Parties against MUI call for vote support

JAKARTA (JP): Party leaders expressed strong opposition on Wednesday against the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) call that Muslims vote for Islamic parties, saying the exhortation would polarize the country.

Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) raised alarm over what he believed were indications that parties were being polarized into Muslims versus nationalism-secular powers, at the expense of the reform movement.

Sri Bintang Pamungkas of the Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI) said the council's call had "no moral ground" and would sharpen religious differences, while Golkar deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said it smacked of the old political scene when people were pigeon-holed into different religious, social and cultural backgrounds.

Leader of National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdurrahman Wahid plans to issue his statement on the issue on Thursday.

Amien said: "I am very concerned with the latest development in our country's politics as there are indications that parties have moved towards polarization."

"This could jeopardize the country's future and hamper the process of total reforms after Soeharto's resignation last year," Amien said at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta before leaving for a campaign safari in a helicopter.

"I think parties must stick together and avoid polarization. If the polarization only concerns stembus akoord (vote-sharing deal), that's fine, because that deal is made to avoid wasted votes."

"But if the polarization crystallizes all elements of the society into two opposing forces -- the Islamic power on one side and the nationalist-secular camp on the other side, it will be very dangerous and could lead to further disputes," Amien said.

He warned that if such polarization was allowed to form, it would then be difficult to build a bridge between the two groups.

"Do not get trapped in petty political conflicts."

"There are only two choices, one is to leave Soeharto and all remnants of his regime behind, and the second is to move toward a new democratic Indonesia," he said.

Amien said he did not oppose the stembus akoord between political parties. "But if PAN is dragged into that polarization, we're not interested."

Marzuki suggested that ulemas council chairman Ali Yafie clarify the statement. "Pak Ali Yafie must clarify his statement, whether it was his personal opinion or MUI's as an institution," he told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.

"People may misunderstand that MUI politicize religious matters," he said. "It could remind the people of exclusive actions and policies of the past, which categorized people according to their religions and sociocultural backgrounds."

Marzuki, who is also chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, said Indonesia does not recognize religious majority in politics; instead, it respects democratic principles.

Bintang said the council's call was reminiscent of the "political prayers" that were organized by the late minister of religious affairs Alamsyah Ratu Perwiranegara in 1982 to garner support for president Soeharto's renomination then.

He said, however, the decision whether to respond to Yafie's calls would completely rest on the Indonesian Muslim community, who will cast their votes together with other elements of the nation at next Monday's election.

Bintang said the Indonesian Muslim community should not worry about their proportional representation in the House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

"There will be an automatic mechanism for proportional Muslim representativeness in both legislative councils," he said. (imn/edt)