Why Indonesia got it right
Zaid Ibrahim
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world, which probably led the late Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur)—the former Indonesian President and an enlightened Muslim cleric—to confidently predict that his country would shape and determine the future global Muslim agenda.
According to him, other Muslim countries, even those in the Middle East, would not be as capable as Indonesia in this area and it’s no exaggeration to say that Islamic discourse, whether in politics, theology, or cultural practices, is gaining widespread currency throughout the world.
In Indonesia, just as in Malaysia, there are many groups and organisations spreading their views and trying to determine and shape the future of Islam in the respective countries.
In Indonesia, these groups range from liberals (such as the Jaringan Islam Liberal) to ultra-conservative Salafis. Some say that the “smiling face of Islam” is no longer present in today’s Indonesia. This refers to the rise of attacks against liberals and so-called deviationists such as the Ahmadiyya movement and Shi’ites.
The city of Solo is a hotbed of conservatism, as is South Sulawesi. Committees for overcoming “threats of apostasy” are sprouting like mushrooms. Even the Muhammadiyah, long regarded as a bastion of moderate Islam, is changing its face and is becoming increasingly like the Wahabbis of a certain desert country.
Former Muhamadiyah leader Dr Amien Rais tried to give more traction to the development of political Islam by declaring that the Pancasila should not be the sole Weltanschauung or worldview for Indonesia, nor should it constitute the founding principles of the nation. He didn’t gain much support for this view and, like all opportunists, he slowly faded away from the scene.
Today, despite the apparent growth of conservative Islam, the Indonesian Government has not faltered and still strenuously advocates the need for a secular democratic system with Islam as its guiding principle.
Democracy is alive in Indonesia and gains strength each day. The freedom of the Press is there for all to see. Political parties with strong religious elements are allowed to participate and campaign on whatever platform suits them. They can seek popular support for their opinions and there is a multitude of viewpoints to choose from.
These organisations are not above the law of the land. Not surprisingly, the religious parties are not frontrunners in this year’s General Election and I doubt that they will do well at the polls. Whatever the case, I hope that Gus Dur’s liberal aspirations will come to the fore again.
In Malaysia, however, the “Islamisation” process involves not just NGOs or social and religious activists but the very core of the Government as well, and the ongoing attacks on the Christian use of “Allah” give credence to the view held by political experts that, at the next General Election, the contest will be about who can play the Islamic game better.
