MASYUMI AND ITS STRUGGLE FOR THE ISLAMIC STATE, 1950-1960

Abstract

This study aims to examine the attempt of the Masyumi to implement the Islamic State in Indonesia between the years 1950-1960. The background to this is the granting of more power for Islam by the Japanese during the occupation. The Masyumi of 1943 was alleged to have been a Japanese creation designed only to serve Japanese. Such is not the case as this study has shown. At the end of the war, the Islamic minded nationalists conceded their first defeat when Indonesia was ~stablished on the principles of the Panca Sila and the Islamic clauses in the preamble to the 1945 Constitution were removed. When the Masyumi was reactivated in 1945, it was unable to pursue its ideal of implementing the Islamic State until after the end of the war with the Dutch and the establishment of the unitary republic in 1950. The Masyumi had a clear and well defined conception of the Islamic State. This can be seen in the writings of its prominent members which can be said to represent collectively the party's ideology which is shown to be modern and progressive. Though the first two cabinets of the Indonesian Republic were Masyumi led, the party was unable to implement its Islamic State. It had no majority in the provisional parliament and the party was forced to be in coalition governments. The situation between the years, 1950-1954, revealed the frequent changes in government, shifting political alliances, corruption and bad administration and all these effectively prevented the Masyumi from achieving its aim and also discredited the political system. Great hopes were placed on the 1955 general elections which was supposed to resolve these problems by giving a decisive majority to either the Partai Nasional Indonesia or the Masyumi. The Masyumi had hoped to win. But its hopes were dashed for no party had a clear majority. The split between the Nahdatul Ulama and the Masyumi in 1952 resulted in spliting votes between these two parties. The Masyumi also lost many votes because it rejected the Panca Sila which it earlier tried to incorporate in its ideology. This happened when the Panca Sila was used as a weapon against the Islamic State. This rejection was a bad mistake for a considerable proportion of the Indonesian population upheld the Panca Sila. After 1955, suggestion were made to replace the political system based on parliamentary democracy. There was talk of establishing "Guided Democracy". These sentiments alarmed the Masyumi which felt that it could only achieve its aims through parliamentary democracy and free elections. But the trend towards authoritarianism continued and the Masyumi was forced to consider extra-constitutional means as an alternative. It is noted that in rebelling, the Masyumi was trying to force Sukarno back on the road to parliamentary democracy for the Masyumi was aware that, in a new political system, it could not establish its Islamic State. Needless to say, the rebellion failed and the party was discredited. "Guided Democracy" was established through the 1945 Constitution and this effectively blocked the Masyumi. The final disaster came when the Masyumi was banned in 1960.