Political observer accused of slander
JAKARTA (JP): Several leaders of the Muhammadiyah Moslem socio-educational organization have accused a prominent political observer of slander and of attempting to cause disunity within their ranks.
Muhammadiyah Secretary Rusjdi Hamka and Deputy Chairman H.S. Prodjokusumo have lashed out at Afan Gaffar, a political observer at Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University for his analysis of the organization's leaders which, they say, are without foundation.
"Afan's statements are slanderous and untrue," said Rusjdi.
According to Afan, members of the Muhammadiyah's executive board can be divided into three groups.
The first group consists, he says, of those who work whole- heartedly for Muhammadiyah; the second is comprised of people who also work for the reformist organization but simultaneously seek personal benefit from it; while the third group is made up of people who view Muhammadiyah as a source of political legitimacy with which they can enhance their personal bargaining position elsewhere.
Afan reportedly placed Muhammadiyah's incumbent chairman Amien Rais and several other leaders, such as Syafii Maarif, Yahya Muhaimin, Rosyad Saleh and Sutrisno Muchdam, into the first group; while Lukman Harun and Djazman Al-Kindi, two high-profile Muhammadiyah activists, were said to belong to the group who attached themselves to the 85-year-old organization for the sake of earning a living and gaining financial benefits.
Afan said that among the Muhammadiyah activists in the third of his categories were Din Syamsuddin and Watik Pratiknya. Din is also a member of the ruling party Golkar, while Watik is a member of the Indonesian Association of Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI).
"Afan's statement is unethical," the organizations' deputy chairman, Prodjokusomo, told the press here on Saturday.
Lukman Harun, visibly upset, said that he had spent a lot of money to support the organization's activities and had never sought to use Muhammadiyah to gain anything for himself.
"Afan in his statement is trying to cause disunity among the organization's members," he said over the weekend. "As a political observer, Afan should be able to see Muhammadiyah clearly and objectively," he added.
Prodjokusumo said he was not aware of any people who worked in the organization purely for personal ends.
"Muhammadiyah has developed considerably because its members are able to work together for the good of the organization," he said.
Rusjdi said that Afan's statement showed that some people resented the rapid development of the organization and were trying to undermine it.
Afan, however, defended his statements, saying he was only responding to an analysis presented by Muhammadiyah activist Ali Taher Parosong, which, he said, sounded "nonsensical."
He said Parosong categorized Muhammadiyah into three groups: "lobbyists", like Lukman Harun; intellectuals, such as Amien Rais; and those who brought serenity and peace to the organization, such as Sutrisno Muchdam.
"Parosong's analysis is mischievous, because it would mean that there were also people who created problems, as opposed to the 'serene' group, for instance," he told The Jakarta Post.
Afan, who holds a doctorate in political science from Ohio State University, U.S.A., refused to recant from his analysis.
Claiming that he, too, was an activist of Muhammadiyah, Afan said his categorization of the organization's leaders was appropriate.
"Take Watik, as an example of an activist who uses Muhammadiyah as a mere base for furthering his career in other places," Afan said of the organization's secretary-general who, he said, "neglects" his duties because of his involvement, first in the ICMI and, subsequently, as a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Afan said he had the authority to make the observations, not only because he was a political scientist, but because he had been involved in some of the organization's policy-making activities.
"I know Muhammadiyah well," he said. "The leaders' reactions were not only emotional but also immature." (swe)