Yogyakarta – A group of people held a silent demonstration in front of the Aisyiyah University (Unisa) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta, which is to be the location of a Muhammadiyah Central Board (PP) plenary meeting on Saturday afternoon, July 27.
The location of the demonstration, which was directly in front of the Walidah Mosque Convention Hall in the northern part of the campus, is where the Muhammadiyah Central Board together with regional administrators throughout Indonesia will hold a plenary meeting to discuss the government's offer to accept a mining concession.
Meanwhile the protesters were a group of activists from the Cik Di Tiro Forum. The dozen or so demonstrators, who urged Muhammadiyah to reject the government's offer brought two banners, one of which read "Mining Disaster – Transactional Massacre".
Meanwhile the other banner contained a satirical message about Muhammadiyah and the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) which had earlier accepted a mining management permit from the government.
The banner read "Divided over Qunut, United over Mining". One of the participants also carried a poster that read "Muhammadiyah, Remember Kyai Ahmad Dahlan. Not Jokowi & Bahlil", referring to the revered cleric who founded Muhammadiyah, and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.
Qunut prayers are one of the differences between the Indonesia's two largest Islamic mass organisations Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in how they conduct dawn prayers. NU members recite the Qunut prayer while Muhammadiyah does not.
During the action, each of the protesters covered their mouths with duct tape in unison to symbolise the silent action. The police meanwhile could be seen guarding the location of the action.
Earlier, Muhammadiyah PP Environmental Board Chairperson Azrul Tanjung said that the organisation had agreed to accept President Widodo's offer to manage a mining concession. The decision was taken after a plenary meeting mid this month.
Tanjung said that they conducted an in-depth study before accepting the mining permit and that based on the study, Muhammadiyah is ready to manage a mining concession.
Tanjung explained that Muhammadiyah held discussions with experts over the last three months before making the decision. They considered various aspects in terms of economic, business, social, cultural, legal, human rights and environmental issues.
Muhammadiyah decided to accept a mining concession from the government because Indonesia is still unable to make the transition to clean energy. If humans abandon their dependence on coal, he said, the world would be pitch black.
Tanjung gave assurances that Muhammadiyah will mine with due attention to environmental impacts and they will take up a program of green mining.
Meanwhile, Muhammadiyah Central Board Secretary General Abdul Mu'ti said that the organisation will convey its official position on mining permits after Muhammadiyah's national consolidation on July 27-28.
"The official decision on mining management by Muhammadiyah PP will be officially announced after the National Consolidation which God willing will be held on July 27-28 at the Yogyakarta Aisyiyah University", he said. (kum/isn)
Notes
President Widodo's controversial policy of awarding coal mining concessions to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) as a reward for electoral support during the 2024 presidential election has triggered a fierce debate among Indonesian Islamic groups. Ironically, prior to Muhammadiyah's decision to accept mining concessions, the organisation had condemned NU for pursuing transactional politics. The move also marks a new stage in the elite co-option of Islamic organisations and is seen by environmentalists as a tactic by the government to both blunt their environmental commitments and could end up pitting these organisations against communities adversely affected by mining.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was " Gelar Aksi di Jogja, Aktivis Desak Muhammadiyah Tolak Izin Tambang".]
