Low-key party for Gus Dur birthday

Low-key party for Gus Dur birthday

JAKARTA (JP): Former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid
celebrated his 61st birthday in a low-key party with his
relatives and close friends at his residence in Ciganjur, South
Jakarta on Saturday.

The main features were cutting a rice cone and chanting
prayers.

Among his guests were caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs
Alwi Shihab, former presidential secretary Adhie Massardi and
businessman Marimutu Sinivasan.

Over 1,000 of his loyal supporters who came to wish him well
on his arrival from a medical checkup in the U.S. on Friday were
still at his vast residence. And more of his admirers keep
flowing to his residence to wish him well.

Last year, Abdurrahman celebrated his 60th birthday at Cipanas
presidential palace just three days before the start of a crucial
People's Consultative Assembly annual session to evaluate his
performance as President.

The special dish offered at that celebration used three deer
from Bogor Palace, one privilege that Abdurrahman may never have
again, after the Assembly fired him on July 23 for incompetence.

Megawati Soekarnoputri, who was the guest of honor at
Abdurrahman's birthday last year and became his successor, did
not turn up for Saturday's party, probably because the
relationship between the two longtime friends has turned ugly.

At 12:30 p.m., Abdurrahman arrived at the National Awakening
Party (PKB) headquarters that he founded, where well-wishers sang
him Happy birthday as he alighted from his car smiling.

Abdurrahman was born in the East Java township of Jombang, on
Aug.4, 1940, a stronghold of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest
Muslim organization that his grandfather Hasyim Asy'ari founded.
(dja)