Reform-minded Amien advocates high politics

Reform-minded Amien advocates high politics

Membangun Politik Adiluhung, Membumikan Tauhid Sosial, Menegakkan
Amar Ma'ruf Nahi Munkar (Building high politics, interpreting
social faith and enjoining right action and forbidding what is
wrong and evil);
By M. Amien Rais;
Zaman Wacana Mulia, Bandung, 1998;
432 pp

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Having grown up under a repressive regime,
most of Indonesia's young generation feel that their interests
have never truly been represented by the government.

Many intellectuals believe that the political arena should be
responsive to ideas based on values, discipline and ethics.

In Membangun Politik Adiluhung, Membumikan Tauhid Sosial,
Menegakkan Amar Ma'ruf Nahi Munkar, editor Idi Subandy Ibrahim
presents the thoughts of Amien Rais, co-founder and chairman of
the newly established National Mandate Party (PAN), regarding his
concerns over the country's chaotic political system.

The work especially focuses on Amien's feelings over
government oppression and neglect toward many elements of
society. Poverty and the country's now widening social gap are
prominent issues. He also states that although most Indonesians
are not aware of the magnitude of the ecological and economic
destruction that has occurred during the crisis, they are very
sensitive to the changes in their own daily lives.

The economic crisis, he says, is a disaster left behind by the
New Order regime. Skyrocketing prices, massive layoffs and
tumbling purchasing power have all crippled the poor.

To effectively face the crisis, Amien emphasizes the
importance of amal saleh kolektif (collective righteous deeds).

Some scholars, however, have criticized Amien for focusing too
much on the economic catastrophe and for dramatizing the
necessity of truth and justice.

The book offers a special insight into Amien's personality by
looking at his family background, ideals and ideas for a national
dialog.

Inspired by the Islamic teaching amar ma'ruf nahi munkar (to
enjoin rightful action and forbidding what is wrong and evil), he
elucidates on the doctrines of the Moslem organization
Muhammadiyah: 1) enlightening society, 2) the socialization of
righteous deeds, 3) the need for cooperation to achieve social
welfare and 4) no practical politics.

Amien was the chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country's largest
charity and educational organization, until he founded PAN.

Amien argues that the country must develop "high politics" and
familiarize society with tauhid (the concept of oneness of God).

For Amien, tauhid also means unity of creation, unity of
mankind, unity of guidance and unity of life purpose. It demands
the establishment of social justice because the exploitation of
man by man is a denial of the equality of man before God.

The gap between rich and the poor, economic and social
exploitation through monopolies and monopsonies, the existence of
conglomerates which tend to work against social justice and a
feudalistic education system are social phenomena which, he says,
can be tantamount to anti-tauhid..

Therefore, he says, social tauhid must be brought about by
eliminating injustice through high politics comprising of
righteous deeds strictly adhering to the principle of amar ma'ruf
nahi munkar.

In explaining the steps to achieve high politics, Amien steers
the reader away from established political thinking in order to
highlight religious ethics he believes is needed in politics.

Moral courage, Amien says, is the weapon needed to defeat
political abuse of power. Indonesia's political leaders had been
free to abuse their power for far too long because no one had
until now been brave enough to effectively criticize such abuse.

Amien's past campaign to demythologize the president and
reject cults of personality was a reminder to the nation that it
urgently needed political and economic reform.

In bringing up the succession issue before former president
Soeharto's resignation last May, Amien had attempted to warn of
the dangers that lay behind the idea of an excessively strong and
long-sitting president.

-- Robby H. Abror

The reviewer is a student at the State Institute of Islamic
Studies (IAIN) in Yogyakarta.