Susilo prays for a little good luck

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Religious ceremonies have always been part of state life in Indonesia, but in Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration these ceremonies are taking a new form and meaning.

Dismayed by a series of mishaps and disasters since he took office on Oct. 20, Susilo invited about 70 people to a prayer meant to purge his administration of bad luck.

Led by noted preacher Abdul Rachman al-Habsy, the ceremony at the presidential compound's Baiturrahman Mosque lasted for about four hours and included prayers and Koran readings.

This same group of people sometimes holds prayers at Susilo's private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java. None of Susilo's five predecessors held such gatherings at the presidential compound.

"We were only praying for the President's welfare and safety so he can lead the country for the next five years. Disasters are always part of our life and we have to look at ourselves to see what we have done wrong," Al-Habsy said after the ceremony on Thursday night.

He refused to say the ceremony was meant to cast away bad luck, but underlined: "In every life, there are events that force us to return to God and ask for assistance."

He said it was the first time he led such a ceremony for the President at the palace.

"We were called this afternoon to have the gathering here and not in Cikeas," the preacher said.

A string of natural disasters and fatal accidents have plagued country over the past two months, claiming dozens of lives. These accidents included a fatal crash after officers stopped traffic on the toll road to allow the President's entourage to pass.

In a recent bus accident in Bantul, Yogyakarta, a legislator from Susilo's Democratic Party was killed.

In addition to these accidents, one of Susilo's aides told The Jakarta Post the President had been losing sleep since moving into Merdeka Palace.

"There are many disturbances that keep the President from sleeping," the aide said, refusing to explain the exact nature of these disturbances.

Some of the palace's staff say there are ghosts in the palace, and only people like founding president Sukarno and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, also an Islamic cleric, can live with such disturbances.

These kinds of religious ceremonies are not totally alien to the presidential office.

Former president Soeharto was known for a group of shamans who looked after his welfare and were said to have visited remote places to gain spiritual strength.

Similarly, Gus Dur visited many grave sites during his presidency. Being a cleric himself, he reportedly had many genies to assist him.

Susilo's predecessor, Megawati Soekarnoputri, once held a ceremony with nine Hindu leaders to wash the sacred objects belonging to her family.

"We have to leave everything in God's hands, that is why we held these prayers," Al-Habsy said.