Indonesia's existence at stake: Syafii

JAKARTA (JP): Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Ma'arif warned on Tuesday the current political turmoil had reached a critical point that could see the country break apart.

"The question is not whether the President or his government survive. For me, the very existence of this nation is at stake. We need to save the nation," Syafii said during a discussion at The Jakarta Post.

While refraining from directly calling on President Abdurrahman Wahid to resign, Syafii said new national leadership could save the country from disintegration.

"Disintegration is not just a phenomena, it is a real danger. I don't know if this nation can be saved," he said, adding, however, that he remained optimistic. "I'm never pessimistic. I'm always trying to do something."

Muhammadiyah is Indonesia's second largest Muslim social organization after Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which Abdurrahman chaired until he was elected president in October 1999.

In spite of their common denominator, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama have a long history of political rivalry.

The current political battle between President Abdurrahman Wahid and Amien Rais, the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly and a former chairman of Muhammadiyah, has often been portrayed by their supporters as a battle between the two organizations.

Syafii dismissed Abdurrahman's claim the nation would crumble if he stepped down from the presidency.

He recalled that when he recently asked former human rights affairs minister and Aceh political figure Hasballah Saad about the President's claim, the latter quipped: "On the contrary."

"Never in the history of Indonesia has the state been this fragile," Syafii said. "Security is nonexistent and economic and political development are not improving either."

He accused the President of having the tendency to reduce the complex problems of the state into simplistic terms.

Syafii said Muhammadiyah would never engage in practical politics, but that it would voice its concern if the nation was in danger.

The organization is ready to accept Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri as president should Abdurrahman step aside, he said, although he recalled that he personally opposed her presidential aspirations back in 1999 to the point of putting his job on the line.

"Constitutionally, she's next in line," he conceded.

He said Muhammadiyah's opposition to Megawati becoming president 18 months ago was not based on her gender, the reason cited by a number of Muslim-based political parties.

"It was more based on fears that she would be controlled by other forces. She had not yet proven herself," he said.

He also pointed out that Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) was filled with "fugitives" from Golkar, the ruling party of the Soeharto regime.

Syafii said Muhammadiyah never endorsed Abdurrahman for president either, although it was Amien Rais, as chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), who nominated the NU leader for the post.

Megawati was the leading candidate in the 1999 presidential election after PDI Perjuangan garnered the most votes in the general election a few months earlier.

"Things have changed since then. That's politics," Syafii said of his willingness now to accept Megawati as president.

Asked whether a Megawati presidency would be sufficient to stop the process of national disintegration, he said not necessarily.

"I can't say whether Megawati will be better. It will depend on her Cabinet," he said, adding that she would likely be able to hold the presidency until the end of the term in 2004 "if she picked the right people for the right posts".

Two qualities that will help Megawati if she becomes president are her patience and perseverance, he added.

On Amien Rais, who has been criticized by some as being a political opportunist, Syafii said Muhammadiyah had reproached its former chairman on several occasions for his actions.

He faulted Amien largely for the methods he used in trying to achieve his objectives, methods he said that often bordered on the unethical.

"Deep down, he is truly committed to helping the small people. But his delivery may be wanting," Syafii said.

He likened Amien to a forward on a soccer team: "A good striker, but a poor dribbler".

In contrast, House of Representatives Speaker and Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung is a "good dribbler who can't strike", he said.

Amien is a relative newcomer to the political arena, Syafii said. "In that regard, he has come a long way. His main fault is in his method, but not in his substance." (emb)