Islam has no objections to big business<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Islamic community has no objection to big
\ncorporations in Indonesia as long as their business practices are
\nconsistent with Islamic teachings, a noted Moslem scholar said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
\"The practices of the nation's conglomerates are not viewed as
\nrunning against Islamic teachings, if the assets are obtained and
\nspent in Islamic ways,\" M. Quraish Shihab, rector of the State
\nInstitute of Islamic Studies in Jakarta, said at a seminar
\nreviewing the role of Indonesia's rising business empires in the
\nnational economy.<\/p>\n
Quraish said that the term \"conglomerate\" has come to be
\nwidely interpreted in a negative sense in Indonesia to mean the
\nexcessive accumulation of wealth for personal interests. If
\nevaluated on the basis of this interpretation, Islam would be
\nopposed to conglomerates, he said.<\/p>\n
The two-day seminar, which ended yesterday, was organized by
\nthe National University as part of the commemoration of its 45th
\nanniversary. The seminar reviewed the obstacles faced in bringing
\nIndonesia's conglomerates under control. Quraish was outlining
\nthe religious perspective.<\/p>\n
Quraish, who is also deputy chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas
\nCouncil (MUI), said Islam does not prohibit its followers from
\naccumulating wealth.<\/p>\n
The Koran, he said, teaches people to work to earn their
\nliving. However, the holy book emphasizes that people should not
\nearn their living through usury or deception.<\/p>\n
M. Dawam Rahardjo, chairman of the Institute for Religious and
\nPhilosophical Studies, also stressed that big business is not
\nnecessarily un-Islamic.<\/p>\n
But he said the practices of conglomerates must be controlled
\nso that they don't inflict losses on consumers or smaller
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
No wrong<\/p>\n
Dawam said there is nothing wrong with a Moslem accumulating
\nwealth as long as he always remembers his responsibilities.
\n\"Under Islam, a percentage of his wealth must be donated to less
\nfortunate people.\"<\/p>\n
He said Islam also rejects business monopolies. For that
\nreason, he advocated that the government be empowered to
\nintervene by setting the prices of products and ensuring their
\nconsistent supply.<\/p>\n
The debate about the presence of powerful conglomerates on the
\nIndonesian business scene has often been linked to the fact that
\nmost of them are owned by businessmen of Chinese descent. This
\nhas fueled resentment against the minority ethnic group.<\/p>\n
Noted political scholar Amir Santoso, in his presentation of a
\npolitical perspective of the role of conglomerates, asked the
\nparticipants whether the debate would have been as heated if the
\nbig businesses were owned by pribumi, the term for indigenous
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
Amir, the dean of the school of postgraduate studies at the
\nJayabaya University in Jakarta, also said the rise of big
\nbusiness is a consequence of the more liberal economic policy
\nIndonesia has adopted since the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
\"The government has to choose between a controlled economy and
\na free market system,\" he said, adding that a combination of the
\ntwo would not work because it would expose loopholes in the
\nbureaucracy.<\/p>\n
A.A. Baramuli, a legislator of the ruling Golkar political
\ngroup, said rather than trying to control the growth of big
\nbusinesses, Indonesia should enact laws to protect and help the
\ngrowth of small and medium scale businesses. (imn)<\/p>",
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