Is slumbering ICMI about to awaken?

Is slumbering ICMI about to awaken?

Imam Cahyono, Jakarta

It comes as a surprise that the Association of Indonesian
Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) has kept a low profile over the last
few years.

But the fourth national congress of the association held in
Makassar, South Sulawesi, last week sparked public interest. The
congress was attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
former president B.J Habibie -- who led the ICMI in the 1990s --
and other prominent figures.

Is this the second wave of the ICMI's awakening?

The founding of the ICMI in December 1990 was seen as the
awakening of a new Muslim middle class. It gave momentum for the
consolidation and institutionalization of the Muslim professional
class. The ICMI's creation was the result of a complex
convergence of social forces. Among them were the Islamic revival
and the growth of an educated and prosperous middle class from
diverse cultural backgrounds -- from modernist to orthodox to
nominal Muslims (abangan). It was a new middle class strategy to
move and to mobilize, to commit to Islam and the nation.

Robert W. Heffner, an Indonesianist from Boston University
observes the ICMI's relevancy in the creation of a civil society
in Indonesia. If the Muslim middle class have strong influence in
the government, they can use their influence to create a civil
society. This class, which has a place in the government and
business communities, will Islamize not only the farmers but also
the middle class and the ruling class.

In fact, some were skeptical of this. Nahdlatul Ulama -- the
largest Muslim organization under Abdurahman Wahid's leadership,
and supporters of democratic reform in that era -- regarded the
ICMI not as a vehicle for Muslim penetration of the state but on
the contrary for the state's penetration of Islam. The ICMI
represented an attempt on the part of the Soeharto regime to co-
opt and control Indonesian Islam.

By the mid-1980s the president was already aware of and
concerned about the growing Islamic resurgence. Islam was pushed
to the center of Indonesian politics after it had been barred for
25 years.

The president's rapprochement with Muslims was in part to
counterbalance his worsening relations with high-ranking officers
in the military

The establishment of the ICMI led to the heightened presence
of Muslim intellectuals in the bureaucracy. Politically, it
expanded support and profit for the government. But, if many
bureaucrats entered the organization, this would also damage its
autonomy and its independency.

From 1994 to 1995, state bureaucrats so thoroughly dominated
the ICMI's leadership that independent figures complained
bitterly that they had lost control of their own association.

During the Soeharto era, the then Habibie-led ICMI
played a significant role in government decision-making. No one
had a reputation for being more loyal, nor enjoyed Soeharto's
favor as much as Habibie. In fact he had no independent power
base, making him all the more dependent on presidential favor.

The ICMI's role increased after Habibie replaced Soeharto in
May 1998 and ruled the country until October 1999. In that
period, people enjoy "democracy euphoria" such as freedom of the
press and the freedom to establish political parties. After that,
the ICMI's role greatly diminished.

Furthermore, other organizations, such as Muhammadiyah and
later, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), have left it behind.

The ICMI is only able to attract public interest
through its role as the locomotive of politics. To make it to the
top position of power, we need a vehicle. There are many people
who stand in the circle of power but have no vehicle. At the same
time, there is a political locomotive but it has no power. So,
supply and demand meet in the market of politics.

The organization has been controlled and co-opted by power
politics. The election of government leaders and bureaucrats to
the ICMI's presidium -- who will lead the organization for the
next five years -- such as House of Representatives lawmaker
Marwah Daud Ibrahim and Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa
has shown the ICMI's motivation as a political locomotive.

The writer is research coordinator of the al-Maun Institute.
He can be reached at icahyo17@yahoo.com.