Gus Dur to Receive National Hero Honors: E. Java Official

Jakarta Globe, Amir Tejo & Candra Malik | October 05, 2010       

Jakarta. The government will soon declare late President Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid a national hero in response to widespread demand from the people of East Java.

Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, seen in this file photo,
 will soon be named a national hero by the government
 in response to widespread demand from the people
of East Java. (JG Photo)    

Deputy Governor Syaifullah Yusuf said he had received verbal notification from the Ministry of Social Affairs and was now waiting for the formal letter to be issued as the province plans to officially announce the honor on National Heroes day on Nov. 10.

Gus Dur, much noted for his efforts in promoting pluralism in the country, was born in Jombang district, East Java.

“We are waiting for the president to sign the letter to be handed over in time for National Heroes day,” Syaifullah said. “We thank the government for its prompt response to our request.”

There were many spontaneous appeals to the government to grant Gus Dur the honor after he passed away in December.

However, Gus Dur’s family said it had not been notified by the government of the plan to declare him a hero.

“Our family has never proposed anything to the government to honor Gus Dur in any form. We did not request the government to renovate his grave, nor did we ask for a national hero title,” Annita Hayatunnufus, Gus Dur’s third daughter, told the Jakarta Globe.

The family said it would wait for formal notification before responding.

In addition to the national honor, the provincial government is planning to renovate the former president’s burial site by widening the access road to allow more visitors.

About 8,000 visitors make their way to the tomb for weekend pilgrimages, with 4,000 more coming during the week, according to provincial government data.

Gus Dur, known as a champion of democracy and moderate Islam, died at the age of 69.

He was Indonesia’s fourth president and was the first elected head of state after the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998.

Educated in Indonesia, Egypt, Iraq and Canada, Gus Dur had a reputation for religious tolerance and moderate politics.

Aside from his prominent political role, he was also leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, a Muslim organization with about 40 million members and one of the largest independent Islamic organizations in the world.