Wahid, Abdurrahman (1940– )

Indonesian religious leader and president 1999–2001; chair, from 1984, of the Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic Group, Indonesia's largest Islamic organization with 34 million followers in 1998. He was a proponent of political liberalization and believed government should be secular. Although health problems, especially poor eyesight, limited his effectiveness, his position placed him in the role of ‘kingmaker’ after President Suharto's resignation in 1998. Corruption scandals led to his impeachment by the Indonesian parliament in July 2001, and he was replaced by his deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri.

In September 2000, while a decision was still to be made on whether to try former dictator Suharto for corruption, Indonesia's parliament created a team of 50 members to investigate two financial scandals linked to President Wahid. One of the allegations involved the theft of US$4.1 million from the national food agency by people claiming to be acting on Wahid's behalf.

In May 2001, the parliament voted overwhelmingly to proceed with Wahid's impeachment. Although he had tried to avoid impeachment by dissolving parliament and declaring a state of emergency, the move backfired when ministers resigned and the military refused to enforce the decree.