Managing Politics and Islam in Indonesia

102 THE CAPTURE OF MUSLIM INTERESTS INTO NON-PARTY ENTITIESdependent mostly on the good will of President Suharto. Mackie and MacIntyre,‘Politics’, p.36.74. For example, at the ICMI’s national work meeting in December 1992, B.J. Habibieand the Minister of Internal Affairs both confirmed that the association could notbecome a political party in the style of the old Masyumi, as it had been ‘establishedto contribute to the development of human resources of all Indonesians’. Aqsha etal., Islam in Indonesia: A Survey of Events, pp.266–73; Ramage, Politics inIndonesia, p.101.75. Panji Masyarakat, 21–30 July 1994.76. Aqsha et al., Islam in Indonesia: A Survey of Events, p.263.77. Included among the Foundation’s members and advisers were Tien Suharto, Vice-President Sudharmono, Armed Forces’ Commander Tri Sutrisno, the Chairman ofGolkar, the Chairman of MUI, several cabinet ministers, and national tycoons suchas Suharto’s son Bambang Trihatmodjo, Probosutedjo, and Bob Hasan. The JakartaPost, 19 August 1992; Angkatan Bersenjata, 18 August 1992; Media Indonesia, 18August 1992; Antara, 18 August l992.78. More importantly, perhaps, was that the donation of funds was aimed at garneringthe support of Muslims for Suharto’s presidency and for Golkar’s electioncampaign. Probosutejo’s personal donation, in fact, coincided with his efforts torally Muslim support behind his own campaign for Golkar. ICMI and Golkartogether frequented Islamic rural pesantren to drum up support for Habibie andGolkar before general and presidential elections. Antara, 22 May 1992; TheJakarta Post, 31 January 1994, 1 February 1994; Merdeka, 1 February 1994;Republika, 3 November 1996–24 February 1997; Harian Umum Pikiran Rakyat, 6May 1997; Kompas Online, 4 November l996.79. One of the major demands of the intelligentsia had been for the implementation ofpolicies, along the lines of Malaysia’s New Economic Policy of positivediscrimination in favour of Bumiputra, that would provide a fairer distribution ofIndonesia’s economic goods between wealthy Chinese capitalists and strugglingindigenous traders. Porter, ‘Accommodation or Islamisation’; Aqsha et al., Islam inIndonesia: A Survey of Events, p.265; interviews with Sudomo, 30 October 1997;Sucipto Wirosarjono (former government statistician and ICMI member), 11January 1994; Sasono, 21 January and 16 February 1994; Dawam, 27 January 1994;Haidar, 11 February 1994; Sri Bintang, 8 February 1994; Lukman Harun(Muhammadiyah leader and ICMI member), 23 January 1994; Dewi FortunaAnwar, 7 February 1994; Muslimin Nasution (Secretary to Chairman of Bappenasand ICMI leader), 10 February 1994; Amien, 4 January 1994 and BambangSudibyo, 4 January 1994.80. The following sources are a sample of the newspapers and editions consulted.Merdeka, 21 February 1992; Antara, 13 April 1992; Pelita, 2 January-13 February1993; Republika, 3 November 1996–24 February 1997; The Jakarta Post, 1February 1994.81. Aqsha et al., Islam in Indonesia: A Survey of Events, pp.7–8.82. Other community leaders strongly criticised Alamsjah’s initiatives. Alamsjahresponded by declaring that ‘political engineering’ was sometimes necessary.According to him, the idea of holding the mass prayer originated with Golkar’saffiliate organisations as it was felt that some Golkar members were ‘reluctant tomake a pledge’ in support of Suharto ‘as they had done during [previous]