Achmad denies rift with Habibie on ICMI statement

Achmad denies rift with Habibie on ICMI statement

JAKARTA (JP): The acting chairman of the influential
Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), Achmad
Tirtosudiro, has denied there is any split in the organization's
leadership and insists that differences have been settled.

"It's not true that there's friction between me and Pak
Habibie," he said, referring to Vice President B.J. Habibie who,
technically, is still the chairman of ICMI.

Speaking to a gathering of some 5,000 Moslems at the Al Azhar
Grand Mosque here Saturday, Achmad spoke about how he and ICMI
secretary-general Adi Sasono recently gave their and the
organization's endorsement for reform and for a possible
extraordinary session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Habibie later charged that Ahmad and Adi were expressing their
personal views, not those of ICMI, and that a special session of
the Assembly would undermine democracy.

Achmad said on Saturday that he recently had the opportunity
to meet with Habibie and clarify matters. "I reaffirmed then that
the (mine and Adi's) statement was the result of a meeting of
ICMI branch executives," he said.

"I said: 'Had you been at the meeting, Bapak, you would have
been amazed at how enthusiastic they were (ICMI executives for
reform)'," Achmad said. "I told (Habibie) that now that he is the
vice president, he should just concentrate on his duties, which
are many."

"ICMI is my business," he said he told Habibie.

Achmad said Habibie seemed to have understood the matter and
had even reported the development to President Soeharto.

Achmad claimed that Soeharto said "that's good" and that the
President had known him a long time. "I know him. I know his
devotion to Islam. He wouldn't do anything bad," Achmad repeated
Soeharto's remarks about him as conveyed through Habibie.

Habibie will still chair the ICMI until 2000, when the
organization will convene and elect a new leader.

Initiated by a group of students of Brawijaya University in
Malang, East Java, in 1990, ICMI has gone from strength to
strength. Its chief patron is President Soeharto, while former
vice president Try Sutrisno as well as many other prominent
people are its advisors.

At some point of its existence, ICMI was considered to have so
much clout that it was able to influence the recruitment of
cabinet ministers. Its leaders, however, insist that the
organization shuns politics. Adi, for instance, refused to
recommend ICMI members to be included in the cabinet now that
President Soeharto is about to reshuffle it. (swe)