'No place for extremists in Muhammadiyah youth poll

'No place for extremists in Muhammadiyah youth poll

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Muhammadiyah Youth Organization is set to elect a new leader
next month with Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif
hoping the election would help identify future statesmen in the
country's second largest Muslim organization.

Syafii said the upcoming election in the Muhammadiyah youth
wing should produce future leaders with statesmanlike qualities.

"They must have integrity and not be tempted by today's
politics. It isn't easy," he said over the weekend.

He declined to name the candidates who had the best chance of
winning in next month's election. "Candidates with the right
qualities are rare, but we have some of them."

The election of the youth wing's chairman is seen as a
grooming exercise for the future leaders of Muhammadiyah itself.
Ninety years of age, Muhammadiyah claims some 30 million members,
making it the country's second largest Muslim organization next
to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which has about 40 million members.

The two organizations have long been vying to spread their
influence, but have lately come closer in response to the rise in
militant movements such as the Laskar Jihad and the Islamic
Defenders' Front (FPI).

Muhammadiyah and the NU have agreed to jointly counter
extremists, who they said were hurting Islam's image, while
agreeing to also address the nation's moral crisis.

At its annual meeting earlier this year, Muhammadiyah decided
to adopt "cultural propagation", which Syafii has described as
spreading Islamic teachings by appealing to a broader audience in
terms of cultural and religious backgrounds.

The election of the youth chairman itself will take place
between July 7 and July 9 in Yogyakarta, with over 100 candidates
from all over the country participating, according to the current
chairman Imam Addarugutni.

"We are looking for candidates who are inclusive and
accommodative because this is what's important in our pluralistic
society," he said, adding he would decline accepting another
four-year term as chairman, partly due to the fact that the age
limit was 40.

On the challenges his successor would face, Imam said the most
important was nurturing the creation of civil society.

"We must increase civilian participation vis-a-vis the
government, and reduce the latter's role."

The organization's secretary-general Sudar Siandes said that
future leaders should serve as examples for the nation in
developing a civilized society.

To this end, he said future leaders must consider three goals.

"First, Muhammadiyah must get back to its original image of
being an intellectual movement," he explained.

He said it was also important to develop leaders with a keen
understanding of business as they would have to cope with the
organization's funding needs.

Third, it was important to raise political awareness without
getting mired in politicking. Sudar called for ethics in
politics.

According to Sudar, Muhammadiyah must develop its influence in
the country's political landscape, but should not allow itself to
get dragged into day-to-day politics.

Asked whether Muhammadiyah members showed extremist leanings,
he said there were very few, if any.

Chairman candidate Nadjamuddien Ramly said that the nation's
moral crisis was a challenge for Muhammadiyah youth to address.

"The problems are those concerning good governance like
removing the Indonesian Military from politics, battling
corruption, collusion and nepotism, and upholding the supremacy
of law," he said.

In tackling these issues, he explained, Muhammadiyah's youth
must cooperate with other youth organizations regardless of their
cultural or religious backgrounds.

"Muhammadiyah is a movement that must respond to the nation's
problems," he said.