Tosari a good fit as Ismail's partner

Tosari a good fit as Ismail's partner

By Santi WE Soekanto

JAKARTA (JP): The one thing people can expect from the new
leadership duet in the United Development Party (PPP) is this:
the new Secretary-General Tosari Widjaya will surely be able to
work with chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum.

"Me and Buya (father) Ismail Hasan have virtually been sharing
the same pillow," was how Tosari described his close relationship
with the chairman.

"I can tell what it is that he wants even when the only thing
he does is smile at me," Tosari said of his senior. "We
understand each other so well, so there won't be any need to
yell."

With such close rapport, the appeal to Ismail Hasan, who hails
from the Muslimin Indonesia faction in the party, to placate the
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) faction, should not be a burden.

Tosari hails from NU, whose candidate, Matori Abdul Djalil,
failed to wrest the leadership from the hands of the incumbent
chairman in last week's PPP congress.

It was no secret that Ismail Hasan, during his first five-year
term, could not cooperate fully with Matori, who was his
secretary-general.

During the PPP's third congress last week, Tosari was not even
considered a contender in the bitter rivalry for chairmanship. It
was reported that the electoral board picked his name only as an
alternative figure, and that he was not seen as important enough
to make those who coveted the top post concerned.

It's not entirely clear what happened during the board's
sessions, which were held behind closed doors, but Tosari came
out as a winner.

He is now the party's second man for the next five years.

"I heard the news that I was appointed secretary-general from
reporters," he said, describing his surprise over getting his new
job.

"I never asked for any position," he said, adding that he
would never have been disappointed to be posted in any other
position. "I don't have the word 'disappointed' in my vocabulary
of life. I do everything in the hope of finding the blessings of
Allah."

Born on August 20, 1940, in Paiton, a small subdistrict in
Probolinggo, East Java, Tosari prefers to be considered a son of
Madura instead of a Javanese.

He grew up in the small town of Kraksaan, among Madurese
people, an experience which left him with a strong trace of the
Madurese accent in his speech.

Although never exceedingly popular, Tosari is by no means a
newcomer in politics, nor in the party. In 1977 he became the
party's vote-getter among the public, and quickly befriended
Ismail Hasan.

"I have never viewed myself as Buya Ismail's underling.
Instead, I see myself as a friend and partner," he said, adding
that with this standing, he is free to offer comments or even
correction to the chairman.

Tosari became interested in politics at the early age of 12.
When he found out that the first president, Sukarno, was to give
an oration in Probolinggo, some 25 kilometers away from Kraksaan,
he hitched a ride in a truck.

"I just wanted to see his face close by," he told the Kompas
daily. "It was an unforgettable experience. And it was the reason
why I became interested in politics."

Tosari spent his teen years as an activist at the local
chapter of the Red Cross in Kraksaan. He spent some years in the
Nurul Jadid pesantren (Islamic boarding school) before going on
to the State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Malang city.
It was at this time he joined the NU students organization, IPNU.

Between 1969 and 1973, he became vice secretary-general of the
Moslem Workers Union. In 1971, he was sent by the NU organization
to take a one-year non-diploma course on industrial relations at
the University of the Philippines. In 1976, he was selected
chairman of the IPNU.

In 1980, he was appointed secretary-general of the Anshor
Youth Movement, also an organization under NU.

When Ismail won his first term at the helm of the Moslem-based
party, Tosari was appointed deputy chairman in a department in
charge of the party's human resources development. He called the
appointment "right on target" because he is very well versed in
human resources and organizational affairs.

Regarding his new position, Tosari said the most important
challenge that PPP has to take up now is how to make the party
more attractive for every layer of society.

"This means that we need to develop our leadership, as well as
our membership, so that we can establish good communication with
the people," he was quoted as saying by the Media Indonesian
daily.

He pledged to help establish a style of party management which
is "accommodative and participatory" in nature. He also promised
to concentrate on phasing in new, younger members of the party.

"Only 15 percent of the people attending the party's congress
last week were younger than 35 years," he said. "In the next
congress we should involve more young people."