Religious leaders should avoid politics<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Leaders of social organizations and religious groups should not
\nenter politics or the country risked losing civilian groups to
\neffectively check the performance of the government, analysts
\nsay.<\/p>\n
Indria Samego from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)
\nsaid that social organizations such as Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and
\nMuhammadiyah and their leaders have to stay out of \"practical
\npolitics\".<\/p>\n
\"Figures like Hasyim Muzadi will have more influence if he
\nstays above the political fray,\" Indria announced during a press
\nconference on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Hasyim is chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's
\nlargest Muslim organization that helped establish the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB). The Golkar Party and the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have reportedly asked Hasyim
\nto be their vice presidential candidate in the July 5 election.<\/p>\n
PKB, which will likely end up with the third largest bloc of
\nthe popular vote from the April 5 election, has nominated
\nAbdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid as its candidate.<\/p>\n
Hasyim had been approached by political leaders, most of whom
\nasked him to be their vice presidential candidate. President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri met with Hasyim in Surabaya on Monday.
\nSources at Golkar, on the other hand, have expressed a
\npossibility that they would tab Hasyim as newly nominated
\nWiranto's running mate.<\/p>\n
Just two weeks ago, Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest
\nMuslim organization with over 30 million members, had thrown its
\nsupport behind Amien Rais, leader of the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN).<\/p>\n
According to Indria, religious leaders could not do anything
\nif they were merely the vice president.<\/p>\n
\"Under the presidential system, the vice president functions
\nonly as a reserve,\" he said<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, research director of the Indonesian Survey
\nInstitute (LSI) Muhammad Qodari warned that once those mass
\norganizations announce support for a certain political party or
\npresidential or vice presidential candidate they immediately
\nlose their independence.<\/p>\n
Qodari said the religious leaders and groups had to learn from
\nexperiences during the presidency of Gus Dur, a former chairman
\nof NU, which claims to have around 40 million members.<\/p>\n
NU, according to Qodari, failed to perform its checks and
\nbalances role during the leadership of Gus Dur and acted more as
\nhis loyal defender.<\/p>\n
\"This will also happen to Muhammadiyah if Amien Rais is
\nelected president,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Visually impaired Muslim cleric Gus Dur was elected the
\ncountry's fourth president in October 2000 but was ousted in a
\ncontroversial July 2001 legislative decision over charges for
\nwhich he has since been exonerated.<\/p>\n
Qodari acknowledged that NU and Muhammadiyah had become
\n\"breeding grounds\" for national leaders.<\/p>\n
As social organizations, however, the Nahdlatul Ulama and
\nMuhammadiyah had to keep neutral and stand above all social
\ngroups, he said.<\/p>\n
He said once those social organizations decided to support
\ncertain political parties or enter politics, they would
\nunavoidably become exclusive.<\/p>\n
He also emphasized that increasing efforts by parties to
\napproach religious organizations and community leaders indicated
\nthe failure of political parties to groom their own national
\nleaders.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-leaders-should-avoid-politics-1447893297",
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