Suggestions offered for alliance among Islamic parties in Indonesia

Mohammad Zubayer, president of Amanah International, a New York-based Islamic organization, suggested here that Islam-based political parties in Indonesia form a coalition if they wanted to win the general election in May 1999, Indonesian news agency Antara reported.

"There should not be too many Islamic parties. Islam is one. If the Islamic parties form a coalition, they will become the single majority. But if there are too many Islamic parties, Islam will lose strength and fragmentize," he told Antara.

The Bangladesh-born American Islamic figure further said that a coalition among such parties as the National Mandate Party (Partai Amanat Nasional/PAN), the Moon and Star Party (Partai Bulan Bintang/PBB) and the United Development Party (Partai Persatuan Pembangunan/PPP), would actually strengthen Islamic solidarity, unity and integrity.

"They should not get embroiled in inter-group bickering nor allow themselves to fall prey to divide-and-rule tactics of other parties," he said.

Zubayer said he was convinced the Islam-based parties would win the election if they formed a coalition. "The coalition of the Islam-parties will win with convincing majority because Islam is embraced by the majority in Indonesia," he said.

He said he did not think that if the Moslem coalition won the general election, Indonesia would incline towards fundamentalism. "No, I don't think so at all," he said.

"Islam is a moderate and tolerant religion toward other religions. Even if it wins the majority of votes, Islam in Indonesia will not become radical because extremism runs counter to Islam itself," he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Muslims must have a vision in building the future, Antara reported quoting a Muslim academician.

"While Indian Muslims have a bright history because they, for instance, have the Taj Mahal mausoleum, we have a bright future and we should be able to make it come true," Nurcholis Madjid told 1,500 participants of a five-day Indonesian Moslem Congress here.

He said all Muslim factions here need to work hard to create a bright future.

The former general chairman of the Indonesian Moslem Students Association (HMI) -- the country's strongest Muslim youth organization -- said Islam has been accepted as the nation's concern.

"Islam has been this nation's concern. We need to maintain it and stop allowing it to become a partisan religion because it will be difficult to function (as the nation's moral force)," he said.

During the five-day congress, which will be concluded with a mass rally at the Senayan Convention Hall on Saturday, several civil and military figures addressed the participants representing more than a hundred Islamic organizations in the country.