First woman at ICMI helm in collective leadership
First woman at ICMI helm in collective leadership
Andi Hajramurni
The Jakarta Post/Makassar
The Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) elected
on Wednesday a presidium of five who will lead the organization
for the next five years.
House of Representatives lawmaker Marwah Daud Ibrahim,
Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa, former ICMI chairman
Muslimin Nasution, Bandung-based Gunungjati State Islamic
University rector Nanat Fatta Natsir and Jakarta-based Syarif
Hidayatullah State Islamic University rector Azyumardi Azra will
take turns in coordinating the unprecedented collective
leadership of the association.
Marwah, the only woman in the presidium, will be
the leader for the first year after securing the most votes in
the election, which took place early in the morning. Participants
in the fourth five-yearly congress had previously resorted to a
vote on whether to approve the collective leadership proposed by
ICMI founder B.J. Habibie.
Marwah, the first woman ever to lead the Muslim organization,
expressed her guarded optimism that the new style of leadership
would help the ICMI respond to internal and national challenges,
particularly human resources development.
She said the ICMI would focus on improving the quality of
human resources through education and regeneration and
eradicating poverty through the empowerment of the people's
economy.
"We will continue empowering civil society by fostering
education and combating poverty and backwardness. Our concern
will be how to help people free themselves from these multi-
dimensional crises," said Marwah, who was denied a chance to
contest last year's presidential election as the running mate of
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid due to his health problems.
The ICMI also elected a team of six comprising among others
Constitutional Court president Jimly Asshiddiqie, former
cooperatives minister Adi Sasono and House lawmaker Priyo Budi
Santoso, to select a secretary-general and members of the
executive board for the association.
Wrapping up the congress, the ICMI issued a 10-point
recommendation, which requires the new leadership to promote the
small- and medium-scale economies, corruption eradication and
better health services for the public.
The ICMI was founded in 1990 amid efforts from Soeharto to
enlist Muslim support for his rule.