Muhammadiyah yet to agree on candidates<\/p>\n
By Santi WE Soekanto and Wisnu Pramudya<\/p>\n
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): After hours of tough deliberation
\nyesterday, Muhammadiyah leaders failed yet again to name the 39
\ncandidates for chairman.<\/p>\n
The Tanwir meeting, which was in charge of short-listing the
\nnumber of registered candidates from 85 to 39, was supposed to
\nconclude Monday evening but it ran aground.<\/p>\n
The meeting participants were reportedly unable to agree on
\nhow to solve the problem of candidates tallying the same number
\nof votes.<\/p>\n
Chairman Amien Rais disclosed here yesterday that the
\nparticipants of the Tanwir meeting, which is a prelude to the
\ncongress to be opened by President Soeharto on July 6, had voted
\nand named 38 candidates.<\/p>\n
In the 39th rank, however, there were four persons who
\nreceived 52 votes each. They are former vice chairman Lukman
\nHarun, Imawan Wahyudi, Chusnan Yusuf, and another man, whose name
\nAmien refused to mention.<\/p>\n
The fourth person has reportedly resigned from the contest.<\/p>\n
Lukman, responding to his precarious position, held a press
\nconference during which he questioned the legality of an extended
\nmeeting. Visibly upset, he said the Tanwir meeting should return
\nits mandate to the organization's central board, advising its
\nmembers to take "emergency action".<\/p>\n
Amien told The Jakarta Post that Lukman, with whom he had
\nreportedly been at odds, has a possibility to get on the
\nshortened list. "I feel he's in," he said.<\/p>\n
He said that the Tanwir meeting had failed to meet the
\ndeadline for some "technical reasons".<\/p>\n
A source close to Amien also told the Post that the Tanwir
\nmeeting had in fact asked the executive board to find a solution
\nto the problem.<\/p>\n
The 13 members of the outgoing board met for several hours
\nyesterday afternoon and came up with three alternatives, who were
\nto be chosen in the Tanwir meeting last night.<\/p>\n
The first option, according to the source, is to "accommodate"
\nevery aspiring candidate by increasing the number of nominees to
\n41.<\/p>\n
The sources said that if this option is adopted, Amien would
\nlikely be under great pressure from some Muhammadiyah activists,
\nespecially the youths, who are opposed to Lukman's inclusion on
\nthe first list of 85 candidates.<\/p>\n
Lukman has been criticized for what his opponents have called
\npoliticking activities.<\/p>\n
The second alternative is to reduce the number of candidates
\nfrom 39 to 38, thereby dropping the three in 39th place.<\/p>\n
"But it's very unlikely, because it would create an
\nuncomfortable situation," the source said. "Besides, it would
\nmean that Muhammadiyah, as an organization, has failed to heed
\nits members' aspirations."<\/p>\n
"Furthermore, to drop Lukman from the list would only create
\na problem," the source said.<\/p>\n
The final alternative is to leave the Tanwir meeting, which
\ninvolved around 100 senior members, to "choose one from among the
\nthree odd people".<\/p>\n
The source said he believed that the meeting would eventually
\npick the first option, as it would mean less hassle.<\/p>\n
In addition, Amien has told Lukman that he will push for the
\nfirst alternative, the source said.<\/p>\n
Th source also said that it would be unwise for the meeting to
\nlet Lukman, a senior activist, compete with the two young
\naspirants, Imawan and Chusnan."<\/p>\n
Imawan is a deputy rector of the Ahmad Dahlan University in
\nYogyakarta, while Chusnan is a Muhammadiyah activist in Malang,
\nEast Java.<\/p>\n
The source compared the situation to a fight between a long-
\ntime champion and a newcomer. "Winning or losing, he'll still be
\nembarrassed," he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, hundreds of ulemas from Muhammadiyah and other
\norganizations, including those from Thailand, Malaysia and
\nSingapore, held a separate meeting to discuss the issues of labor
\nand culture from Islamic perspectives.<\/p>\n
Opening the gathering, Amien said Moslem organizations need to
\naddress contemporary issues and set up guidelines on how to deal
\nwith them.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/muhammadiyah-yet-to-agree-on-candidates-1447893297",
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