Hamzah Haz: A politician with good survival instinct

Hamzah Haz: A politician with good survival instinct

Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,
korpur@yahoo.com

It has always been a customary routine for Indonesia's
presidents after Soekarno, all Muslims, and five vice presidents,
including Megawati Soekarnoputri, to attend nationally organized
Christmas celebrations as well as annual ceremonies celebrating
Buddhism and Hinduism.

That formality of that routine was nearly interrupted last
Christmas. It was unbelievable for many that Vice President
Hamzah Haz would attend the national Christmas celebration on
Dec. 26. The chairman of the Muslim-oriented United Development
Party (PPP) seemed to be among those who thought it was sinful
for Muslims to convey Christmas greetings to Christians and
Catholics.

But they were proven wrong. The Vice President attended the
Christmas ceremony along with his first wife Nani Hamzah. But the
fear over his expected absence may be a reflection of his image
as an intolerant Muslim leader among non Muslims or even possibly
among moderate Muslims.

This view is still debatable; there are others who argue that
Hamzah is the defender of most Muslims in this country, and that
suspicions about him are only felt by a small group of people.

The Vice President consistently expresses his critical
attitude toward the U.S., especially after the Sept. 11 tragedy.
In commenting about the tragedy, Hamzah was quoted by the press
as saying, "Hopefully, the tragedy can cleanse the sins by the
U.S.."

Hamzah knows very well how to play to the deep-seated
disappointment, denial and anger of Indonesian Muslims over what
they see as allegations without strong evidence from the U.S.,
that terrorists exist here. Other leaders, like Megawati and the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais appear
hesitant to stand up to Washington.

Like it or not, in the absence of the voices of other leaders,
Hamzah succeeds in at least appearing as a strong defender of
Indonesia against foreign pressures and hostilities. Abdurrahman
Wahid is an internationally respected Muslim intellectual,
especially when he was still chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
However, after his fall from the presidency last year, his voice
has become much less effective, and his fall has also affected
NU's self-confidence.

The National Awakening Party (PKB), co-founded by Abdurrahman,
is also affected by the NU situation. Amien's party, the National
Awakening Party (PAN), is also less effective given its
relatively small number of seats in the House of Representatives.

When leaders of the two largest Muslim organizations, NU and
Muhammadiyah started to jointly speak up following the strong
rhetoric from Muslims in the wake of Sept. 11, they eventually
gained an international reputation as the country's moderate
Muslim leaders. However, they still need more time to reach the
credibility that Abdurrahman enjoys within the international
community.

As for Hamzah, he does not want to appear to be a hypocrite,
although he is also often inconsistent. In the case of Megawati,
he had to swallow his own words. In the presidential election in
1999, citing Islamic teachings, he said a woman could not become
president. Nearly two years later he supported her as
Abdurrahman's successor. Hamzah also shows a confusing stance on
the necessity to include the sharia in the amended Constitution.

He never tries to hide the fact that he has two wives. Hamzah
puts his doctorate title in official documents, although it is
only an honorary degree from a little known university in the
U.S. Megawati, who received an honorary doctor of law from
Japan's prestigious Waseda University last year, never uses her
new title.

His first foreign guest after his swearing-in as the country's
ninth vice president last July was from Libya while on the same
day President Megawati received the U.S. ambassador for
Indonesia.

Hamzah openly shows his sympathy to Laskar Jihad leader Jafar
Umar Thalib, most recently, when the latter was detained by
police. He also met with Indonesian Mujahidin Council leader Abu
Bakar Ba'asyir. His attitude has sparked controversy, but he may
be right when he said that he met with them as Muslim brothers.
Hamzah is ready to accommodate the aspirations of outspoken
Muslim organizations.

Hamzah is a veteran politician, and knows very well how to
survive. He was able to endure and thrive during Soeharto's 32-
year dictatorship. He was a member of the House of
Representatives (DPR) from 1971, representing NU, from 1973 to
1998 he represented PPP. Only three parties were allowed under
Soeharto, including Soeharto's party Golkar, the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) and PPP.

The fact that he could maintain his seat in the legislature
for consecutive 27 years, while the military used to tightly
scrutinize PPP members, proved his political skill. As he served
a long time with the House's State Budget Commission, Hamzah is
well-known for his knowledge of the economy. For years, he
regularly wrote articles on the economy for Kompas daily.

When B.J. Habibie replaced Soeharto in May 1998, he appointed
Hamzah as state minister of state enterprises. In December that
year, he was elected to chair PPP. One month before the general
elections in June 1999, he resigned from the Cabinet.

Born on Feb. 15, 1940 in Ketapang, West Kalimantan. He failed
to finish his studies at the Faculty of Economics, Tanjungpura
University, in Pontianak.

Some political analysts, like Arbi Sanit, have pointed out
that Hamzah has already started campaigning for the 2004
presidential elections. Among Muslim-oriented political parties,
so far he is likely the strongest candidate for the next
president.

He now is no longer just the leader of PPP or Islamic society.
Along with Megawati, they are considered to be the parents and
protectors of the whole nation. Hamzah's credibility is now being
tested -- is he able to safeguard all highly diverse Indonesians,
regardless of religion, ethnicity and other backgrounds?

Eventually, it will be much more difficult for him to convince
the international community of his impartial leadership, if he
does not improve that image right now.

The nation needs Hamzah Haz. As vice president, he is too
close to the top to be anything less than a statesman. He has
shown himself as a populist leader, and he now needs to show his
statesmanship.