Syafii denies internal rifts, intervention

Syafii denies internal rifts, intervention

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): As thousands of Moslems began streaming
into the spruced up town to attend Thursday's opening of the
Muhammadiyah congress, leading members of the organization
heatedly denied reports of internal rifts and outside
intervention in the organization's affairs.

Vice Chairman Syafii Maarif attempted on Saturday to convince
reporters that there had not been any bickering among aspiring
chairmen of the organization. "There are no polarized groups
within Muhammadiyah... We'll decide who's going to be the next
chairman by consensus or by taking a vote if necessary," he said.

Informed sources, however, told The Jakarta Post that there
had been rising tension between at least two hopefuls: incumbent
Amien Rais and former vice chairman Lukman Harun.

Supporters of each camp have been observed campaigning for
their candidates or against the other parties, either by
approaching reporters covering the event or through other
participants.

For instance, an association of the offspring of former
Muhammadiyah chairmen, led by Fauzi, son of the late charismatic
leader, A.R. Fachruddin, has been campaigning for weeks to "save"
the organization from politicking aspirants.

They have pursued a campaign against "anyone who aspires to
become chairman." This stance, according to Fauzi, is in line
with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad that "we should not elect
someone who asks for a position".

Given the respected place that Fauzi and his friends occupy in
the organization, there is a possibility that the congress will
turn away from Amien and Lukman and, instead, elect an unlikely
figure, such as senior leader Prodjokusumo.

Meeting

In the 83 years history of Muhammadiyah, there have been two
occasions on which the electoral board has appointed figures not
chosen by the congress.

A source close to Amien confirmed the tension but told the
Post that he and Lukman had held a private meeting on Saturday,
facilitated by the Aceh branch of the organization, and
"reconciled" themselves with one another.

So far, only two names have been circulating widely as likely
to be chosen as the chairman of a 13-strong executive board:
Amien and Lukman.

Following the meeting with Amien, however, Lukman told
reporters that he would not be able to compete with Amien, an
intellectual and leading member at the powerful Indonesian
Association of Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI).

Amien declined to comment about the reported tension between
himself and the camp of Lukman. He only expressed his wish that
the congress, to be opened by President Soeharto, would proceed
smoothly.

He did concede, however, that the preliminary two-day meeting
of the group's law-making body, which started yesterday and is
expected to short-list the number of candidates from 96 to 39,
might face some obstacles.

"The most likely obstacle is if leading figures of
Muhammadiyah fail to restrain themselves and bring up unnecessary
material, such as this discussion about polarized camps," he
said.

The observation of the Post, however, revealed that tension
still existed and was apparent in the comments made by some of
the candidates. Lukman, for instance, harshly criticized
political observer Afan Gaffar, who is also present at the arena
and has recently stated he favored the incumbent, as a mouthpiece
of Amien.

Another rumor circulating among participants is that the Aceh
provincial administration as well as the ruling Golkar group
intend to steer the congress in a particular direction.

The leaders, however, defended their independence, despite the
fact that they have received large donations from the government
and individual officials.

Donations

President Soeharto donated Rp 500 million, according to
chairman of organizing committee Sutrisno Muchdam, while the Aceh
administration provided Rp 600 million.

There was also some Rp 120 million from a number of local
regents and mayors, Rp 100 million from the Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce, and an undisclosed amount from individual officials,
including cabinet ministers. The congress is being held at a cost
of over Rp 2.6 billion (approximately US$ 1.2 million).

The donations that it has received don't necessarily mean
that Muhammadiyah has to sacrifice its independence, the leaders
said.

"Don't worry about our independence...we won't be dragged into
any political organization," Vice Chairman Rusjdi Hamka said.

Rusjdi himself is a leading member of the United Development
Party, while Din Syamsuddin, another hopeful for the
chairmanship, is a vice chairman at the executive board of the
ruling Golkar. The local organizer, Teuku Djohan, is chairman of
the Golkar branch, chairman at the provincial legislative
council, as well as former vice governor.

Afan Gaffar told the Post that independence was not one of
Muhammadiyah's forte. The organization, whose members are mostly
civil servants, "is very accommodative" of the government, he
said.

Therefore, "there's no need for the government to interfere"
in Muhammadiyah internal affairs, he said. (swe/Wisnu Pramudya)