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Hamzah Haz

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In this Indonesian name, there is no family name nor a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Hamzah.

Hamzah Haz
Official portrait, 2001
9th Vice President of Indonesia
In office
26 July 2001 – 20 October 2004
PresidentMegawati Sukarnoputri
Preceded byMegawati Sukarnoputri
Succeeded byJusuf Kalla
10th Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Alleviation
In office
29 October 1999 – 26 November 1999
PresidentAbdurrahman Wahid
Preceded byHaryono Suyono
Succeeded byBasri Hasanuddin
2nd Minister of Investment
In office
23 May 1998 – 18 May 1999
PresidentB. J. Habibie
Preceded bySanyoto Sastrowardoyo
Succeeded byMarzuki Usman
4th General Chairman of the
United Development Party
In office
2 December 1998 – 1 February 2007
Preceded byIsmail Hasan Metareum
Succeeded bySuryadharma Ali
Legislative offices
Deputy Speaker of the People's Representative Council
Economy and Finance
In office
6 October 1999 – 26 October 1999
Succeeded byTosari Widjaja
Member of the People's Representative Council
In office
28 October 1971 – 26 October 1999
Succeeded byFaisal Baasir
Constituency
Personal details
Born(1940-02-15)15 February 1940[1]
Ketapang, Dutch East Indies[1]
Died24 July 2024(2024-07-24) (aged 84)
Jakarta, Indonesia
Resting placeCisarua, Bogor, West Java
Political partyPPP
Spouses
  • Asmaniah Haz
    ​
    (died 2017)​
  • Tintin Kartini
    ​
    (died 2021)​
  • Soraya Smith
Alma materTanjungpura University
Occupation
  • Politician
  • legislator
Signature

Hamzah Haz (15 February 1940[1] – 24 July 2024) was the ninth vice president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004 under President Megawati Sukarnoputri.[2] Prior to serving as vice president, Hamzah served as a cabinet minister and a member of the People's Representative Council (DPR). He also chaired the United Development Party (PPP) from 1998 to 2007, and was the party's presidential candidate in the 2004 Indonesian presidential election.

Career

[edit]

Hamzah was a newspaper journalist in his home town of Pontianak, on the island of Borneo, and later taught economics at Tanjungpura University.[3] He was a lecturer at Tanjungpura University from 1968 to 1971.[4]

His political career began in 1968 as a member of the West Kalimantan Provincial Representative Council. He later moved to Jakarta, became a member of the Parliament in 1971, representing the Jakarta electoral district, first as a member of the Muslim Nahdlatul Ulama Party. After the political fusion which joined all Islamist parties into one party and the withdrawal of Nahdlatul Ulama from politics, in 1973 he became a member of the newly formed Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP). He was chairman of the PPP faction from 1989 to 1998.[1][3]

Hamzah served as Minister for Investment under President B. J. Habibie, who replaced Suharto, then resigned that post to lead the PPP in the 1999 elections, at which he was again reelected. He ran against Megawati Sukarnoputri for the vice-presidency (at that time elected by the People's Consultative Assembly), wining 284 votes to Megawati's 396,. On 30 November he joined the cabinet of President Abdurrahman Wahid, then became the first to quit Wahid's first cabinet, resigning as Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Alleviation after just two months.[1][3]

See also: 2001 Vice-Presidential election

He became a vocal critic of Wahid, but he was also known for his ability to compromise. By the time of Wahid's impeachment in the summer of 2001, Hamzah was leader of the PPP, then the third-largest party in the Indonesian Parliament.[3]

In the 2004 presidential election, Hamzah was one of the presidential candidates, running with Agum Gumelar. The pair finished last among the five candidates, garnering only 3 percent of the total vote.[citation needed]

Connections with militant Islamism

[edit]

A number of journalists and commentators reported that Hamzah was believed to have offered support for militant Muslim groups as a way of gaining political support from them. In 2002, Bill Guerin, in an opinion piece in the Asia Times wrote, "Hamzah ... is widely seen as blatantly vying for support from among Indonesian Muslims, including the militant groups, to strengthen his run for the presidency in the country's next general elections in 2004."[5]

Hamzah was also reported to be a friend of Abu Bakar Bashir, who is the spiritual leader for the terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah.[citation needed] While vice president, Hamzah made a public show of inviting Bashir to dinner, and visited his jihadist pesantren (religious school) in Pondok Ngruki. Hamzah denied that Bashir was connected to terrorism up until Bashir's arrest in October 2002, and was quoted as saying before Bashir's arrest "If you want to arrest Abu Bakar Bashir .. you will have to deal with me first."[6]

In October 2002, an article in Time stated "That clerics like Abubakar [Bashir] have powerful military and political allies is no secret: the nation's Vice-President Hamzah Haz is one of them." Time reported that Hamzah described his relationship with Bashir and Laskar Jihad leader Jafar Umar Thalib as "very close", but Time added, "many see this relationship as a purely political ploy to woo Muslim voters ahead of the 2004 election." Hamzah, although he "has a reputation as a wily politician" nevertheless "will be remembered for a particularly ill-judged speech before Muslim clerics at Abubakar's Solo boarding school in May [2002]", the newsmagazine reported. During that visit Hamzah was also reported to have said, "If they can prove there are terrorists here I'll be the first to order an arrest", and then stepped down from the podium and kissed Abubakar on both cheeks.[7]

In 2002, an Australian academic cited Hamzah as the "best example" of Islamic politicians in Indonesia "prepared to play the extremist card to attract extra votes". Hamzah "has supported Jemaah Islamiyah and has even been instrumental in having its members released from detention in the past", according to Tim Lindsey, director of the Asian Law Centre at the University of Melbourne. "He has also openly accused the CIA and the United States of carrying out the Bali bombing."[8]

Denial of terrorists in the country

[edit]

In 2002 Hamzah gave an interview to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which broadcast it on 23 October. In a voice-over played during the television interview, an ABC journalist said, "Before the Bali bombing, Vice President Hamzah Haz insisted there were no terrorists in Indonesia. After the bombing, he gave this extraordinary justification for that position:"[9]

Hamzah Haz press statement: "If I as vice president said that Indonesia has terrorists, no one would come to Indonesia, no investors would come."

The ABC interviewer then told Hamzah: "In light of Bali, that would seem a reprehensible comment, if you knew that people were here."

Hamzah responded: "It's not true that I protect them and I don't regret what I said, but I said it in the past – it relates to the past. But now if there is a connection we want to know whether it is true that Indonesia has a terrorist network."

Accusation of United States terrorism

[edit]

On 3 September 2003 Hamzah stated, "Actually, who is the terrorist, who is against human rights? The answer is the United States because they attacked Iraq. Moreover, it is the terrorist king, waging war."[10]

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Hamzah's statement was "a scathing attack that echoed the language of many of the Bali bombers". Hamzah had also been criticised for publicly associating with several of Indonesia's more hardline Islamic leaders, including Bashir, although after the Bali terrorist attack Hamzah severed those ties. Soon after Hamzah's remarks, Riza Sihbudi, a political analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, told the Detik news service that Hamzah seemed to be chasing votes. "He should not have spoken like that as he is the Vice-President", Sihbudi said.[11]

Al Jazeera reported the day after Hamzah's statement that "There has yet to be a US reaction to the well-known firebrand's comments."[12]

Personal life

[edit]

The Office of the Vice President officially states that Hamzah had two wives, Asmaniah (b. 27 July 1943), and Titin Kartini (b. 4 May 1945), with whom he had a total of 12 children.[13] However, another source states Haz had a third wife, Soraya, whom he did not officially acknowledge, and with whom he had a further three children.[14] Despite lack of public acknowledgment long time ago, Soraya caught in camera accompanied Hamzah in an event at Bandar Lampung in 2022, confirming her status as the third wife.[15] Both of his first and second wife predeceased him. Asmaniah passed away 12 September 2017[16] and Titin passed away 19 May 2021.[17]

Hamzah Haz's son Nur Agus Haz, is a member of parliament for the United Development Party[18]

He was a long-time cadre and senior figure of Nahdlatul Ulama, had served in various posts in the organization since he was a university student.[19] He was disciple of Idham Chalid, a charismatic South Kalimantan Ulama and politician, and received political, religious, and spiritual training and guidance from him.[19]

Degree

[edit]

Sometimes known as Dr. Hamzah, he was reported to have obtained a PhD from American World University, an internet diploma mill, for US$1,200.[20][21] Despite that, he held that degree until his death.[22][23] Somehow, no body challenged her degree until his death, particularly due to his personal capability.[23]

Death

[edit]

Hamzah died at the Tegalan Clinic, Matraman in East Jakarta, on 24 July 2024, at the age of 84.[22][24] One of his sons, Agus Haz, revealed that one day before his death, his father was physically healthy and was still talking to him the night before his death. In the morning, his health suddenly worsened and he collapsed while about to perform the Duha prayer, after his hand slipped from the wardrobe edge he was using as a makeshift railing.[25] He was buried in a private family burial plot near the mosque he built at Cisarua, Bogor.[26]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Dhaidae, Daniel; Witdarmono, H., eds. (2000). Wajah Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia Pemilihan Umum 1999 [Faces of the Republic of Indonesia People's Representative Council 1999 General Election] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Harian Kompas. p. 304. ISBN 979-9251-43-5.
  2. ^ "Hamzah Haz Elected as the Ninth Vice President". Liputan6 (in Indonesian). 27 July 2001. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d [1] Archived 26 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine Article titled "Profile: Hamzah Haz" at the BBC News Web site, 26 July 2001, accessed 6 April 2007
  4. ^ Hardiantoro, Alinda; Pratiwi, Inten Esti (24 July 2024). "Meninggal Dunia, Ini Profil Wakil Presiden Ke-9 RI Hamzah Haz". Kompas. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ Guerin, Bill (15 October 2007). "Indonesia: The enemy within", Asia Times.
  6. ^ [2] Archived 2 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Parkinson, Tony, "Jakarta's Day of Reckoning" opinion article in The Age, 14 October 2002, accessed 6 April 2007
  7. ^ [3][dead link]Solo, Andrew Marshall, "The Rage Culture", Time, 21 October 2002.
  8. ^ "Asian Law Centre". Archived from the original on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2007. Lindsey, Tim, "Indonesia's New Anti-terrorism Law: Damned if you Do, Damned if you Don't", article at Web site of the University of Melbourne Asian Law Centre, there is no date on the article, but it mentions upcoming 2004 elections and the October 2002 Bali terrorist attack; accessed 6 April 2007
  9. ^ "Foreign Correspondent – 23/10/2002: Hamzah Haz Interview Transcript". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2007. Web page titled "Foreign Correspondent / Hamzah Haz Interview Transcript / Broadcast: 23 October 2002 / Reporter: Evan Williams", Australian Broadcasting Corporation Web site, accessed 6 April 2007
  10. ^ "Indonesian VP: United States Is 'Terrorist King'", Reuters, 3 September 2003, archived from the original on 22 November 2006.
  11. ^ [4] Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Moore, Matthew, Herald Correspondent in Jakarta, "Indonesian deputy's attack on US raises fears of split", quote from lead paragraph of news article in The Sidney Morning Herald, 5 September 2003, accessed 6 April 2007
  12. ^ ""News Archive / Indonesia may prolong Aceh operation" at Al Jazeera Web site". Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), accessed 6 April 2007
  13. ^ Office of Vice President Archived 9 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Detiknews Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Wakil Presiden RI Ke-9 Beserta Istri Anjau Silau Ke Lamban Gedung Kuning". MediaKompeten (in Indonesian). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  16. ^ antaranews.com (12 September 2017). "Pemakaman istri Hamzah Haz diwarnai penuh haru". Antara News (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Ibu Hj. Tintin Kartini Binti Kardiman, Istri Bapak H. Hamzah Haz (Wakil Presiden Republik Indonesia ke - 9) meninggal dunia". Pemerintah Kecamatan Tanah Sareal, Bogor (in Indonesian). 19 May 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  18. ^ Anak dan Menantu Haz Caleg Jadi Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ a b "Innalillahi, Hamzah Haz Wapres Ke-9 RI Meninggal Dunia, Berikut Profilnya". NU Online (in Indonesian). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  20. ^ Hamish (2 September 2002), Fake Your Way to the Top, Critic, archived from the original on 24 May 2010, retrieved 14 March 2010
  21. ^ Tobing, Elwin (7 March 2005), A fake republic, The Indonesian Institute, archived from the original on 5 June 2010, retrieved 14 March 2010
  22. ^ a b Nancy, Yonada (24 July 2024). "Biografi Singkat Hamzah Haz Wapres RI Era Presiden Megawati". tirto.id (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  23. ^ a b Amirullah (24 July 2024). "Profil Hamzah Haz, Wapres ke-9 RI yang Wafat di Usia 84 Tahun". Tempo. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  24. ^ Mahendra, Rizky Adha. "Sosok Wapres Ke-9 Hamzah Haz di Mata Keluarga: Orang Tua yang Baik". detiknews (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  25. ^ Rahmawati, Dwi. "Hamzah Haz Meninggal Usai Terjatuh Saat Hendak Salat Duha di Rumah". detiknews (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  26. ^ Rahayu, Lisye Sri. "Wapres Ke-9 Hamzah Haz Akan Dimakamkan di Bogor". detiknews (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.

References

[edit]
  • Barton, Greg.(2005) Jemaah Islamiyah: Radical Islam in Indonesia Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.
Political offices
Preceded by Vice President of Indonesia
26 July 2001 – 20 October 2004 		Succeeded by
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