Critical assessment of Muslim political pluralism in Indonesia

Muhamad Ali, Jakarta

Deputy chairman of Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsudin, announced early last week the decision taken by 11 Muslim organizations not to vote in the expected Sept. 20 runoff. This is due to the poor performance of Amien Rais in the first round, whom the organizations were previously backing.

They implicitly claimed that the two candidates who are likely to enter the runoff, Megawati, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono -- who is currently leading the provisional tally -- do not meet their criteria for president.

There was no claim that the move represented all Muslim elements, it was just one expression of Muslim politics. Although Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, Muslims are also divided among groups: social, ethnic, cultural, economic, and political.

Some observers view the triumph of the top three candidates -- Susilo, Megawati and Wiranto -- over Amien Rais and Hamzah Haz as a triumph of "secular nationalism" over Islamic politics. Political analyst Richard Baker observed that "this result confirms the continuing moderation of Indonesia's overwhelmingly Islamic population, and the relative weakness of political Islam in the country." He further said, "The Islamic political vote was widely split, and more radical Islamic forces were essentially invisible in terms of electoral impact."

This view was conveyed especially to foreign media, and others who tend to look at Indonesian politics with the perspective that "the (radical) Muslims are coming". It stressed that Indonesian politics is not going to be religiously radicalized. And, emphasized that religious politics is not the dominant trend here.

Others, including Kuntowijoyo from Yogyakarta, regard all the candidates as representatives of both the secular and the religious. This would indicate a certain blurring, or santri- abangan, and a move toward what Kuntowijoyo calls "religious pragmatism," and others, "religious secularism". Yet, Muslim political pluralism remains tangible and important. Islam has always been a major force in politics here, but in different ways. The diversity and changing nature of Islamic politics is largely dependent upon the behavior of the nation's leaders, including the ulema, religious scholars, politicians and intellectuals. They play a crucial role in leading the umma (Islamic community) toward new, often conflicting directions. Thus, political pluralism is the creation of Muslim political leaders and Muslims are never under one political umbrella.

An important factor that contributes to Muslim political pluralism is the interpretation of religious texts and the reading of political phenomena. It is not quite true to suggest that political pluralism is made possible due only to political pragmatism. Although religious texts may be interpreted in different ways, Muslims have always attempted to find religious justification -- for better or for worse -- for their political position.

Another factor responsible for Islamic political pluralism is the perceived and real threat from outsiders -- the West, non- Muslims, or other Muslims (with different ideologies). Islam becomes a source of identity, distinguishing the believers from others, the "true" Muslims from the nonconformists. Although the current election does not suggest the strengthened or widened politicization of Islam, many Muslims still take Islamic issues into consideration when making political decisions.

Muslims should strive to show what pluralism can stand for. Indonesia is grateful for its ethnic, linguistic, and cultural pluralism, but political diversity -- which has been responsible for violence and bloodshed -- should be managed and directed toward ideas and actions that accept such diversity. Pluralism is not just a necessity historically, but a normative philosophy.

The complexity -- rather than the simplicity -- of Muslim politics should be understood in Indonesian politics, and its diversity, recognized. Differences in political ideas and actions are a good first step toward strengthening public policies that benefit most of the population.

Political authoritarianism, be it religious or secular, has proved to be dangerous, and not only for Muslims. Freedom in religion, equal rights and participation, and social justice, can be well maintained in pluralistic politics. The election has showed us that we can speak freely and responsibly while, at the same time, respecting difference.

The future of politics here will depend upon how the government can manage the relationship between religion and politics. Pluralism in Islamic politics can be celebrated, if extremism or publicly dangerous ideologies are not present.

The writer is a lecturer at the State Islamic University, Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta.