Abdurrahman Wahid

Book excerpt: In humiliating circumstances, Indonesia's first democratically elected president, Abdurrahman Wahid, was forced from office in July 2001 after less than two years in the job. Wahid, almost blind and still recovering from a near-fatal stroke, was widely misunderstood in the West, even being seen as a somewhat comical figure. But in Indonesia the Muslim scholar affectionately known as Gus Dur to millions of people had long been revered by many of his countrymen and highly respected by the country's elites. His life had been one of great public service to his fellow citizens, his religion, and his belief in liberal democracy. In this authorized biography, much of it based on unique first-hand observation, Greg Barton introduces us to both the man and his world and attempts to make sense of his controversial public career and presidency. Barton has known Wahid since 1988, when he started researching the influence of Islamic liberalism in Indonesia, and has subsequently spent many months with his subject, including seven months during Wahid's 21-month presidency, both in Indonesia and travelling with him abroad. Anyone who is at all interested in the drama of modern Indonesia will find this view from the inside an essential read.