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.