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)