Justice Party politician Hidayat Nurwahid’s wife-to-be, the lovely widow Diana Abbas Thalib of Kemang.

Engagement

On 16th April PKS leader Hidayat Nurwahid became engaged to a 42 year old woman of Arab descent, Diana Abbas Thalib.

Proposing.

Widow & Widower

Diana Abbas Thalib is the director of a maternity hospital in Jakarta and lives in swanky Kemang. She has one child from a previous marriage (her husband died) and on May 10th, the wedding day, will come into possession of four more, from Hidayat’s marriage to Kastrian Indrawati.

Kastrian Indrawati died on January 22nd 2008 and Hidayat says:

From the day she died it was proper that people made suggestions [for a replacement].

Diana was introduced to Hidayat by another Justice Party politician Yoyoh Yusroh, who is her religious instructor, a month ago. Diana and Hidayat then met each other two times, never alone, and thereafter decided to end their mutual loneliness and marry.

Yoyoh Yusroh, matchmaker.

When Hidayat proposed to Diana he had some solid male support behind him, including politicians Aksa Mahmud, AM Fatwa, and Mooryati Soedibyo, while Diana was accompanied by friends and family.

Competitive Arabness

Diana admits that she is actually “beaten” by Hidayat in the being-like-an-Arab stakes. While she is of Arab stock she considers herself fully assimilated into Javanese culture while her fiance spent many years living in Arab countries. [1]

He’s more Arab than me.

Family First

Both say that the most important thing is that they each have a companion in life and are able to provide a family structure for their children.

Big Shots

Hidayat has already asked president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and vice-president Jusuf Kalla to be witnesses at the wedding, while Din Syamsuddin and Hasyim Muzadi will officiate. [2]