No organization can survive with mediocre supporters: Syafii

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Ma'arif reminded his supporters on Sunday that no civilization or force in the world could survive with only mediocre supporters who were unable to anticipate the future and who thought only about the present.

"Quantity yes, but it should be accompanied by quality," Syafii said in an address in front of 40,000 supporters of Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization at the commemoration of its 90th anniversary at Mandala Krida Stadium.

The 28-million-strong Muhammadiyah was established on Nov. 18, 1912, or Dzulhijjah 8, 1330 according to the Hijriyah Islamic calendar, by a noted Muslim preacher named Ahmad Dahlan.

Also present at the ceremony were Minister of National Education Malik Fajar, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Muhammadiyah's vice chairman Dien Syamsudin and local Muhammadiyah executives.

Quoting government data, Syafii said that the best high school owned by Muhammadiyah ranked only 40th in the country.

"This is deplorable, isn't it? That's why I urge Muhammadiyah activists not to focus only on quantity alone but give more emphasis to improving the quality," he added.

The Muhammadiyah, Syafii said, was established in the middle of a very strong Javanese culture. However, the Yogyakarta palace, as the center of Javanese culture, did not see it as a threat, thanks to the modern Islamic thinking that the founding fathers of the organization had at that time.

"The underdeveloped Muslim community at that time would not have been able to face the challenge if the organization's Islamic thought had been traditional," he said, underlining the need for forming a progressive Islamic movement, which was still within the framework of the faith.

"Ahmad Dahlan was known as a very humble kyai (Muslim elder) whose thoughts were far beyond his time. He had deep relationships not just within the Muhammadiyah or the Muslim community, but also with non-Muslims and nationalists," Syafii said.

Speaking separately to The Jakarta Post, Syafii said that the Muhammadiyah urgently needed to improve the quality of its human resources.

"In fact, this is the toughest challenge that we face," he said.