Intellectuals divided over over Moslems' 'honeymoon'

Intellectuals divided over over Moslems' 'honeymoon'

DEPOK, West Java (JP): Scholars are divided over the question
whether the current perceived favorable political climate for
Moslem groups is going to last.

Political scientists Afan Gaffar of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada
University told a discussion on Islam and the state here
yesterday that Indonesian Moslems today enjoyed the best
relations they could hope to achieve with the power holders.

Afan was the political observer who coined the term
"accommodative politics" to describe the present amicable
relationship between Moslems and those in power.

He said an accommodative approach was reflected in the
government's decision to pursue policies favorable to Moslems,
and to allow them a greater say in politics.

Examples of favorable policies include the regulation allowing
Moslem girls to wear religious head scarves to school, and the
establishment of the Indonesian Association of Moslem
Intellectuals (ICMI).

Moslems account for almost 87 percent of Indonesia's
population of 193 million.

Afan's view was supported by Syafi'i Anwar, a Moslem
publisher, who said that there was currently a very strong bond,
or cohesiveness, between Moslems and the state.

But Arbi Sanit and Erlangga, both from the University of
Indonesia, rejected the idea that the perceived greater leeway
for Moslems was for real.

Erlangga argued that most political decision-making was still
out of the reach of the Moslem community. Therefore, he said,
Moslems continued to be sidelined.

"I still feel like we're standing in the wings" of the
political arena, he said, adding that for a long time Moslems had
contributed greatly to the society but had never been fully
represented in the decision-making process.

Arbi Sanit, who explored the question of Islam's concepts of
democracy, believed that Moslems still had a long way to go
before they gained greater leverage, because the current
political system was still "centralized".

"Democracy is just an illusion here," he said. He said that
although the Constitution mandated the establishment of democracy
and prosperity, so far democracy had been sacrificed in the
process of pursuing prosperity.

He said the greatest blame for what he said was Moslems'
limited political participation lay with "undemocratic power
holders".

"There is no such thing as democratic bureaucracy," he said,
adding that the current political system had retarded political
infrastructure in order to effectively control the power holders.

The concentration of power was to blame for the Moslems'
marginal position, he said. "What we have here is formal
democracy only, but ...the process and the rights which
characterize democratization are still far from coming to
fruition, he said.

"With such a political system, don't have too great a hope for
Moslems' (roles in society)," he said. "As history has shown,
Moslems here are always a majority in number, but a minority in
power."

However, Arbi also lashed out at Moslems themselves for
failing to correct their various faults and failing to seize
opportunities. He blamed Moslem leaders and organizations who
were too busy pursuing their own interests and failed to observe
democracy.

The two-day discussion was organized by a group of social
science students. It also featured noted observer Maswadi Rauf
and the director of CIDES, a think-tank of ICMI, Adi Sasono.

State administration expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra spoke about
the political prospects for Moslems in the future, concluding
that they were bright. (swe)