'Issues of social, political order a test for ICMI role'

'Issues of social, political order a test for ICMI role'

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's contention with issues of social and
political order will test the mettle of the Indonesian
Association of Moslem Intellectuals and its role in the process
of national development, a scholar said yesterday.

Nurcholish Madjid told a two-day discussion entitled ICMI and
the face of Indonesia in the future that various changes in both
the social and political structures and processes signify
movement toward a new order as the older, colonial order fades
away.

"The forward move cannot be prevented, because of the
existence of a number of factors, especially in the form of the
nation's success in education and economy," Nurcholish said.

The modern ideals of the nation -- justice, openness and
democracy -- will soon become "urgent agendas for national social
and political development", he said.

In this context, the values of the Indonesian Association of
Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) will be determined by its role in the
movement, he said.

The discussion was held in advance of the organization's
second national congress, which will be staged at a cost of over
Rp 2 billion (US$890,000). To be opened by President Soeharto in
December, the congress will be joined by a total of 1,000 leading
members.

Analysts say that incumbent chairman B.J. Habibie, who is also
State Minister of Research and Technology, will most likely
retain his position.

ICMI was established in 1990. It has since gone from strength
to strength, obtaining not only the support of President Soeharto
and cabinet ministers, but also community leaders across the
country. The organization is considered to have great political
clout and proponents say it is instrumental in helping usher in a
new era of improved relations between the Islamic community and
the government.

During yesterday and Saturday's discussions, ICMI, which has
for some time been criticized as functioning merely as a
"political vehicle" for interests groups, found itself to be the
target of great expectations. Many, for instance, are now asking
the organization to propel democratization, foster social justice
and to be more sensitive toward the people's aspirations.

Conviction

In addition to Nurcholish, human rights campaigners Marzuki
Darusman and Mulyana W. Kusuma, and former student activist Eki
Syachruddin, all expressed their conviction that ICMI could do
more in the interest of the nation.

Mulyana, who is the executive director of the Indonesian Legal
Aid Foundation, said that ICMI, often dubbed as the product of
"Islamic revivalism", is expected to contribute in the campaign
to equip the nation with international standards for human rights
protection.

"It should play a part in...realizing the development of human
rights...and political reforms," Mulyana said.

Mulyana identified several other agendas that ICMI should
consider in the near future, including ways to make progress on
the much-debated issue of political openness.

"ICMI can start by launching the politics of tension-release,
at least within the frame of de-escalating repression and
restriction," he said.

The organization, currently led by bureaucrats, should also
strive to widen political communication, review existing legal
instruments, and examine the political control strategies of the
state which repress human rights, he said.

"The proximity of ICMI to state institutions and,
consequently, its stronger access to the power center, provides
great opportunities (for it) to establish more comprehensive
policies on human rights," he said. (swe)

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