MUI sets 'guidelines' for Muslims to vote
JAKARTA (JP): The influential Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) and Muhammadiyah have called on Muslims to vote for political parties which represent their community, field Muslim legislative candidates of "noble conduct", and campaign for reform.
The council's statement was issued on Tuesday and signed by chairman Ali Yafie and secretary-general Nazri Adlani at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, while Muhammadiyah chairman Syafi'i Ma'arif and secretary Muchlas Abror signed their statement in Yogyakarta.
"Our message is basically for Muhammadiyah followers not to choose parties which do not clearly fight for Muslims," Abror told The Jakarta Post. "Parties that should be chosen are those which are either Islamic or Muslim-based."
Abror denied the statement was a covert campaign for the National Mandate Party (PAN), whose chairman, Amien Rais, once led the 28 million-strong Muhammadiyah. PAN is not an Islamic party.
"We allow Muhammadiyah members to choose any party as long as the parties sincerely fight for the interests of the Muslim community and for reform," Abror said.
Ali Yafie told Antara the message was not meant to sow hatred between Muslims and those of other faiths. "Muslims are ready to cooperate with everyone. We just want to provide the most important guidelines for Muslims."
The council's statement referred to the Holy Koran (Sura Ali Imran verse 28) which says: "Let not the Believers take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than Believers. If any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution that you may guard yourselves from them."
The council called on the Indonesian people, particularly Muslims, to vote for a political party which they believed would fight for the aspirations and interests of Muslims, the nation and the country.
The council exhorted Muslims to choose from political parties which fielded Muslim legislative candidates with good morality.
It said Muslims must also be wary of a possible revival of communism, authoritarianism and secular power from political parties contesting the June 7 polls.
Indonesian Muslims have different views about the government- sanctioned ulemas council. There have been cases in the past when Muslim groups thought the council was a mere government tool because of its leaders' explicit support for former president Soeharto, and because of its tardiness in coming to the aid of Muslim women who faced harassment because they wore the jilbab (head scarf).
There were other cases, however, in which the council of ulemas' edicts received support, including the edict that prohibits Muslims from attending religious rites of other faiths such as Christmas.
Some observers have been alarmed over what they perceive as a growing trend that polarizes Indonesians into two camps: Muslims versus Nationalists and secularists.
The clash between Muslim students and supporters of the nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri in Ujungpandang on Tuesday was a case in point.
Via banners at a university campus, the students questioned whether the predominately Muslim society was ready for a female president. Megawati supporters ripped the banners, leading to a clash that injured 11 people.
Ali Yafie, however, dismissed the suggestion that the council's call was an attempt to undermine the chances of PDI Perjuangan, which has many non-Muslim candidates, for the legislative bodies.
On Monday, PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Theo Syafei approached at least seven nationalist-secular parties in a vote- sharing deal with PDI Perjuangan.
The move was deplored by two PDI Perjuangan allies -- PAN and the National Awakening Party (PKB) -- as a political setback, because it smacked of political practices of 40 years ago which pitted Muslims against non-Muslim groups. (swa/swe)