ICMI calls for total political reform

JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) broke ranks with the government yesterday by calling for total political reform to lift the nation out of the economic crisis.

ICMI's executive board described the government's latest reform proposal, given by President Soeharto to leaders of the political parties and the House of Representatives last week, as "vague, too little and too late".

"It does not reflect any sign of a pro-reform spirit," ICMI said in a statement issued after a meeting of its leaders.

The association is technically still chaired by B.J. Habibie, who was elected vice president in March, but state protocol forced him to delegate the job to Achmad Tirtosudiro until the next ICMI election in 2000.

Achmad told a media briefing that ICMI fully supported the demands for an extraordinary session of the People's Consultative Assembly, as echoed in various recent student protests, to push for reform through peaceful means.

House of Representatives Speaker Harmoko had rejected the demand, saying President Soeharto should be given the chance to carry out the new mandate given him by the Assembly in March.

"ICMI reiterated its commitment to push for and establish, together with the people, a total reform process as a way out of the crisis," the statement said.

"What began as a monetary crisis has since turned into economic and political crises. But all these crises are rooted in a crisis of moral character, or the failure of those who should have been role models in society."

While noting a solidarity among the people in this time of crisis, ICMI denounced "efforts from the top to make a show of charity, which would not solve the problem at all and would even sow greater public cynicism."

ICMI leaders noted that protests led by students in hundreds of campuses have widened and were becoming more radical.

"The lack of confidence in the government is the source of these protests. They have widened as more and more people are feeling the burden of increasing prices of basic commodities.

"The meeting expressed concern that these protests could lead to various forms of violence.

"And if this violence threatens peaceful protesters, coming on top of recent acts of intimidation and kidnapings, the bridge of political communication to work out solutions together will become even more difficult to build," the statement said.

ICMI said it was opposed to any form of violence, especially if carried out by the state whose task was to protect and serve the public already feeling restless by the crisis.

While acknowledging that the protests have made economic recovery more difficult, ICMI said the protests were caused by "some things much deeper which the public has felt for years".

It said practices of corruption, collusion and nepotism in every layer of the decision-making process, often taken with the arrogance of power, had affected the lives of the people.

"It is wrong to always lay the blame for the crisis on outside forces," it added.

The statement said the solution to the crisis should start by finding a political solution through measures reflecting government commitment. The reform should not involve people who, in the public eye, have been part of the corruption, collusion and nepotistic networks.

A national leader should meet the criteria laid down by the Prophet Muhammad, ICMI said. "One shouldn't lie when talking, one should fulfill one's promise, one should not betray a trust and one should not cheat." (imn/emb)