'Muhammadiyah needs to revive think tank'<\/p>\n
By Santi WE Soekanto and Wisnu Pramudya<\/p>\n
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Muhammadiyah has lost its character as
\na reformist Islamic movement, particularly concerning socio-
\npolitical issues, largely because its think tank has been
\ndormant, political observers say.<\/p>\n
The Institute for Social Studies and Policies-making (Lembaga
\nHikmah dan Studi Kemasyarakatan), chaired by incumbent chairman
\nAmien Rais, has been perceived as "barren" despite the fact that
\nit is manned by prominent intellectuals.<\/p>\n
Besides Amien, a scholar of Middle East studies, the institute
\nboasts political scientists Arbi Sanit and Afan Gaffar,
\npolitician Din Syamsuddin, journalists Prijono B. Sumbogo from
\nthe banned Tempo weekly, and M. Syafii Anwar, now at Ummat
\nmagazine.<\/p>\n
Although the 83-year old organization has vowed to shun
\npolitics, most observers agree it cannot entirely avoid
\nentanglement and therefore needs clear policies on the issue.<\/p>\n
Leading members agree with this line of thinking.<\/p>\n
"Muhammadiyah won't be involved in practical politics, but
\nneither should it be blind to it. It needs to understand
\npolitical realities," said H.M. Sanusi, who is taking part in
\nthis week's Muhammadiyah congress here. "The organization must
\nhave clear guidelines about this position so that we won't crash
\nonto 'political rocks'."<\/p>\n
Educator Malik Fadjar, a member and rector of the Muhammadiyah
\nUniversity in Malang, East Java, and sociologist Syafri Sairin
\nfrom Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, agree that the think
\ntank has not been functioning well.<\/p>\n
Members appointed at the 1990 Muhammadiyah congress have only
\nconvened once in the five years, Syafri noted.<\/p>\n
He regretted this condition, saying that the members, who are
\nsupposed to set up guidelines and formulate the organization's
\nstance on political matters, must set their priorities right.<\/p>\n
He charged that most of the scholars see the think tank as
\nmerely a second job. "This body has failed to do its job," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The sluggishness of the think tank contributes to
\nMuhammadiyah's ambivalence when facing many of the political
\ncontroversies emerging in Indonesia, he said.<\/p>\n
Malik expressed similar views, saying that as a movement of
\nreligious propagation, Muhammadiyah should be sensitive to
\nexisting political conditions.<\/p>\n
"The organization doesn't exist in a vacuum, it interacts and
\nis involved in the political arena," he said.<\/p>\n
However, Malik believes that the institute may no longer be
\nneeded, given the rapid development of Muhammadiyah universities
\nand colleges across the country. "We can, instead, develop
\ncenters for research and studies in the universities to take the
\ninstitute's place," he said.<\/p>\n
He regretted that Muhammadiyah failed to appreciate and
\nimplement the results of various studies conducted by its
\nscholars.<\/p>\n
A former member of the body, which was called Policy-making
\nBureau (Biro Hikmah) when it was established in the 1960s, agreed
\nthe institute should be revitalized in order to equip the
\norganization to face future challenges and clarify its stance on
\nvarious issues.<\/p>\n
H.M. Sanusi, the ministry of industry in the late 1960s and
\nonce a leading member of bureau, said the body is instrumental in
\nhelping the organization sail between "political rocks".<\/p>\n
"Religious movements can't be completely separated from
\npolitics... Muhammadiyah considers Islam as a complete building
\nof civilization and politics are elements of that building," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that Muhammadiyah has learned from experience
\nthat mixing the rest of the elements of society with politics
\n"would leave the organization vulnerable".<\/p>\n
"It's vulnerable because the organization, in its activities,
\nmay sometimes go against the current, and those in power may just
\ndissolve it," according to the member of Petisi 50, a group of
\nstaunch government critics.<\/p>\n
Sanusi concluded that if mass organizations wish to survive,
\nthey should not be involved in practical politics, which he
\ndefined as "actively seeking seats in cabinet or parliament".<\/p>\n
He did not see any contradiction in his concept of seeing
\nIslam as a complete civilization, which includes politics, with
\nhis conviction that mass organizations will survive by shunning
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
"The solution is to allow individual member to join political
\nparties," he said. However, "this involvement should be
\naccompanied with a strong commitment toward da'wah (religious
\npropagation)."<\/p>\n
Another former member of the body, A.M. Fatwa, said that at
\nthe time the think tank was established, Muhammadiyah decided
\nthat it should actively respond to various issues developing in
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
Eventually, though, the body started to focus more on
\npolitical matters, especially after it included politicians as
\nmembers, he said.<\/p>\n
Among those members were Hasan Basri, now chairman of the
\nIndonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), Anwar Harjono, former member
\nof the now banned Masyumi party and chairman of the Indonesian
\nCouncil for Islamic Propagation, H.M. Sanusi, intellectual Prof.
\nH.M. Rasjidi, legislators KH Cholil Badlawi and Aisyah Amini, and
\nulema Army Col. (ret.) H.S. Prodjokusumo.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/muhammadiyah-needs-to-revive-think-tank-1447893297",
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