Portal:Indonesia/BOTW/41, 2006

Abdurrahman Wahid (also known as Gus Dur) (born August 4, 1940) was the President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001, and leader of the National Awakening Party (PKB), which he founded after the fall of Suharto.

Born in Jombang, East Java, Wahid was educated in Indonesia, Egypt and Canada. He had long been a widely-respected and controversial Muslim cleric and leader of the Nahdatul Ulama before being elected President by the Indonesian parliament. He earned his controversy mostly from his sarcastic jokes and explicit talks. He is regarded as a very friendly and funny figure, as demonstrated by his affectionate nickname, "Gus Dur" ("Gus" is like brother or comrade, while "Dur" is taken from his name, Ab-'dur'-rahman). Back during Suharto's New Order era, although Gus Dur was seemingly moderate and non-confrontational in regards to the autocratic regime, he was in fact a slick and maverick opposition figure whose threat was taken seriously by President Suharto. (read more...)