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."