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)