When the Palace Becomes the People's House, Gus Dur's Populist "Open House" (4)

The 4th President of the Republic of Indonesia, KH Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur, was renowned as a populist and egalitarian figure. This trait was reflected in the "open house" or Eid al-Fitr gathering held at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta during Gus Dur's presidency from October 20, 1999, to July 23, 2001.

Kompas journalist, J Osdar, captured the atmosphere of the people when the "open house" for Eid al-Fitr 1 Shawwal 1420 Hijriah was held at the Palace during the reign of President Abdurrahman. He wrote this when making a feature published in the Kompas Daily, Monday (10/1/1999).

It is depicted in the writing that thousands of people from various layers and backgrounds entered the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. They came dressed in a variety of clothing, differing in quality and color.

In the article titled “The Atmosphere of Ciganjur Moves to the Merdeka Palace”, the statement of Alissa Qotrunnada Munawarah (Lisa), Gus Dur’s eldest daughter, was quoted. “The atmosphere is indeed like when we lived in Ciganjur. But, let it be, this Palace does belong to the people. We are just waiting for it,” said Lisa at that time to Kompas.

What is interesting is when high-ranking officials, intellectuals, and ordinary people line up or queue to shake hands with Gus Dur. The myth of the royal palace transforms into a home.

This is in line with the view of Dr. Greg Barton. The Australian writer and scholar who followed Gus Dur's activities at the Palace almost every day, at that time, told Kompas that this gathering was very populist.

"What is interesting is when high-ranking officials, intellectuals, and ordinary people line up or queue to shake hands with Gus Dur. The myth of the royal palace transforms into a home," said Barton.

Gus Dur's tendency to avoid protocol-related matters is also revealed in the book "Biografi Gus Dur, The Authorized Biography of Abdurrahman Wahid," written by Greg Barton.

It was written there, among other things, that the first days of Gus Dur's presidency were filled with official agendas, a series of informal meeting schedules, as well as afternoon and evening discussions.

“He made it clear from the start that he wanted a style of presidency that was very different from what people were used to. In fact, if left to his own devices, Gus Dur would have thrown out all the rules of protocol,” Barton wrote.

However, Barton wrote shortly afterwards, but fortunately that did not happen, because it was later proven that protocol intervention was also very necessary. This was not only for Gus Dur's personal security, but also so that his schedule would be functional.

The following year, an “open house” was held again at the Merdeka Palace on Eid al-Fitr, December 27, 2000. The event was divided into two. From 10:00-12:00 WIB, the “open house” was for cabinet ministers, members of parliament, ambassadors, and acquaintances. As for 12:00-13:00 WIB for the general public.

Also present at the event were, among others, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung; Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab; Coordinating Minister for Political, Social, and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ramli; TNI Commander Admiral Widodo AS; and other cabinet members.

Also present at the “open house” at the Palace were Archbishop of Jakarta Mgr Julius Cardinal Darmaatmadja, Admiral Sukardi, Umar Shihab, businessman Aburizal Bakrie, and ambassadors. Also present was an American businessman, Harvey Goldstein.

The guests who attended shook hands with Gus Dur who was standing accompanied by First Lady Sinta Nuriyah and his three daughters; namely Yenny, Nufus, and Inayah. Kompas also noted that Inayah, the President's youngest daughter, appeared with her hair dyed pink.

Through the Kompas archives, we can also trace President Abdurrahman's journey during the halalbihalal during the Lebaran moment. On January 7, 2001, for example, Gus Dur attended the Silaturahmi and Halalbihalal Forum between clerics and the East Java Regional Police at the Langitan Islamic Boarding School, Tuban.

On that occasion, President Gus Dur said, 2001 was the year to resolve security issues after prioritizing a political approach during 2000. "We must unite our strengths to achieve security," said Gus Dur.

According to the President, resolving security issues will be the basis for resolving the ongoing economic crisis. "Only if the security crisis is resolved can we begin to build the economy," he said.