presidential limousine at 4:57 p.m. The license plate of the vehicle had been changed from "Indonesia 1" to "B 2044 AR".

From her wheelchair, Sinta, who was partially paralyzed in a 1993 traffic accident, waved to palace employees and members of the presidential security guard.

Boarding a Singapore Airlines flight, Abdurrahman flew to Washington on Thursday evening, with stopovers in Singapore and London.

From Washington, Abdurrahman and several members of his family will travel by car to Baltimore, Maryland, where Abdurrahman will undergo his third medical checkup at John Hopkins Hospital.

He is scheduled to remain in the U.S. for about a week. After his return, he and his family will return to their private residence in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.

After being removed from office, Abdurrahman repeatedly insisted he would not leave the palace. The former first family lived in the palace for 21 months, from Abdurrahman's election as president in October 1999.

He was the second president, the first being Megawati's father Sukarno, to use the palace as an official residence.

Abdurrahman's vice president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, took over the presidency on Monday after he was removed from office by the People's Consultative Assembly earlier in the day.

At least 5,000 supporters crowded in front of a stage that had been set up in the National Monument square to say farewell to Abdurrahman on Thursday.

Many of those present were non-governmental organization activists, including those from the Indonesian Islamic Student Movement and the City Forum. Activists Dita Indah Sari and Yeni Rosa Damayanti addressed the gathering.

The activists were nearly unanimous in their praise for Abdurrahman, calling him their leader in ousting the New Order regime.

Abdurrahman, with outgoing foreign minister Alwi Shihab by his side, began his speech by telling his supporters that he would go to the U.S. for a medical checkup and would return in a week to Ciganjur, South Jakarta.

"I was told by my daughters to have a medical checkup. They said there were signs that I could suffer a third stroke," he said.

He also vowed to continue working for the betterment of the country, along with human rights and prodemocracy activists, including Megawati's younger sister, Rachmawati Soekarnoputri.

When the speeches ended, singer Franky Sahilatua and artist Dorce Gamalama provided some entertainment.

Franky, a long-time supporter of Gus Dur, sang his popular song Orang Pinggiran (Marginal People) and Dorce sang Panggung Sandiwara (Play Stage).

"I shall return," Abdurrahman said before leaving for the airport. (jun/prb)