Police invite Gus Dur for mass prayers

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)