Political observer accused of slander

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)