ICMI has joined in<\/p>\n
Wednesday's statement by the Association of Indonesian Moslem
\nIntellectuals (ICMI) is surprisingly straightforward in its call
\nfor immediate reform although many might take it as a
\nbetter-late-than-never step.<\/p>\n
It is true that two other social organizations, Muhammadiyah
\nand Nahdlatul Ulama, and numerous academics have previously made
\nsimilar calls during the nationwide student-led proreform
\nmovement. But ICMI's stance is different. It touches more
\nsensitive issues which the ruling elite have thus far roundly
\nopposed.<\/p>\n
These include support for the demands for an extraordinary
\nsession of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR); branding the
\ngovernment's latest reform proposal -- given by President
\nSoeharto to leaders of the political parties and the House of
\nRepresentatives -- last week, as \"vague, too little and too late\"
\nand criticizing the ruling elite's mentality as being the real
\nroot of all the current crises.<\/p>\n
A meeting of the MPR, the country's highest constitutional
\nbody which has met only once every five years during the last
\nthree decades, can lead to the revocation of President Soeharto's
\nmandate or at least the additional powers provided to him in
\nMarch to deal with emergency situations. The powers give him a
\nfree hand to take whatever steps he deems necessary to safeguard
\nthe nation and national development, if and when they are
\nthreatened. The last extraordinary MPR meeting took place in 1966
\nwhich pushed president Sukarno to step down.<\/p>\n
Wednesday's statement shows that ICMI, which was once said to
\nbe an organization that toed the government line, is still a
\ngroup that has its ear to the ground to listen the very heartbeat
\nof the nation.<\/p>\n
ICMI did suffer in its failure to be strongly represented in
\nthe present cabinet, a privilege it enjoyed five years ago, when
\nthe President formed it in March.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile many political observers have watched more recent
\ndevelopments as not wholly pleasing to the organization. Vice
\nPresident B.J. Habibie, ICMI's chairman, despite his No.2
\nposition, is not the most influential figure in the government,
\nbecause the biggest clout is wielded by Siti Hardijanti Rukmana,
\nthe President's oldest daughter. The reality has made many ICMI
\nofficials realize that the process of the cabinet formation was
\nmerely that ICMI's locomotive was brought inside while the cars
\nwere left in the cold.<\/p>\n
However, besides these opinions, ICMI's joining the people in
\ncalling for total reform has a strong influence on the country's
\nmovement toward multidimensional change. It should also convince
\nany waverers among publicly aware citizens that the movement for
\nreform has reached a point of no return since so many people have
\njumped on to the bandwagon.<\/p>\n
This weight is not to be found in the recent statement by the
\nleaders of the House of Representatives, who said they too
\nsupport the idea of reform. The populace, quite properly, sees
\ntheir stance as \"Johnny come latest.\"<\/p>\n
The people who are now advocating reform believe that change
\nshould take place now or it will be too late to make any
\ndifference. Many also understand that covert proposals for
\nreform, as announced by the government last week, will act as a
\nsymptomatic painkiller but will not heal the national disease.<\/p>\n
ICMI, by its statement, clearly hopes that the people in the
\nruling elite will be wise enough to read the signs of the time
\ncorrectly and not be too late to climb aboard the reform
\nbandwagon.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/icmi-has-joined-in-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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