Managing Politics and Islam in Indonesia

MANAGING POLITICS AND ISLAM IN INDONESIA 155under Benny’s command) also retold how, in 1993, after he had pushed through thenomination of Gen. Try Sutrisno as ABRI’s vice-presidential candidate, Habibieexclaimed that this constituted ‘militarism’. Tempo, 3 May 1999.17. Ramage, Politics in Indonesia, pp.98–9.18. Kamal, Muslim Intellectual Responses, p.6; Hasyim, Toleransi dan Kemerdekaan,p.291; Pangaribuan, The Indonesian State Secretariat, pp.22–37; Ward, The 1971Election, pp.35–6; Polomka, Indonesia Since Sukarno, p.188; Brian May, TheIndonesian Tragedy, p.238; interviews with Harry Tjan (a founder of CSIS), 29October 1997; Murdani, 5 November 1997; Toto, 21 March 1997; HartonoMardjono, 26 September 1996; A.M.Fatwa, 26 June 1996.19. The following interviews support statements in the whole paragraph. Interviewswith Nurcholis, 12 January and 16 February 1994; Sasono, 20 and 21 January and16 February 1994; Dawam, 27 January 1994; Sucipto, 11 January 1994; HaidarBagir (a member of the editorial board of the Republika newspaper), 11 February1994; Amien, 4 January 1994; Sri Bintang, 8 February 1994; ImaduddinAbdulrahim (Islamic preacher and ICMI member), 15 February 1994; DewiFortuna Anwar (close advisor to Habibie and CIDES member), 7 February 1994;Mahasin, 4 February 1994; Muslimin Nasution (Secretary to Chairman ofBappenas and ICMI leader), 10 February 1994; Lukman Harun (Muhammadiyahleader), 23 January 1994; Jalaluddin Rakhmat (a Muslim intellectual of pro-Shi’iteleanings, and ICMI critic), 6 January 1994.20. Interviews with Murdani, 5 November 1997; Sasono, 21 January and 16 February1994; Sucipto, 11 January 1994; Dewi, 7 February 1994; Nasution, 10 February1994; Mahasin, 4 February 1994; Amien, 4 January 1994; Dawam, 27 January1994; Nurcholish, 12 January and 16 February 1994; Lukman, 23 January 1994;and Sri Bintang, 8 February 1994.21. For example, Republika and ICMI adopted a pro-government line against BishopBelo when, in 1995, Muslims were forced to evacuate East Timor after a spate ofethnically motivated attacks by indigenous Catholic mobs against the Muslimmigrant community. In the post-27 July 1996 crackdown against pro-democracygroups, the newspaper adopted a pro-government line against Catholic priests whohad harboured the leader of the left-wing radical Democratic People’s Party. Inearly 1998, coinciding with a propaganda campaign against Chinese conglomerates,in which state officials held ethnic Chinese businessmen responsible for theeconomic crisis, Republika ran anti-Benny, anti-CSIS editorials and stories.22. Dawam Rahardjo also maintained that, through ICMI, the Muslim intelligentsia atleast had ‘political space to maneouvre. We try to strengthen the middle class. Wehave a newspaper, Republika’, to give voice to middle-class aspirations. Interviewwith Dawam, 27 January 1994.23. Interview with Sasono, 16 February 1994.24. Interview with Dewi, 7 February 1994.25. A number of ICMI members were sceptical about the usefulness of organisationslike ICMI, CIDES, and Republika for the cause of democracy and viewed them astoo co-opted and controlled by Habibie and Suharto. For example, Sri BintangPamungkas bemoaned how Suharto had ‘crushed Islam’s political identity’ throughdecades of the New Order’s security approach and now Suharto had ‘lulled Muslimsto sleep’ with a few small concessions, such as giving them the Republikanewspaper and an Islamic bank. Masdar Mas’udi (head of P3M, an NU-affiliated