Muhamadiyah’s centennial and conference was over after officially closed by Vice President Boediono on Thursday (8/7). In the conference which was held in Yogyakarta, Din Syamsuddin was re-elected by acclamation as Chairman of Muhammadiyah period 2010-2015.
Researcher of the Center for Security and Peace Studies UGM, Dr. Zuly Qodir, said the challenges for Muhammadiyah is very complex; therefore its leaders should have a strong resistance on the lure of materialism and the temptation of practical politics. He considered that the new executive board consisting of 13 persons is dominated by old members, such as Din Syamsudin, Mohammad Muqodas, Malik Fadjar, Dahlan Rais, Haedar Nashir, Godwill Zubeir and Bambang Sudibyo. The new members include Syafig Mugni, Abdul Mu’thi, Agung Danarto, Fatah Wibisono and Syukrianto. Yet of this of 13 leaders, said Qodir, only three people often respond to issues of globalization and neo liberalism; they are Din, Malik Fadjar and Haedar Nashir. The others do not," said Qodir in discussion of Muhammadiyah and Support for the Grassroots in the Center for Rural and the Regional Studies, UGM, on Thursday afternoon (8/7).
Qodir is pessimistic about the board’s support for the underprivileged public. He gave an example, Muhammadiyah strategic planning made for the last five years did not discuss about this issue, either. The Strategic Plan was even created by the World Bank consultant. "Muhammadiyah had invited a consultant from the World Bank for its Strategic Plan, to formulate the program until the year 2030. It’s terrible if the program established by the board five years ago became the foundation for the next five years, because signs of political and economic pragmatism were clearly seen during the last three years in Muhammadiyah," he said.
Qodir still asks about the support for the underprivileged public in the education and health services. In his opinion, the education run by Muhammadiyah is an expensive one that has no obvious characteristics compared with other education. In fact, the Muhammadiyah hospital is no different from other private hospitals, not even public hospitals. "Service to the grassroots is lacking because of funding problems. Muhammadiyah seems to depend on the State to help to alleviate poverty," said the member of Muhammadiyah’s Empowerment Assembly.