Amien retains ICMI experts council post

JAKARTA (JP): Amien Rais has again been retained as head of the influential Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals' (ICMI) Council of Experts.

The decision to retain Amien was made during a council meeting here Saturday.

Amien was "forced" to retire from the council in February 1997 after his criticism was deemed intolerable to then president Soeharto, who was ICMI's patron at the time.

The council's secretary, Umar Anggara Jenie, said Amien would again fill the seat, which had been left vacant since his resignation last year, and serve the remainder of the term till 2000.

Amien resigned as chairman of the influential organization's Council of Experts last year but cited his heavy workload as chairman of the 28-million-strong Muhammadiyah Moslem organization and as a politics lecturer at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta as the reasons for his resignation.

He was transferred to the association's board of advisors.

However, at the time it was widely speculated that Amien was forced to resign because of his critical remarks.

Amien yesterday seemed happy to be back at the helm of council and was not too shy to admit that he was forced to resign.

"This decision reinstates my rights. I was chosen as head of the Council of Experts by the congress, but because of Soeharto's will I was forced to step down," he said as quoted by Antara.

Amien said Soeharto had been frazzled over his harsh criticism.

"My criticism could no longer be tolerated by Soeharto's ears... But now the one who did the pressuring is gone, so I can make a comeback," he remarked.

President B.J. Habibie has continued to chair ICMI since its inception 1990.

Amien also confirmed that he was in the process of establishing his own political party, but promised that it would not ride on the coattails of Muhammadiyah.

"Muhammadiyah will not set up a party on its own, nor will I do it by myself. I will do it together with my friends and we will establish an open political party," Amien asserted.

He said the new party would be formed in cooperation with leading national and religious figures along with non- governmental organizations.

He said legal and political experts such as Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Dawam Rahardjo were among those who would cooperate with him.

August 1 has been slated as the official launch date of the party, Rais said, adding that the party's format would be nationalistic, Islamic and patriotic.

A number of proposals for the name of the new party were being discussed, such as the National Mandate Party and the National Justice Party. (mds)