Indonesia's new leading duo

Haz helped kill Megawati's presidential bid in 1999

By Atika Shubert
CNN Jakarta correspondent

(CNN) -- Indonesia's new Vice President, Hamzah Haz, made his mark in Indonesian politics by declaring that a woman was not fit to lead the world's largest Islamic country.

But on Thursday, Hamzah Haz ate his words when he took his oath of office, pledging to serve the country side-by-side Indonesia's first female president, Megawati Sukarnoputri.

The 61-year old politician has garnered a reputation as a conservative Muslim bureaucrat who is not afraid to use the sensitive issue of Islam in politics to gain power.

As head of the third largest party in parliament, the Muslim-oriented United Development Party (PPP), Hamzah Haz galvanized Islamic political forces against the presidency of Megawati in 1999.

Megwati's party had won the largest number of seats in parliament. His campaign proved so effective, however, that Megawati lost the election to a clinically blind Islamic cleric, Abdurrahman Wahid.

Early reservations

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However, after 20 months of Wahid's leadership, Hamzah Haz reversed his, and his party's position. On Monday, he joined lawmakers in voting to dump former President Wahid and install Megawati -- despite earlier reservations.

The price of his party's support: Hamzah Haz as Vice President.

In fact, his Islamic credentials are what gave Hamzah Haz the edge over his opponents. Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle needed an Islamic political partner to form a strong coalition government. Hamzah Haz fit the bill.

"We hope to create a peaceful environment and that requires Muslim support in running the government," said Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

Broad-based appeal

Hamzah Haz first appeared as a politician under the regime of former strongman Suharto, a leading member of the United Development Party -- a carefully supervised political party constructed by Suharto to channel Muslim political tensions.

The fall of Suharto in 1998, provided an opportunity for Hamzah Haz to revamp the United Development Party, linking it to right-wing Islamic organizations but still maintaining a broad-based appeal.

He served as Minister in two cabinets, under former President Habibie during the country's transition from the Suharto era as well as Wahid.

Hamzah Haz was also the first minister to quit under Wahid, ostensibly to concentrate on managing his political party.

Newspaper reports at the time had implicated him in corruption scandals but he has denied any wrongdoing.