Will Hamzah change his modest ways?<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of Hamzah Haz's neighbors found many
\nchanges at his private house in narrow Jl. Tegalan, Pal Meriam,
\nEast Jakarta, but many questioned whether the new Vice President
\nwould change his modest ways.<\/p>\n
Known as a devoted Muslim, Hamzah always attends a mass prayer
\nat the mosque he founded in front of his house whenever he is at
\nhome. Hamzah has lived there since 1981.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Hamzah is a religious man. He always prays five times a
\nday,\" one of the neighbors, Sofiah, said.<\/p>\n
One of his friends in his childhood, Agusno Sumantri, said
\nHamzah never forgot to chant Koranic verses at night.<\/p>\n
Hamzah says that he goes to bed right after watching TVRI's 9
\np.m. world news, and wakes up at 2:30 a.m. for a morning prayer.
\nThen he will jog or go to the market with his wife, where he will
\ntalk with the people he represents.<\/p>\n
Born in the West Kalimantan district of Ketapang on Feb. 15,
\n1940, Hamzah, who always looks neat in his safari suit and
\nslicked-back hair, usually hidden under a black peci cap, never
\ndreamt of becoming the vice president.<\/p>\n
He learned from his father, a contractor, a lot of lessons in
\nhow to run a business. For this reason, he attended the Senior
\nEconomic High School in Ketapang.<\/p>\n
After graduating from the school in 1960, Hamzah joined Bebas,
\na newspaper in the West Kalimantan capital of Pontianak. A year
\nlater he became a teacher at Cooperative High School in Ketapang,
\nwhich sent him to the State Cooperative Academy in Yogyakarta.
\nUpon his return to Pontianak in 1965, he enrolled at Tanjungpura
\nUniversity's School of Economics, where he earned his BA in
\ncorporate management.<\/p>\n
One of his seven siblings who lives in Pontianak, Basarudin
\nHaz, described his eldest brother as a hero, saying that Hamzah
\nalways educated him to become independent.<\/p>\n
Their father Abdul Hadi Ahmad has already passed away, but
\ntheir mother, Zainab, currently lives with Hamzah in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Basirudin cited an example of how he began his travel agency
\nbusiness several years ago with strong support from Hamzah.<\/p>\n
\"I opened this business with his guidance,\" Basaruddin told
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
Hamzah's long acquaintance with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the
\ncountry's largest Muslim organization, rewarded him the trust
\nthat catapulted him to the House of Representatives in 1971.<\/p>\n
His political career, however, began in 1968 when he was
\nelected to the Provincial Legislative Council representing
\nGolkar, although he never dropped his membership in NU.<\/p>\n
He quit Golkar after the governor refused to install him to
\nthe council speaker post that he had won. Senior councillor
\nSoewardi Puspojo from the Armed Forces faction was awarded the
\npost after a year's standoff.<\/p>\n
His illustrious political career continued even after NU
\nmerged with other Muslim-based parties into the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) in 1973, following president Soeharto's
\ndecision to simplify the multiparty system into a three-party
\none.<\/p>\n
Hamzah retained his legislative seat at the House of
\nRepresentatives representing PPP until then President B.J.
\nHabibie appointed him state minister of investment in May 1998.<\/p>\n
Throughout his 30 years in public life, Hamzah has always sat
\non the committee which dealt with the state budget. His expertise
\nwas proven by the fact that much of his analysis was seen in
\nleading dailies, such as Kompas.<\/p>\n
He capped his political career when he won the top post in PPP
\nin December 1998, beating closest rival A.M. Saefuddin in a vote.<\/p>\n
Some may consider Hamzah an opportunist for his previous
\nstance during the run-up to the October 1999 presidential
\nelection, as his party, along with Muslim-based parties allied in
\nthe Axis Force, rejected the notion of a woman leading the
\ncountry, arguing that \"women are not meant to become presidents\".
\n(prb\/amd)<\/p>",
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