PKB angered over Gus Dur health row

JAKARTA (JP): The National Awakening Party (PKB) described on Monday calls for a physical and mental health examination of party co-founder President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid as defamation against him.

PKB's faction chairman at the House of Representatives (DPR) A. Choliq Ahmad said the purpose of such an examination was merely to give the impression that the President was not sane.

The strong reaction came after People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais expressed support for Golkar Party deputy chairman Agung Laksono's suggestion that an independent medical team be set up to examine the President.

Amien suggested that Abdurrahman's controversial statements might be due to the condition of his heath, particularly the two strokes he suffered in the past.

"It's harassment," Choliq charged, "Amien is deeming Gus Dur to be a mentally ill person".

Choliq said if Amien, who is National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman, was so concerned about Abdurrahman's health he should have proposed a medical requirement before nominating Abdurrahman as president in October.

Choliq charged that this was the latest move to undermine the government, with the ultimate aim of toppling Abdurrahman from the presidency.

Amien was known as a key figure in the establishment of the Axis Force, a caucus of several Islamic parties and PAN, which was at the forefront of Abdurrahman's candidacy last year.

Separately, political scientist Fachry Ali also questioned why the President's health was only now becoming an issue in the runup of the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

He pointed out that any medical handicaps impairing Abdurrahman were widely known before he was elected president.

Fachry deplored the political ambitions at work and called on politicians to concentrate their work on assisting the President in overcoming the country's rampant economic crisis, rather than undermining him.

"The most urgent task for is how to encourage Gus Dur's Cabinet to work all-out to recover from the current complex crisis," Fachry told The Jakarta Post in Semarang, Central Java.

The President, who is currently in Cairo attending the G-15 summit, is clearly irritated with the aspersions about his health and lamented the tactics being used for political gain.

"It is easy to prove I'm healthy. I have traveled around the world and I have not died," he told journalists on Sunday night.

Abdurrahman also questioned the need for an independent medical team as he already had access to the best doctors, both at home and abroad.

Nahdlatul Ulama's Central Board Executive member Sholahuddin Wahid said in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday that Amien Rais may be well intentioned but late in his application.

"If he wants to reproach the President due to his health, he should have done that in the beginning, not now," Sholahuddin, the President's younger brother, said.

"This is now the politicialization of a health issue," he remarked.

Sholahuddin claimed that he had even proposed that a medical checkup be conducted on his brother when he was first nominated.

"But my proposal was disregarded. Thus, if this health issue is being raised now, well that's simply too late and merely an attempt to contrive something," he asserted.

"Nevertheless we shouldn't be too emotional about this," he said calming himself.

"Maybe Amien Rais has good intentions for the sake of the people, but it's completely inappropriate now and much too late".

"I truly believe Gus Dur's health will get better. Even his doctors and a medical team from America say so. After politicizing religious issues, please don't politicize health issues now". (jun/har/byg/prb)