Intellectuals divided over over Moslems' 'honeymoon'<\/p>\n
DEPOK, West Java (JP): Scholars are divided over the question
\nwhether the current perceived favorable political climate for
\nMoslem groups is going to last.<\/p>\n
Political scientists Afan Gaffar of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity told a discussion on Islam and the state here
\nyesterday that Indonesian Moslems today enjoyed the best
\nrelations they could hope to achieve with the power holders.<\/p>\n
Afan was the political observer who coined the term
\n\"accommodative politics\" to describe the present amicable
\nrelationship between Moslems and those in power.<\/p>\n
He said an accommodative approach was reflected in the
\ngovernment's decision to pursue policies favorable to Moslems,
\nand to allow them a greater say in politics.<\/p>\n
Examples of favorable policies include the regulation allowing
\nMoslem girls to wear religious head scarves to school, and the
\nestablishment of the Indonesian Association of Moslem
\nIntellectuals (ICMI).<\/p>\n
Moslems account for almost 87 percent of Indonesia's
\npopulation of 193 million.<\/p>\n
Afan's view was supported by Syafi'i Anwar, a Moslem
\npublisher, who said that there was currently a very strong bond,
\nor cohesiveness, between Moslems and the state.<\/p>\n
But Arbi Sanit and Erlangga, both from the University of
\nIndonesia, rejected the idea that the perceived greater leeway
\nfor Moslems was for real.<\/p>\n
Erlangga argued that most political decision-making was still
\nout of the reach of the Moslem community. Therefore, he said,
\nMoslems continued to be sidelined.<\/p>\n
\"I still feel like we're standing in the wings\" of the
\npolitical arena, he said, adding that for a long time Moslems had
\ncontributed greatly to the society but had never been fully
\nrepresented in the decision-making process.<\/p>\n
Arbi Sanit, who explored the question of Islam's concepts of
\ndemocracy, believed that Moslems still had a long way to go
\nbefore they gained greater leverage, because the current
\npolitical system was still \"centralized\".<\/p>\n
\"Democracy is just an illusion here,\" he said. He said that
\nalthough the Constitution mandated the establishment of democracy
\nand prosperity, so far democracy had been sacrificed in the
\nprocess of pursuing prosperity.<\/p>\n
He said the greatest blame for what he said was Moslems'
\nlimited political participation lay with \"undemocratic power
\nholders\".<\/p>\n
\"There is no such thing as democratic bureaucracy,\" he said,
\nadding that the current political system had retarded political
\ninfrastructure in order to effectively control the power holders.<\/p>\n
The concentration of power was to blame for the Moslems'
\nmarginal position, he said. \"What we have here is formal
\ndemocracy only, but ...the process and the rights which
\ncharacterize democratization are still far from coming to
\nfruition, he said.<\/p>\n
\"With such a political system, don't have too great a hope for
\nMoslems' (roles in society),\" he said. \"As history has shown,
\nMoslems here are always a majority in number, but a minority in
\npower.\"<\/p>\n
However, Arbi also lashed out at Moslems themselves for
\nfailing to correct their various faults and failing to seize
\nopportunities. He blamed Moslem leaders and organizations who
\nwere too busy pursuing their own interests and failed to observe
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
The two-day discussion was organized by a group of social
\nscience students. It also featured noted observer Maswadi Rauf
\nand the director of CIDES, a think-tank of ICMI, Adi Sasono.<\/p>\n
State administration expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra spoke about
\nthe political prospects for Moslems in the future, concluding
\nthat they were bright. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/intellectuals-divided-over-over-moslems-honeymoon-1447893297",
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