Hamzah loses count of wives

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta

As a veteran politician from the United Development Party (PPP), Vice President Hamzah Haz is accustomed to answering questions from the public.

On Friday however, Hamzah found it very difficult to answer a very simple question from Nurmadini Arfanti, a student of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB).

"How many wives do you actually have pak?," ask Nurmadini during a taping of a dialog with presidential candidates. Trans TV station is scheduled to air the discussion on Monday as a part of its regular program.

PPP has nominated Hamzah as its presidential candidate in the July 5 presidential election.

"You can see how many wives I have in my CV," Hamzah said.

"So, is it two (wives)?" the student asked again.

"Yes," the red-faced Vice President replied.

Hamzah's answer clearly surprised his staff and journalists, who were also present during the recording. They all know that Hamzah has three wives.

Early this month, journalists visited Hamzah's third wife Soraya to express condolences for the death of her daughter Azizah Kusuma Dewi.

Azizah was the eldest daughter of Soraya from a previous marriage and died at the age of 24 due to cervical cancer.

It was also fresh in the journalist's mind that around one year ago, Hamzah's first wife Asmaniah admitted that Soraya was Hamzah's third wife.

Hamzah reportedly married his third wife after he was elected vice president in July 2001. The third marriage created an uproar within the country's second family.

It was not clear why Hamzah did not admit the real number of his wives, but it is a fact that only Asmaniah and his second wife Titin Kartini accompany Hamzah in state functions.

From Asmaniah Hamzah has nine children, Titin give him three children, while Soraya has three children from a previous marriage.

A source at the vice president's office said that only the first and second wife receive protocol staff and presidential security guards.