A role for ICMI
A role for ICMI
There are at least three aspects of last week's congress of the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) which deserve the nation's attention. First, the re-election of B.J. Habibie, one of this country's most active and important scholars; second, the composition of the organization's new executive board, which consists of many intellectuals from many different circles; and, third, the organization's attitude toward the challenges currently facing the nation.
Habibie's re-election was quite predictable for long-time observers, since he has become an inseparable part of the organization. His name has almost become synonymous that of ICMI. The congress proved that Habibie's popularity is intact. The support he enjoyed from the vast majority of delegates showed that most of the organization's membership still cannot imagine what would become of ICMI without Habibie.
President Soeharto, who has since the beginning been chairman of ICMI's board of patrons, did not intervene in the election of the new board. Nevertheless, his clout in the organization and Habibie's closeness to him has been significant. In a society in which paternalism is still dominant, to have an ally in someone who enjoys such extraordinary influence and unchallenged leadership means to be secure for an indefinite period.
The inclusion in ICMI's new leadership of so many politicians and former politicians shows that the organization wanted to recruit as many intellectuals and members of the ruling elite as possible in order to implement its programs. The variety of people on the new executive board is extraordinary. The board now includes people like Dr. Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, the country's most senior economist, who has never been noted as showing any particular attention to religious concerns.
The question of the intensity of one's religious devotion is apparently not an overriding consideration for ICMI, which works on an Islamic platform, presumably because an executive's ability to uphold and promote the organization's programs is considered to be of greater importance. ICMI is evidently trying hard to impress upon the public that it is a program-oriented and viable organization.
The challenges which are faced by ICMI, as listed by the organization at the congress, are those which are also being faced by the nation as a whole. They include a lack of openness, weaknesses in the system of control over the administration, poverty, economic and social disparities, human rights violations and the question of democracy.
These are all national problems which should be addressed with some urgency.
It was quite heartening to hear the organization's statement, made public at the end of the congress. It demonstrated that the intellectuals grouped in ICMI are paying a good deal of attention to the problems of the people at large. And, judging from the large number of high-ranking government officials in the organization, we do not foresee any difficulties for ICMI in carrying out its programs.
ICMI should be able to stand at the front line in combating the problems which are confronting the nation. The position occupied by the organization in the Indonesian social and political scene has led many observers to conclude that the organization will enjoy a special relationship, not only with the establishment, but also with the ruling party, Golkar.
The role played by ICMI seems set to grow more important as the nation moves into the 21st century, which has been dubbed the Age of the Pacific Rim, a dynamic region in which economic giants reside and tight rivalry prevails. It would indeed seem that any organization without a clear plan and the ability to implement it has little hope of survival in this era.