Police invite Gus Dur for mass prayers

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Police has invited President Abdurrahman Wahid and Cabinet officials to attend a mass prayer at the mosque within the Jakarta Police headquarters on Jl. Sudirman early Saturday morning.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said on Thursday that the police would host a Semaan (recital of Koranic verses) at the mosque for the safety of police officers nationwide.

"City police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Yacob has invited the President and Cabinet officials to join the prayers," Anton told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The prayers will be held at 4 a.m. on Saturday, and all city residents are invited.

"The more, the merrier," Anton said.

These prayers are necessary for the safety of the nation and in particular, the capital. "We will thank God for everything that he has bestowed upon us," he said.

Anton did not seem sure whether Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri had been invited for the prayers.

Anton added that Saturday's prayer session would concentrate on "just that, prayers" and had nothing to do with the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly starting on August 1.

Some 42,000 security personnel will be put on alert and deployed across Greater Jakarta, ahead of the Assembly's special session.

"Do not turn this into a political issue. You may ask why is the President invited when he sacked our National Police chief (Gen. Surojo Bimantoro)? Everybody should pray. So we have invited everybody," Anton said.

Abdurrahman recently dismissed Bimantoro and offered him a post as Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia.

Bimantoro accepted the dismissal, but rejected the offer of the ambassadorial post. (ylt)