Gus Dur was a well-known intellectual for his multiculturalism."Depok, W Java (ANTARA News) - University of Indonesia (UI) has set up Abdurrahman Wahid Center (AWC) to serve as a forum to discuss issues related to democracy, global peace and social conflict.
"UI will continue to encourage a just and peaceful world," UI Rector Gumilar Rusliwa Soemantri said here on Wednesday.
The center was named after former president Abdurrahman Wahid who died on December 30, 2009. He ruled the country between 1999 and 2001.
Soemantri said Abdurrahman Wahid who was popularly called Gus Dur was a figure who strived for a new balanced world. Therefore, it was not wrong for UI to use his name to encourage dialogs to create a better Indonesia and UI.
AWC would serve as a bridge between the outer world and Indonesia. UI would always encourage Indonesia to take active part in settling conflicts in the new world order, he said.
"Gus Dur was a well-known intellectual for his multiculturalism," he said.
Meanwhile, Sinta Nuria, Gus Dur`s wife, said the presence of AWC had a strategic function for academics who wished to learn more about Gus Dur`s thoughts. So far Gus Dur`s ideas and thoughts had not been "placed" properly, she said.
Chief of the UI Trustee Agent Council (MWA) Said Agil Siradj said Gus Dur was a cross religious, cultural and state figure. As a Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) member, Gus Dur was able to control his mass.
AWC was expected to thwart latent issue of terrorism derived from campus, he said. (S012)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
