For the dead

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 12/31/2010

Local villagers in Saddang, North Toraja, South Sulawesi, take part in a traditional burial procession called Mabadong, which involves animal sacrifice. (Antara/Sahrul Manda Tikupadang

Thousands bid farewell to late King of Peliatan

Luh De Suriyani, The Jakarta Post, Ubud | Wed, 11/03/2010 9:17 AM

Royal cremation: A wooden sarcophagus in the shape of a white bull with gold plated horns makes its way along Ubud’s crowded streets on Tuesday. The coffin of the late Ida Dewa Agung Peliatan IX, the last king of Peliatan, with a 25-meter-tall bade cremation tower on it is seen in the background. The remains of the Balinese king were later moved from the tower and placed inside the sarcophagus and cremated. Almost 7,000 men from 30 hamlets in Ubud took turns to help carry the sarcophagus, the bade and the naga banda (dragon) during the funeral procession. JP/Agung Parameswara

The Bali royal families, foreign dignitaries and thousands of residents of Peliatan and Ubud flocked to Peliatan Palace to witness the grand cremation of the late King of Peliatan IX, Ida Dewa Agung Peliatan, on Tuesday.

Prior to the grand palebon agung — a cremation ritual for members of the Bali royal families — Peliatan’s royal family and nobility paid their last respects to the late King, who died from diabetes last August.

Hindu High Priest Ida Pedanda Lingsir Padang Tegal, who presided over the religious ritual, fired a sacred arrow into a 6-meter-tall dragon-shaped bridge called naga banda in a symbol of destroying the earthly desires that tormented the late king, and thus releasing his soul from the temptations of the material world.

The naga banda, presented by the Ubud royal family, was used to carry the body of the late King Peliatan to a 25-meter-tall cremation tower called a bade.

The tower has 11 pyramid-shaped roofs signifying the king’s lineage from the noblemen of East Java’s Majapahit Kingdom, which conquered the island in the 14th century.

Thousands of villagers enthusiastically carried the 20-ton bade from Peliatan Palace to Royal Dalem Cemetery. They were followed by a long procession of women carrying colorful offerings and other items as part of the ritual.

All of the members of Bali’s royal families attended the procession in the most formal of royal attire.

It took more than one hour for the hundreds of pallbearers to carry the bade over the 1.5 kilometers from Peliatan Palace, where the king had been lying in state, to the cemetery.

Pan Mandi, a theater artist from Gianyar, was one of the bade carriers.

“I am so honored to take part in the ritual. This is a sacred ritual and a reflection of our respect for the late King of Peliatan,” Pan Mandi said.

Traffic in the Ubud area ground to a halt as a sea of spectators flocked to the event. Power was turned off in the area to ensure the 11-tier cremation tower was not damaged by power cables.

Local and foreign visitors waited patiently under a scorching sun for the procession to make its way to them. Most restaurants, cafes, shops and traditional markets were closed in the morning out of respect for the event, which took the palace months to prepare for.

Peliatan Palace had also held a long series of rituals before Tuesday’s cremation ceremony.

Tjokorda Putra Nindya, the King’s nephew and the heir to the Peliatan throne, said he must follow in the late King’s footsteps by getting the palace more involved in social and cultural activities in Bali.

“Before he passed away, the late King asked me to become more actively involved in cultural dialogue for the betterment of Bali.

“We have a similar family lineage to the Ubud Royal Family, but they are more active in society,” Tjokorda Putra Nindya said.

On Oct. 7, the Palace declared Tjokorda Putra Nindya would be crowned the new king of Peliatan.

Power was turned off in the area to ensure the 11-tier cremation tower was not damaged

by power cables.

Rest in peace

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Yogyakarta | Thu, 10/28/2010

Relatives pray in the grave for the victims of Mount Merapi eruption during a mass burial in Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, on Thursday. AP/Irwin Fedriansyah

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No special funeral for Mbah Maridjan: Sultan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 10/27/2010 7:39 PM

Mount Merapi is seen as sacred in the region

Yogyakarta Governor and Sultan of Yogyakarta Hamengkubuwono X said Wednesday there would not be a special funeral for Mbah Maridjan, who died after refusing to abandon his ceremonial post as caretaker of Mount Merapi’s spirits.

Mbah Maridjan

“There are no special funerals for the Sultanate’s servants. His body has been retrieved by his family and will be buried with the other victims [of the eruption],” Hamengkubuwono said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Maridjan, 83, had been entrusted by the highly respected late Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX to watch over the volcano's spirits. For years he led ceremonies in which rice and flowers were thrown into the crater to appease its spirits. Maridjan had angered officials in the past by refusing to evacuate during Merapi’s eruptions.

“[His refusal to evacuate] was because of his responsibility as caretaker of Mount Merapi,” Hamengkubuwono said.

Maridjan was among 31 people killed by hot ash spewed by Merapi on Tuesday in Umbulharjo village, Sleman, which is located 4 kilometers from the volcano.

Famous for his convictions about his position, Maridjan was reportedly found in a praying position, kneeling facedown on the floor.

A large crowd of people attended the funeral of Maridjan, Merapi's spiritual keeper

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A motorcycle lies covered by volcanic ash at a village that is hit by pyroclastic flows from Mount Merapi eruption in Kaliadem, Yogyakarta, on Wednesday. A volcanic eruption and a tsunami killed scores of people hundreds of miles apart in Indonesia, spasms from the Pacific "Ring of Fire," which spawns disasters from deep within the Earth. AP/Slamet Riyadi

Former Indonesian First Lady to Receive State Funeral

Jakarta Globe, Dessy Sagita, May 23, 2010

Women reciting prayers for Hasri Ainun Habibie at a mosque in South Jakarta
 on Sunday. Ainun, the wife of former President BJ Habibie, passed away in
Germany at the age of 72 after a battle with cancer. (JG Photo/Clara Prima)

IHasri Ainun Habibie, the late wife of former President BJ Habibie, will be accorded a state funeral at Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in South Jakarta on Tuesday, a spokesman for the family has confirmed.

Ainun, 72, died of colon cancer in Munich on Saturday. Her body is expected to arrive in Indonesia early on Tuesday, Ahmad Watik Pratiknya, the family’s spokesman and executive director of the Habibie Center, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

“If everything goes well, we expect that the funeral can be conducted on Tuesday evening," he said, adding that Ainun’s remains would be repatriated to Indonesia as soon as possible.

According to Ahmad, the body will first be taken to the Habibie family’s private residence in Patra Kuningan, South Jakarta, for religious observances before the funeral at Kalibata.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over the weekend expressed his deepest condolences to the Habibie family.

He said Ainun should receive a state funeral not only because she was a former first lady, but also because she had contributed significantly to the country with her tireless services.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said that Yudhoyono himself would lead the funeral at Kalibata.

Vice President Boediono also expressed his condolences to the Habibie family over the weekend. Julian said he was still coordinating with the vice president to organize the necessary arrangements for the funeral.

Ainun had been hospitalized at the Grosshadern Clinic at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich since late March. She had undergone a series of surgeries and other treatments for colon cancer over the past two months.

According to reports, Habibie had stayed by his wife’s side during her stay at the hospital. They had been married for 48 years and had two children.

Ilham Habibie, the Habibies’ eldest son, said in a message on his personal Twitter account that he and his family were still in Germany waiting for their flight to Indonesia and would arrive on Tuesday morning.

Ilham also advised mourners against sending flowers and instead asked for them to make donations in his mother’s name to the Orbit Foundation (YAAB Orbit), a private educational charity, and Aini Eye Hospital, both institutions that Ainun had been actively involved in.

Hasri Ainun Habibie was born Hasri Ainun Basari in Semarang on Aug. 11, 1937. She was the fourth of eight children of Muhammad Basari and his wife, Sudarmi.

Ainun graduated from the School of Medicine at the University of Indonesia in 1961 and soon after began working in the pediatrics section of state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Jakarta.

She married Habibie in May 1962 and they had two children, Ilham Akbar and Thareq Kemal, and four grandchildren.

During her life, Ainun was actively involved with the Orbit Foundation, a nongovernmental organization focusing on providing scholarships for bright students from poor backgrounds. She was also active in promoting eye health and was involved in promoting eye donor campaigns, working closely with the Aini Eye Hospital in Jakarta and other health-related foundations.

Despite avoiding the spotlight as much as possible, Ainun received several national service honors for her contributions to the country, including the Mahaputera Utama decoration in 1982, and the Mahaputra Adipurna and Mahaputra Adipradana in 1998.

Habibie became the country’s third president after Suharto stepped down in 1998.

Former President BJ Habibie and first lady Hasri Ainun Habibie in this file
 photo from 2005. Ibu Ainun has been hospitalized for almost a month.

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Last respect: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (right) places flowers

 arrangement on the grave of former first lady Hasri Ainun Habibie as third 

Indonesian President B.J. Habibie (second left, sits) looks on during the 

funeral service in Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery Park, South Jakarta, on 

Tuesday. Ainun died at a hospital in Munich, Germany, on Saturday last

week, from an illness. Antara/Widodo S. Jusuf

Rest in peace

The Jakarta Post, Sat, 01/02/2010 3:30 PM

Some residents read Koran while visiting the graveyard of former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid in the Tebuireng cemetary, Jombang on Saturday. Hundreds of people come to the site everyday to pray for the cleric. (Antara/Syaiful Arif)

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Supporters light candles in front of a picture of former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur, in Surabaya, East Java. (Reuters Photo/Sigit Pamungkas)

Tributes Pour in for Gus Dur

Jakarta Globe, April Aswadi & Nurfika Osman

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday ordered flags in the country to be flown at half-mast for the next week to mourn the death of former President Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who will be accorded a state funeral in his hometown in East Java.

Wahid, who was the country’s fourth president, serving from October 1999 to July 2001, died from health complications at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta at 6:45 p.m., presidential doctor Aris Wibudi said. He was 69.

“I invite Indonesians nationwide to pay him their highest respects,” Yudhoyono said in a nationally televised address. “I say this with prayers and hope that he is accepted at the side of God for his enormous service to the public, the nation and our beloved state.”

Yudhoyono said he would personally lead the state funeral in Jombang, while the chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly, Taufik Kiemas, would lead an official ceremony to see Wahid’s body off from Jakarta.

Aris said Wahid fell into critical condition at 6:15 p.m. and passed away 30 minutes later “due to health complications, including diabetes, kidney problems and stroke.”

Wahid’s sister, Lily Wahid, said the body would be transported to Jombang to be buried at the Tebu Ireng Islamic boarding school, which the former president founded. The body is scheduled to leave Jakarta at 8 a.m. today from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta.

More than 100 people gathered at Cipto Mangunkusumo upon hearing news of Wahid’s deteriorating condition, and a constant stream of officials, politicians and friends came seeking news of his health.

Across the country, prayers and vigils were held to mark Wahid’s death. His private residence in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, was filled with dignitaries and public figures wanting to pay their final respects, and although access to the residence was limited, hundreds of people waited and prayed outside in the street.

Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, the Muslim organization that Wahid chaired for 15 years until 1999, said “no other figure could have built the NU to what it is today.”

“His understanding and appreciation toward other religions was remarkable,” said the Rev. Nathan Setiabudi from the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI). “He had a strong vision but was not too particularistic about Islam. … He has made great contributions, especially toward minority groups.”

Budi Santoso Tanuwijaya, secretary general of the High Council of Confucianism (Matakin), called Wahid “a person who genuinely defended marginalized ethnic groups.”

“For him, discrimination was the ultimate violation of human rights,” he said.

Sidney Jones, a Jakarta-based Southeast Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said Wahid promoted pluralism, and more important, “he was one of the biggest promoters of the [civil society] movement.”

Dharmawan Ronodipuro, one of Wahid’s former presidential spokesmen, remembered his former boss as being “very human.”

Gus Dur: A Tolerant Leader Respected in Indonesia and Abroad

Jakarta Globe

Abdurrahman ‘Gus Dur’ Wahid passed away at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta. The former president and chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama will be accorded a state funeral in his hometown of Jombang, East Java, which will be led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. (JG Photo/Afriadi Hiikmal)

Although a scion of a respected East Java family of Islamic ulemas and educators, Abdurrahman Wahid forged his name as an ardent proponent of religious tolerance and moderate politics. His commitment to those causes remained strong throughout his life, earning him recognition both at home and abroad.

He was the eldest grandchild of Hasyim Asy’ari, founder of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which later became the country’s largest Islamic movement. Wahid, popularly known as “Gus Dur,” joined the organization, albeit reluctantly, in the early 1980s as a member of its Religious Advisory Council.

He gradually rose within the ranks and in 1984 he was elected as chairman of the NU, a position that he skillfully managed to keep, despite the disapproval of autocratic President Suharto, for 15 years. Despite leading a conservative religious organization, Wahid consistently maintained that faith was a personal matter, a stance which drew criticism from Islamic circles but earned him the respect of non-Muslims across the archipelago.

When the Asian financial crisis began to hit in mid-1997 and gradually eroded Suharto’s political control, Wahid allied himself with other prominent opposition figures, including Megawati Sukarnoputri and Amien Rais, who establish a reform movement.

He later approved the establishment of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in 1998 to accommodate NU’s political aspirations. In February 1999, the PKB nominated him as its presidential candidate and by that October he had wheeled and dealed enough to be elected as the country’s fourth president by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) despite being almost totally blind and needing assistance to get around.

Wahid’s first moves as president included abolishing the Ministry of Information, which had long been Suharto’s tool to control the media, and the notoriously corrupt Ministry of Welfare. Although he failed in his peace gambits in restive Aceh and Papua, he was credited with making the first approaches to settle the separatist conflicts through negotiation.

As president, Wahid will also be remembered for declaring Chinese New Year an optional public holiday in January 2001. The following month, he lifted Suharto’s three-decade ban on the display of Chinese characters and culture.

But his liberal ideas and sometimes erratic public statements left him never far from controversy. His suggestion in 2000 that a 34-year ban on Marxism-Leninism be lifted met with strong opposition, as did his suggestion that Aceh be granted an East Timor-style independence referendum.

His conciliatory stance with Israel, with which Indonesia has no diplomatic relations, brought him the scorn of many Muslims, and his open disdain for members of the House, whom he once likened to kindergarten children, earned him their undying hostility.

They would eventually have their revenge by rebuking him in February and April 2001, enabling the MPR to impeach him in late July of that year. His desperate bid during those dark days to cling to power by declaring a state of emergency was ignored by his top ministers, and remains the only blotch on his image.

He is survived by his wife Sinta Nuriyah and their four daughters.

Thousands of mourners turning out to honor Gus Dur as his funeral procession passes a mosque in Jombang, East Java. (AFP Photo / Mochammad Risyal Hidayat)

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Former President Abdurrahman Wahid Dies

President to lead Gus Dur's funeral

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 12/30/2009 11:03 PM

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Wednesday that he would lead the funeral of former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid or known as Gus Dur tomorrow in Jombang, East Java.

“I will be the inspector of the (funeral) ceremony. I have coordinated with leaders of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) who will lead to bring the late body from his home to East Java,” the president said during a brief press conference.

Gus Dur, the fourth Indonesian president, died at 6:45 p.m after undergoing a tooth operation at the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital in Central Jakarta.

For several years, Gus Dur had been suffering from complicated diseases, including diabetes and stroke.

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Former President Abdurrahman Wahid Dies

The Jakarta Globe

Gus Dur (Antara Photo)

Indonesia's former president Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur, died in Jakarta's Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital on Wednesday. He was 69 years old.

Hospital director Doctor Akmal Taher said Gus Dur died from complications of kidney and heart problems. The former president had been undergoing regular dialysis for some time. He was hospitalized last week after traveling in East Java.

"Gus Dur was in good condition. He had a tooth pulled out yesterday, he had returned to his room and he ate well. In the afternoon his condition went downhill. We moved him to intensive care but we couldn't save him," Dr. Akmal told Metro TV.

Gus Dur served as president from 1999-2001 during the turbulent years following the resignation of strongman Suharto in 1998.

“The one thing that I found him … it sounds like a cliche; I found him very human," said Dharmawan Ronodipuro, a palace spokesman under Gus Dur.

“On the one hand he could be brilliant, but on the other hand sometimes he could just be wacky. There were two sides. He’s a very complex person. It’s difficult to try to describe him.”

The former president remained influential at home and abroad. In late October he visited the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office to lend his support to embattled deputies Bibid Samad Rianto and Chandra Hamzah. He was listed as one of the world's 500 most influential Muslim figures in a book published by Washington's Georgetown University last month.

Gus Dur was born on September 7, 1940 in Jombang, East Java. He became head of the Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama in 1984 and founded the National Awakening Party (PKB) in 1999 before running for president.
JG

Family members and friends carrying the body of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur. He will be buried in his home town of Jombang, East Java. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

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Timika security upped ahead of Kelly’s burial

Markus Makur, The Jakarta Post, Timika, Mon, 12/21/2009 8:34 AM

Mourning Star: Supporters of slain Papuan rebel leader Kelly Kwalik drape a Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag over his coffin in Timika on Saturday. The separatist leader was shot dead during a police raid on his house in the town early Wednesday. JP/Markus Makur

Police and military have stepped up security at government buildings in Mimika regency, Papua, on Sunday, a day before the funeral of separatist leader Kelly Kwalik.

The situation was reported as normal Sunday in the Mimika regency capital Timika, following a riot the day before in which supporters of Kelly’s pelted the regency legislative council building, where his body had been laid in state, with rocks.

The crowd dispersed after police and soldiers fired warning shots.

The riot flared up after Amungme People’s Institute executive director Nerius Katagame asked a crowd of about 500 to write down their grievances and aspirations in the wake of Kelly’s death.

The request apparently angered them as most of those at the rally were reportedly illiterate.

More local residents joined the crowd at the Mimika legislature Sunday to pay their last respects to Kelly, who was shot dead Wednesday by security forces.

The 800-strong crowd, which included councilors and community leaders, agreed to bury Kelly on Monday, but remained undecided on his final resting place.

His family had called for the Free Papua Organization (OPM) leader to be buried near Moses Kilangin Airstrip in Timika.

But security authorities forbad them from burying Kelly there.

Youth leader Hans Magal from the Amungme tribe, coordinator of the funeral procession, said the dispute over the burial site was the reason for the delay in Kelly’s burial.

“The police said Kelly Kwalik must be buried today or Monday at the latest,” he said.

“We’re still discussing this matter. We agreed earlier this afternoon to bury him on Monday, but we’re still deciding on a place.”

Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Moh. Sagi said the authorities were strictly against the rebel leader being buried near a place as strategically important as the airstrip.

He added the police had given the family and supporters until Monday to bury Kelly, otherwise the security authorities would do so forcibly.

“I’ve made it clear to the funeral committee that the Papuan provincial police have issued an order to immediately bury Kelly Kwalik,” he said.

Local councilor Karel Dwijangge said the casket would be opened Monday morning to allow local residents to pay their last respects before his burial.

Kelly was killed early Wednesday during a raid on a house in Timika.

The local military blamed Kelly for masterminding a series of attacks on employees of US copper and gold mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia.

Kelly strenuously denied the accusations.

A priest prays for the late Kelly Kwalik as Papuanese supporters of the late rebel commander surround his coffin covered with the Morning Star flag, in Timika, on December 21. Some 800 people attended the funeral of slain Papuan rebel leader, as anti-Indonesian sentiment ran high in the restive province following days of protests. (AFP/Tjahyo Eranius)

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