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When former President Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid passed away on Dec. 30, 2009, his youngest daughter, Inayah Wulandari Rahman, was by his side.

His death came just one day before her 27th birthday.

“It’s a heartbreaking moment when celebrations of life and death coincide,” Inayah said. “But fate cannot be resisted. Since that day, the annual commemoration of my father’s death will always be wrapped up with the celebration of my birthday.”

Inayah was not alone in mourning her father’s death. Together, the nation grieved the passing of the first elected president after the fall of the New Order regime of President Suharto.

As president and in his role as the longtime chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s biggest Islamic organization, Gus Dur was renowned for his commitment to social justice and religious pluralism.

His unconventional style of leadership as president caused controversy within the House of Representatives and the Indonesian Armed Forces, and eventually led to his impeachment, but Gus Dur remained a beloved figure among the people, especially those affiliated with NU, until the end of his life.

He is survived by his wife and four daughters, all of whom, in their own way, have carried on his legacy.

Inayah does so through her youth organization Positive Movement, which she helped establish in 2004. The non-profit, nongovernmental organization aims to motivate young people to take responsibility for the state of their society and the environment, from raising awareness about waste reduction to promoting religious tolerance and social harmony.

“We want to encourage young people to be themselves so that they are able to provide value to their society and become agents of change,” said Inayah, 28.

The group’s activities include providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children, coordinating cleanup days for public areas, organizing relief efforts for victims of natural disasters and campaigning for socially responsible governance.

As a co-founder, Inayah is frequently invited to speak at international forums on behalf of the organization, including at the prestigious United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

Inayah is not the only one of the sisters involved in social and humanitarian issues. Alissa Qotrunnada Munawaroh Rahman, also known as Icha, Gus Dur’s oldest daughter, also found her calling following in her father’s footsteps.

Icha, 39, is the leader of an organization of her father’s followers, the “Gusdurians.” The group’s members come from across the archipelago and are committed to carrying on the former president’s work to solve the nation’s problems through a peaceful and tolerant approach.

“I am home practically only two days a week,” Icha said. “The rest of the time is spent visiting problem areas across Indonesia, hosting interfaith discussions to defuse horizontal conflicts.”

The Gusdurians also host monthly meetings at the Wahid Institute, an organization that aims to continue the work of Gus Dur in developing moderate Islamic thought to promote democracy, religious pluralism and multiculturalism, in Matraman, East Jakarta.

Their discussion topics include dissatisfaction with the current state of politics, their longing for the emergence of a leader to replace Gus Dur and strategies for conflict resolution in problem areas.

“Whenever a national problem arises, like the persecution of Ahmadiyah Muslims or Christians of Chinese descent, the yearning for a leader like Gus Dur always bubbles to the surface,” Icha said. “That’s when we truly feel a sense of loss regarding the great figure who always defended the minorities.”

While the Gusdurians are committed to upholding the former president’s legacy, Icha said they did not wish to elevate him to the status of national hero and have rejected the government’s plan to rebuild Gus Dur’s tomb complex in his hometown of Jombang, East Java, using billions of rupiah from the state budget.

Icha’s own simple memorial to her father is a room called Pojok Gus Dur, set up in a corner of the NU office building in Salemba, Central Jakarta, where she and her sisters have established a library filled with books about Gus Dur and constructed a display of photographs and memorabilia from his life.

“Our choice is to go on struggling to safeguard the unity and integrity of the Indonesian nation and state, command respect for human dignity, actualize justice and peace, encourage interfaith dialogue and promote a progressive social movement based on tradition,” Icha said.

Zannuba Arifah Chafsoh Rahman, the late president’s second-oldest daughter, is the only one to have stepped into his political shoes. Better known as Yenny Wahid, the graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government recently weathered some political turmoil after breaking from her father’s National Awakening Party (PKB) to establish her own party, the National Archipelago Prosperity Party (PKBN).

“For me, politics is another way to fight for a better Indonesia,” Yenny said. “Through this [new] moderate, Islamic-based political party, I am answering the call of history, which had been answered before me by the late Gus Dur.”

Yenny’s husband, Dhohir Farisi, is a member of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). Their political careers make it hard for the couple to find as much time as they would like for their 1-year-old daughter, Malika Aurora Madhura, but Yenny says she does what she can.

“I go out of town three to four times a week and usually don’t come home until 3 a.m.,” she said. “If it’s possible to bring Malika then I feed her on the sidelines of business. However, if there is simply no time, I store breast milk in the refrigerator for her. I won’t sacrifice my biological rhythms such as a breast-feeding for my political career.”

Yenny remembers her father being busy when she was a child and said she treasured every moment with him. She understood that he had to make sacrifices for the sake of the nation.

Gus Dur’s third daughter, Anita Hayatunnufus Rahman, known as Anit, says she and her sisters must take special care to manage their time and minimize missed moments with family.

“I’m still trying to bring Kahlil Pandyakira, my 14-month-old son, to work at the Wahid Institute. He often falls asleep while I’m carrying him around in a sling,” she said.

“My sisters and I spend a lot of our energy encouraging active participation in cultural dialogue and promoting common welfare,” she added. “On the other hand, we also have the responsibility to look after our children and take care of our mother, who has to use a wheelchair to get around.”

Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, the former first lady, is also committed to furthering the work of her husband. She is the founder and chairwoman of the Puan Amal Hayati Foundation, which promotes women’s rights.

During the recent fasting month of Ramadan, Sinta visited more than 20 locations across Java, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara