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)