ICMI expected to shed image as sectarian group

ICMI expected to shed image as sectarian group

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): Political observers are greeting
the second congress of the influential Association of Indonesian
Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) with criticism.

Muladi, who is rector at Diponegoro University, said here
yesterday that the next leadership of ICMI should resolve a
number of faults which cropped up during its first five years of
existence under the leadership of State Minister of Research and
Technology B.J. Habibie.

"ICMI should free itself from the shackle of its' public image
as a sectarian group," Muladi told The Jakarta Post. "ICMI should
'expand' and improve cooperation with other organizations of
intellectuals."

In addition, ICMI should strive to change the perception that
it is an "elitist" organization, far removed from the problems of
the people of the lower social class, he said.

ICMI has been too preoccupied with the "upper classes" while
the impact of its activities have yet to be felt by those in the
lower reaches of society, he said.

"ICMI has done little towards poverty alleviation," he said.
Neither has it been handling issues which are urgent for the
lower class people's existence, such as demolition or
unemployment, he further charged.

Finally, Muladi said, ICMI should promote activities which are
distinctly characterized by the state ideology Pancasila.

President Soeharto will open the second congress of ICMI this
morning, which will elect a new leadership and prepare a program
for the next five years. So far, incumbent chairman Habibie looks
set to retain the top position.

Some 1,000 leading members from the organization's 434
regional branches and units are attending the event.

Another observer who criticized ICMI was Afan Gaffar, a
lecturer at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, who said
that ICMI will be facing at least three huge tasks in the near
future.

"The first, ICMI needs to create a positive public image,"
Afan said, pointing out that the closeness with the power holders
that ICMI has been enjoying presents a special burden for it.

"This proximity causes a bad image among the public, who think
that ICMI was established in 1990 only to consolidate power," he
said.

Furthermore, ICMI has so far failed to establish a clearly
defined concept as to where the country should be heading and
what its role is in the process.

"The organization should have established concrete programs in
the fields of science and technology, politics, economics,
social, culture, security and defense, should the opportunity for
them to run the country appear in the future," he said.

Another criticism that Afan leveled at ICMI concerned the
structure of its leadership. The current structure, with one
chairman and a number of assistants, creates a "centralization"
of authority on the chairman, he said.

"As a consequence, there is no distribution of responsibility
within the organization," he said.

Meanwhile, Habibie launched five books last week, specially
prepared for the opening of the congress, at the Hotel Indonesia.

Two of the books were entitled ICMI: Beberapa Catatan Kritis
(ICMI: Critical Notes) and Jejak dan Langkah: Dokumen 5 Tahun
Perjalanan ICMI (Tracks and Steps: A Document of the Five years
of ICMI's Journey). (har/swe)