Intellectuals announce Gus Dur philosophy school

A number of intellectuals have announced that they will build the Gus Dur School of Philosophy, named after the late former president, who was known for his pluralistic views.

“This philosophy school will be established to be a platform for developing discussions, philosophy and culture that have global views but that are also strongly rooted in Indonesian tradition, Achmad Mubarok, one of the people who proposed the idea to build the school, said.

He said he hoped the school would produce statesmen.
“There are plenty of politicians but not enough statesmen. Perhaps in 50 years statesmen will outnumber politicians,” Mubarok said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Gus Dur was chosen as an icon due to his ideology that sought to bind Indonesian cultures together.
Mubarok said the school aimed to develop a unique Indonesian brand of philosophy.