Indonesians mourn as ex-president Wahid is buried - Summary

Jakarta - Former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid was laid to rest at his family's cemetery in East Java on Thursday at a state funeral attended by the country's leaders and thousands of other people. Wahid's wife and daughters, wearing white dresses and head scarves, took turns placing flowers on the coffin of the fourth Indonesian president. A military honour guard fired salvos in tribute to the late leader.

Before being laid to rest, Wahid's body was taken to a mosque at his family's Islamic boarding school in Tebuireng village, East Java, where prayers were attended by thousands of people.

Ministers, police and military leaders, Buddhist monks and ordinary people paid their last respects to Wahid at the elaborate burial complex in Jember district.

Wahid, better known by his nickname Gur Dur, died of multiple illnesses Wednesday at Jakarta's Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, where he had been treated for several days. He was 69.

After his coffin arrived at Surabaya airport accompanied by family members, it was driven to Jombang in a motorcade of high-ranking civilian and government officials.

Tens of thousands of people lined the 70-kilometer route from East Java's capital, Surabaya, to Jombang, where Wahid was buried next to his father.

Police, troops and civilian guards kept the crowd under control, especially on the main avenue running through Jombang, as the funeral procession moved to the burial site.

"On behalf of the family, I would like to ask for forgiveness for any mistakes and slips he made," said Solahuddin Wahid, the deceased's brother.

"Goodbye my brother, goodbye my leader," Solahuddin said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who presided over the state funeral in East Java, formally received the coffin carried by eight soldiers and covered by the national flag.

"We have lost one of the country's best sons, a teacher and father of the nation, a distinguished nobleman," Yudhoyono said in a brief speech. "We are here to pay final homage through a state ceremony, as a form of respect and appreciation from the state and the government."

Millions nationwide held prayer services immediately after they heard of the demise of Wahid, the cleric of pluralism and democratic reformer who was unable to implement his ambitious ideas in the nation of 235 million people.

Prayers were also held at churches, temples and schools across the vast archipelago nation.

The US White House called Wahid "a pivotal figure" in Indonesia's transition to free government who "will be remembered for his commitment to democratic principles, inclusive politics and religious tolerance."

A mourning period of seven days was announced, and Yudhoyono ordered Indonesia's red-and-white flag to be lowered to half-mast across the country for its duration to give the "highest honor" to the man who was its first democratically elected president.

Wahid, a Muslim scholar and secular democrat, came to the presidency after the downfall of Suharto in May 1998, followed by the first free and democratic elections in 1999. He emerged as a compromise presidential candidate, ousting Megawati Sukarnoputri, whose party had won the largest bloc of seats in the legislature but had many enemies in the former ruling party.

But Wahid soon fell out of favor with the Parliament that elected him and was impeached in 2001 for perceived incompetence and an unproven corruption allegation.

Wahid fell while on a pilgrimage to the tomb of his father last week and was rushed to a local hospital. On Saturday, he was flown to Jakarta and taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

The former president's condition deteriorated after he underwent a tooth extraction Monday. Doctors said Wahid died of heart problems, was diabetic and had been undergoing dialysis.

Wahid had already been ill when he assumed the presidency. He had suffered two strokes before his term in office, was nearly blind and had to be guided by an aide everywhere he went. Despite his obvious ailments, he remained active in public affairs until his death.

Abdurrahman Wahid was born on September 7, 1940 in Denanyar village in Jombang district. He was the son of Wahid Hasyim, an independence hero and a minister of religion in the government of Sukarno, Indonesia's founder.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301599,indonesians-mourn-as-ex-president-wahid-is-buried--summary.html.