University lecturer leads Muhammadiyah Youth<\/p>\n
Edith Hartanto and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post,
\nSurabaya, East Java<\/p>\n
Still shy but a bit surprised, university lecturer Abdul Mukti
\nemerged as champion on Wednesday when he was elected leader of
\nMuhammadiyah Youth, replacing outgoing leader Imam Addaruqutni.<\/p>\n
The election was the main agenda item of the four-day
\nMuhammadiyah Youth congress at the Asrama Haji in Sukolilo here,
\nwhich closed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Mukti, a master of education graduate from Flinders University
\nof South Australia, who has no party political affiliation, won
\n792 votes, a mere 68 more than National Mandate Party (PAN)
\nofficial Suyoto, a university rector, during the three-hour
\nvoting session that began early on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
Mukti's election reflects participants' determination to
\ndistance Muhammadiyah Youth from political party influence.<\/p>\n
A 70 year-old organization, Muhammadiyah Youth is under the
\naegis of Muhammadiyah, one of the most prominent and puritanical
\nMuslim organizations in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
During the 1999 general election, the majority of
\nMuhammadiyah's votes went to candidates from PAN, which is led by
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais, a former
\nMuhammadiyah chairman and Muhammadiyah Youth leader.<\/p>\n
Wednesday's voting session went smoothly despite a bomb hoax
\nthat temporarily shook supporters of the 13 leader hopefuls prior
\nto voting.<\/p>\n
Mukti, who comes from the small Central Java village of Kudus,
\nsecured major support from delegates representing Central Java,
\nYogyakarta, part of Sumatra, West Java, Banten and West
\nKalimantan.<\/p>\n
According to Muhammadiyah Youth official M. Saleh Tjan, apart
\nfrom his \"plus point\" of having no political party affiliation,
\nMukti was deemed capable of guiding Muhammadiyah Youth.<\/p>\n
\"He may be low-profile, but he is wise and firm. I believe he
\nwill be able to lead the Youth to concentrate on formulating
\nsocial-oriented programs, to help with the nation's current
\nsocial problems,\" Saleh said.<\/p>\n
Mukti said that he believed he could motivate members to
\nreally understand and contribute ideas to the problems of the
\nnation.<\/p>\n
Formulating a national program was tough considering that most
\nmembers had hardly ever discussed crucial issues facing the
\nnation such as labor, health, education, gender, or even the
\namendment of the 1945 Constitution, he said.<\/p>\n
He added that even though he had no wish to enter politics and
\nwas happy with his teaching job at the Walisongo Institute of
\nIslamic Studies, he would not prevent Muhammadiyah Youth members
\nfrom expressing their political aspirations.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah, established in 1912 as a modern organization
\nwhile maintaining its commitment to the Koran, reaffirmed its
\ndesire recently to avoid practical politics and embrace local
\ncultures to affect social changes.<\/p>\n
The 30 million-strong Muhammadiyah has made modern
\ncontributions to Islamic religious thought.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah is different from the Nahdlatul Ulama, another
\nprominent Muslim organization, which is much more tolerant and
\nadopts various pre-Islamic traditions as a pragmatic way of
\nspreading Islam, mostly in Java.<\/p>\n
Some recommendations of the 12th Muhammadiyah Youth Congress<\/p>\n
1. Push MPR members to avoid deadlock during the amendment of the
\n1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
2. Push the government to prioritize implementation of the reform
\nagenda, particularly of the judiciary.<\/p>\n
3. Urge the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police to
\ncontinue to coordinate their offers and engage in dialog to
\nachieve national stability, particularly in the riot-torn
\nprovince of Aceh. Push the government to abort any possible plan
\nfor introducing martial law in Aceh.<\/p>\n
4. Push local administrations to fully utilize the 1999 Law No.
\n22, on regional autonomy, for the development of regional
\neconomies.<\/p>\n
5. Push the government to prioritize the development of the
\nnational education system and its quality.<\/p>\n
6. Push the government to encourage non-Islamic schools to
\nprovide religious education in accordance with the religion of
\nthe students. The government should take action against non-
\nIslamic schools that fail to provide Islamic studies for Muslim
\nstudents studying there.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/university-lecturer-leads-muhammadiyah-youth-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}