THE uptight atmosphere in the vice-presidential palace's meeting room began to ease. In one corner, Nurmadini Arafanti, a student from the Bogor Agricultural Institute, directed a biting question at Vice President Hamzah Haz, asking: "How many wives do you have, Sir?" The vice president responded with mumbled words and a hesitant smile.

The question of Hamzah's wives has long been a topic of public discussion. Formal record shows