Chaos, conflict sweep through HMI congress

Chaos, conflict sweep through HMI congress

JAKARTA (JP): Chaos has plagued the last few days of the
congress of the Moslem Students Organization (HMI) in Surabaya,
East Java, and bickering among members continues to intensify.

The meeting, which was opened by President Soeharto last
Saturday, may have to be extended as participants cannot agree on
some crucial issues.

Participants tossed chairs about while others grabbed
microphones and told reporters to go out of the meeting venue and
now there have been reports that Vice President Try will not
close the gathering tomorrow in Jakarta as planned.

Should that happen, Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare
Azwar Anas will stand in his place and close the congress in the
current venue in Surabaya.

A congress organizer denies that the changes have been caused
by the disorder in the meeting.

"It's only a technicality...Vice President Try Sutrisno was
willing to close the congress in Jakarta, but we can't bring all
these participants there..it will create more difficulties,"
congress coordinator Alwi Mujahid Hasibuan said.

However, Amir Santoso of the University of Indonesia was less
worried and told The Jakarta Post that the chaos was part of a
political education process and that the students should be left
alone.

"Such commotion occurs in other organizations' congresses,
too," he said. "They need to learn for themselves the
consequences of their conduct... As long as they are not burning
any buildings down, let's leave them alone."

The Antara news agency reported that the plenary meeting held
to discuss the accountability report of the outgoing executive
board, which was planned for one day, had been going on for two
days. Some important items on the agenda, including the election
of new leaders, have yet to be tackled.

Hasibuan, however, said he was sure that the meeting would end
as scheduled, though other meetings may have to be canceled so
that the remaining time can be used for election and other
agenda.

"We planned to finish all hearings on Friday," he told Antara.
"But even if discussions on the accountability report have to be
stretched, we'll cancel the meeting of KOHATI (an organization of
HMI female members) so the congress can be completed and closed
on Sunday as planned."

According to the congress agenda, the outgoing leadership, led
by M. Yahya Zaini, should have delivered its accountability
report and stepped down on Thursday. Commission meetings also
should have started on the same day and been completed yesterday.

The election for the 1995-1997 board of executives and all
related procedures were scheduled to be held yesterday.

Antara reported that the delays occurred because the
chairpersons were unable to take control and because they
accommodated participants who wanted to use the platform to
attack other members.

Amidst reports of disorder, the 48-year old organization has
also been under attack from various corners. Among the critics
was its former chairman, prominent scholar Dr. Nurcholish Madjid,
who said HMI members have been regressing so much intellectually
that the organization is no longer able to give proper responses
to various issues.

"HMI should no longer (react to various issues) by flaring up,
or by trumpeting angry or bombastic jargons," he was quoted by
the news agency. "The public is waiting for it to be more active
in finding solutions to problems in society."

"HMI should discard its 'fight' against mentality, and adopt
an attitude which fights for some positive causes instead," he
said. "This does not mean that being reactive is no longer
important, but the times have changed and we are not facing the
same threats as we did at the birth of the New Order (in 1966)."

Another critic, Bursyah Zarnubi, said HMI has lost its ability
in finding intellectual answers to various social ills. "This
participants this year have yet to come up with intelligent
ideas," he said.

Speculations now loom about who will succeed Yahya Zaini as
chairman. Among the names most frequently heard were outgoing
deputy chairman Taufik Hidayat, outgoing secretary-general Fatah
Yasin, Jakarta chapter chairman Aman Romansyah.

Several other names came up for potential secretary-general,
including Alwi Mujahid Hasibuan and Zulkennedy Said from West
Sumatra chapter. The only female hopeful in the congress was
Nursi Arsirawati.(swe)