Vice President Hamzah Haz

Vice President Hamzah Haz

From Republika

I was pleased reading Pak Hamzah Haz's account published in Republika on Aug. 13. I was glad to note that he had been conducting the dawn prayers in his neighborhood mosque. We know that grand mosques are ubiquitous but they are usually deserted, especially for the dawn prayers.

However, as Pak Hamzah becomes more preoccupied with his job and now that he has moved to a new house where there are no nearby mosques, I fear he will no longer be able to continue his morning ritual. Pak Hamzah, is the distance from your house to the mosques a problem for you? I hope not, Sir. In fact, this is be a good opportunity for you, both as a Muslim and a Vice President, to show your piety.

Pak Hamzah, please keep up your good practice. If security is the problem, you could pray in different mosques every morning. Ask your guards which mosque to go to. Hopefully, the guards themselves will become more pious and might even start praying with you. Can you imagine how many mosques you will be able to visit before 2004 and the blessings you will be bestowed upon?

God will bless us if we make some effort or sacrifices. I hope you will set a good example for us. There are still many Muslims out there who, although are awakened by the dawn prayer, call, choose to continue sleeping, enjoying the warmth of Satan's blanket rather than carrying God's flag.

I hope to have the opportunity to pray with you. You may say that "the present Hamzah is no different from the Hamzah of yesterday." But I can say that "today's Hamzah is better than yesterday's Hamzah". Amen.

GITO ROLLIES

Jakarta