Muhammadiyah bans dual positions for executives

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Malang

To strengthen its commitment to staying away from practical politics and to affirm its role as a socio-religious organization, Muhammadiyah has banned its executives from holding leadership positions in political parties, its new leader said on Thursday.

"Muhammadiyah does not have relations with any political parties. This means that its executives at the central and regional levels must not become the board members of political parties," Din Syamsuddin said, shortly after being elected for the top post in the country's second-largest Muslim organization.

The decision, however, will not affect Muhammadiyah board members currently serving in legislative bodies, ministerial and other strategic political posts in government agencies.

The ban is expected to further diminish political relations between Muhammadiyah and the National Mandate Party (PAN), which was founded by its leaders in 1998, following the fall of the country's former strongman Soeharto.

Today, many Muhammadiyah executives in the central, provincial and regental branches hold posts in PAN, the United Development Party, the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and other political parties.

The 30-million strong organization drew internal criticism for violating its commitment to cease its political involvement, when it institutionally decided to back the presidential bid of former Muhammadiyah and PAN leader Amien Rais last year.

Critics also said Muhammadiyah had no serious commitment to keeping out of politics, since it did not prohibit its executives from holding positions in political parties.

Earlier, many participants of Muhammadiyah's six-day national congress in Malang, East Java, proposed that the organization ban its executives from holding dual positions.

The proposal was raised by congress delegates including those from Banten and Bangka Belitung provinces.

"Muhammadiyah must cut its ties with political parties," Ahyar Said of the organization's Banten branch told a meeting of Commission A for general affairs on Wednesday.

However, Thursday's plenary session during the congress did not discuss the issue of holding dual positions. It is not clear whether the ban on dual positions, as announced by Din, will be regulated in a special decree by the new central board.

In another development, controversy over whether Muhammadiyah should become a political party or establish a new political party marred the discussion at Commission A.

"In order to avoid conflict over its relations with political parties, it's better for Muhammadiyah to turn itself into a political party," said Firdaus Ali of Muhammadiyah's North Sumatra branch.

A similar suggestion was raised by delegates from Jambi and West Sumatra.