Gus Dur leaves Merdeka Palace for U.S.
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)