Muhammadiyah calls for national unity<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In the wake of the threat of national
\ndisintegration, Muslim organization Muhammadiyah has reminded the
\ngovernment and all parts of the country to renew their commitment
\nto the settlement of crises.<\/p>\n
Commission E deliberating the recommendations of the ongoing
\nMuhammadiyah congress agreed on Monday to call on the government
\nand the political elite to refrain from controversy, saying it
\nwould only cause anxiety among the people and lead to
\ninstability.<\/p>\n
\"We demand that all political forces represented in political
\nparties, the House of Representatives, the government and other
\nstate institutions unite their vision and commitment to solutions
\nto crises and support for good governance,\" a statement from the
\ncommission read.<\/p>\n
The statement underscored the concern of the congress of
\nselfishness among government officials and political parties,
\nwhich it said needed addressing immediately.<\/p>\n
The government, it also said, should make performance
\nadvancement, corruption, collusion and nepotism eradication and
\npublic accountability its top priorities.<\/p>\n
\"Political tension that rocked Maluku, Aceh, Irian Jaya and
\nother parts of the country needs serious handling that leads to
\nsocial reconciliation instead of just meetings between the
\npolitical elite,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
The country's second largest Muslim organization also called
\non the nation to stop the use of violence in political struggles,
\nsaying it would result in fierce communal and interclass
\nconflicts.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah will announce its recommendations on Tuesday,
\nfollowing a series of sessions which have been held since the
\ncongress opened on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Another highlight of Tuesday's session will be the election of
\nthe chairman of Muhammadiyah for the next five-year period. It is
\nalmost certain that acting chairman Syafi'i Ma'arif will take the
\ntop post after securing 1,282 votes to top the preliminary
\nselection of 13 candidates on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
Former chairman of Pemuda Muhammadiyah, the youth wing of
\nMuhammadiyah, Din Syamsuddin came second to upset former minister
\nof religious affairs Malik Fadjar, who was earlier considered a
\nstrong candidate.<\/p>\n
The 13 nominees will choose among themselves the chairman and
\nlineup of the central board of executives on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the congress' Commission C for changes in basic
\nregulations agreed on Monday to scrap state ideology Pancasila as
\nits basic principle, but voted against Islam as its replacement.<\/p>\n
As many as 244 members of the commission agreed to vote to
\ndecide whether Islam should be mentioned in the organization's
\nstatute following a deadlock. In a surprise decision, 136 members
\nrejected the formal incorporation of Islam into the statute,
\nagainst 108 who were in favor.<\/p>\n
National Mandate Party (PAN) deputy chairman A.M. Fatwa, who
\nis also a member of Muhammadiyah's supervisory board, expressed
\ndiscontent with the vote result on Monday, saying that an
\norganization should have a basic principle.<\/p>\n
\"It's not the final result. I will speak in the plenary
\nsession (on Tuesday) to review the commission's decision,\" Fatwa,
\nwho is the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives,
\ncontended.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah activist and political observer Bachtiar Effendy
\nsaid he understood the dissatisfaction, adding that basic
\nprinciples were no longer a significant issue.<\/p>\n
\"Muhammadiyah is not a political party. The most important
\nthing is that Pancasila is no longer recognized as our founding
\nstatute,\" Bachtiar, a doctoral graduate from Ohio State
\nUniversity and lecturer at the State Institute of Islamic Studies
\n(IAIN), said.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah was founded by noted Muslim preacher Ahmad Dahlan
\nin Yogyakarta in 1912. The organization did not adopt Islam as
\nits official basic principle until 1959.<\/p>\n
Under the repressive government of former president Soeharto,
\nall mass organizations, including Muhammadiyah, were obliged to
\nacknowledge Pancasila as their solitary basic principle. (jun)<\/p>",
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