Moslem student association's independence questioned

Moslem student association's independence questioned

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Despite the absence of prominent speakers,
the second day of the Association of Islamic Students (HMI)
congress saw a lively discussion on members' concern over the
organization's independence.

The proximity of some of Indonesia's Islamic organizations,
including HMI, to the country's center of power, was among the
topics discussed at the 21st congress of HMI.

Some participants cited a number of HMI alumni who were part
of the government bureaucracy during a morning session attended
by Syafii Maarif, a political historian of the Yogyakarta-based
Teachers Training and Education Institute (IKIP) yesterday.

Syafii substituted for former HMI chairman Nurcholish Madjid
and constitutional law expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra in the
session.

A participant from Sorong, Irian Jaya, criticized the largest
Moslem student organization for its failure to stand up to the
government.

"HMI has kept quiet and has done nothing about government
officials' misconduct," said the participant.

However, Syafii said there should not be any problem about the
organization's closeness with those in power as long as its
members were able to stand up and speak out.

Close ties should be inconsequential as long as HMI can still
campaign for justice and the truth, he said.

The organization was established in Yogyakarta in 1947 and has
seen its members grow in stature and become important public
figures.

The congress also discussed the growing rift within the
organization. Syafii offered to mediate if the organization's
executive board asked him to. "I'm willing to act as mediator in
HMI's internal dispute," said Syafii, who is also deputy chairman
of the Muhammadiyah Moslem organization.

The leadership of HMI is currently divided into two factions.
The government-recognized faction is led by Taufik Hidayat, but a
group of activists recently set up a breakaway faction and called
itself the Council of HMI Saviors.

Syafii, however, believed the rift would not pose a threat to
the organization's existence.

"The dispute only affects HMI's leaders at the executive board
level. It does not touch the association's chapters and
branches," he said.

He said there was a harmonious relationship between the two
disputed factions at the HMI Bandung chapter.

"Officials and members of the Bandung chapter meet and share
ideas regularly. They do not quarrel as some people think," he
said.

Some prominent speakers failed to appear in the second day of
the one-week long congress. Besides Nurcholish and Yusril, Armed
Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and State Minister of National
Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita were also scheduled
but failed to appear at yesterday's sessions.

Due to the speakers' absence, the organizers then idled the
congress away for five hours. The same thing happened on the
first day of the congress on Wednesday, when participants were
left with nothing to do for six hours after the opening session.

As a consequence of the poor time management, the participants
only started to discuss congressional regulations last night. The
discussion on regulations had been scheduled for Wednesday
evening.

Also yesterday, the congress organizers barred reporters from
the venue.

The second day of the congress also saw interest groups
distributing invitations for meetings, leaflets and statements,
seeking the participants' sympathy and support for their
chairmanship candidates.

The HMI Depok branch organized a press conference at nearby
Pringsewu Park Restaurant last night, while some other "groups"
held faction meetings within the Bimo Building.

The proposal of candidates for HMI's 1997/2000 chairmanship
started to heat up yesterday. Names mentioned as potential
chairpersons were Anas Urbaningrum, Viva Yoga Mauladi and Umar
Husen -- all incumbent deputies to the HMI chairman. Also
included on the list was Teuku Syahrul Anshari of the HMI Central
Java chapter. (23/swa/imn)