Moslem activists establish 'New Masyumi'

Moslem activists establish 'New Masyumi'

JAKARTA (JP): Several Moslem activists braced themselves for
criticism yesterday as they announced the establishment of
Masyumi, a group with the same name as the defunct Islamic
political party.

Ridwan Saidi and Agus Miftach described the "new" Masyumi as
an "Islamic group which is loyal to the state ideology Pancasila
and the 1945 Constitution".

"We are going to accommodate Moslem aspirations regardless of
their backgrounds," Ridwan said.

Masyumi is an acronym for Majelis Syarikat Umat Muslimin
Indonesia (the Indonesian Moslem Congregation).

The "old" Masyumi (Majelis Syuro Muslimin Indonesia),
dissolved in August 1960 following conflicts with the Old Order
administration under the late president Sukarno.

The "new" Masyumi currently has no chairperson, secretary
general or other personnel.

However, Ridwan named a number of outspoken activists in the
list of its "supporters". Among them were the sacked legislator
Sri Bintang Pamungkas, environmentalist Indro Cahyono and
soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho, chairperson of the largest
Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Abdurrahman Wahid.

Supporters' names would be included as the group's personnel
when it registered with the Home Affairs Ministry, he said.

Bintang said he had not been contacted previously by Ridwan
but was willing to support any organization which was "anti-
establishment".

The "new" Masyumi cannot be called a "mass organization"
because it has yet to register to the Ministry of Home Affairs
and obtain official approval. Like the "old" Masyumi the group
uses stars and the moon as its symbol.

"This group, however, has no link whatsoever with the old
Masyumi," Ridwan said.

Aspiration

The "new" Masyumi was established out of the need to
"accommodate the aspiration of Moslem community that could not be
contained by the existing organizations and political parties",
Ridwan said.

The state recognizes only three political groupings -- Golkar,
the nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the Moslem-
based United Development Party (PPP).

"Who can guarantee that Golkar, PPP and PDI will last?" he
said. "As Moslems, we trust that nothing is eternal except God.
New Masyumi is an alternative for Moslems to face the
unpredictable in the future."

Ridwan, a former legislator of the PPP faction and former
chairperson of the Moslem Students Association (HMI), said the
group was established because "Indonesian Moslems need a place
which is free from manipulation".

Ridwan and Agus said the group would avoid involvement with
existing political parties and would not choose Golkar, PPP or
PDI to voice its political aspirations.

Ridwan said that one of the goals of the "new" Masyumi was to
become a political party.

The group has also planned to hold its congress next year.
"Let the congress then decide who's going to be the leader, what
form of organization new Masyumi will be, or even what name the
members want," Ridwan said.

Agus Miftach told The Jakarta Post that the "new" Masyumi
would not develop into a group of Moslem fundamentalists, as it
would be run by "moderate Moslems".

The government has not yet reacted to the new group. "We
didn't receive any warning against establishing the new Masyumi,"
Agus said.

Agus said he and Ridwan were not copying other groups which
have established new mass organizations using defunct
organizations' names.

Two years ago the Indonesian Christian Participation
Association (Parkindo) was established and was widely seen as a
resurrection of the old Indonesian Christian Party, also
abbreviated as "Parkindo".

Another organization formed last month called itself
Indonesian National Unity (PNI). It was set up by a group of
people identified with the Indonesian Nationalist Party, the
initials of which were also "PNI".(01)