Indonesia has not warmed to the idea of an alternative forum for Muslim countries featuring the leaders of Malaysia, Turkey and Iran, the Foreign Ministry has said, as the world’s largest Muslim-majority country remains aloof amid competing influences in the Islamic world.

Malaysia’s recent hosting of the fifth Kuala Lumpur Summit on Dec. 18 has demonstrated just some of the existing divisions within the Muslim world, with 94-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad denying reports that the summit aims to establish an alternative to the Saudi Arabia-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The summit was dominated by countries that have previously leveraged a more vocal and political Islam, although Mahathir insisted the forum only sought to “address the state of affairs of the Muslim ummah [civilization]”.

Indonesia, a rising voice in the OIC, elected to send its top diplomat to the forum in the place of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, raising suspicions that the guest list held a symbolic meaning for the host.

While Jokowi’s attendance was already off the table early on, a spokesperson for Ma’ruf announced only days ahead of the summit that the 76-year-old Muslim cleric would not be heading for the summit on the orders of state physicians, who cited exhaustion.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi was dispatched to the event, although she stayed only for the summit’s opening ceremony before returning to Indonesia.

Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah defended the absence of Indonesia’s leader, saying the attendance of the foreign minister was enough to honor Malaysia’s invitation.

“Even though the usual summits were often attended by the head of state, the attendance of Ibu Retno also demonstrated our participation, albeit not for the entirety of the proceedings,” he told The Jakarta Post recently.

Only around 20 countries sent their leaders or delegations to the Kuala Lumpur Summit, even though all 57 members of the OIC had been invited. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamid Al-Thani all attended the summit, while the Saudi king's refusal to attend and the late withdrawal of Pakistan from the event left the hosts scrambling to soothe sensitive relations.

Reuters reported that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had pulled out because of pressure from Saudi Arabia, although Mahathir was quick to deny this and the accusation that the summit was intended to replace the OIC.

The absence of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, demonstrates just some of the divisions within the Muslim world. The OIC has been criticized by some for aligning too much with Saudi policy, which experts believe is partly shaped by the kingdom’s ties with the United States and their mutual contempt for Iran.

Indonesia and Saudi Arabia enjoy historically close ties underscored by cooperation in the energy sector, in manpower and in the business of haj — Jakarta sends the largest number of Muslim pilgrims to the holy sites of Islam, which are under the custody of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The Indonesian government has also been courting Saudi Arabia for its investments. Riyadh ranked 40th on the list of Jakarta’s sources for realized foreign investments, with US$5.3 million invested in 2018, according to the Investment Coordinating Board.

Faizasyah insisted there was no pressure from Saudi Arabia to withdraw from the summit, but he said Indonesia viewed the OIC as an inclusive organization that had a greater capacity to accommodate the interests of the Muslim world.

“It’s difficult to make a comment because from the perspective of the process, the program, etc., [the summit is] being managed by an NGO,” he said in a statement on Friday.

“The KL summit and the OIC are just not compatible.”

International relations expert Agung Nurwijoyo from the University of Indonesia said there were no political undercurrents in the case of Indonesia’s modest attendance at the Malaysia summit.

“It seems like Indonesia was doubtful early on in attending a forum led by Malaysia, Turkey and Pakistan,” he told the Post.

For him, the Kuala Lumpur Summit had echoes of the D8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, otherwise known as the Developing 8, another forum established for similar reasons.

The D8 is an organization for development cooperation among Muslim-majority countries, with Saudi Arabia crucially left out. (tjs)

Popular

Kadin urges stability after Constitutional Court ruling

Jokowi says transition to new government to begi

BCA loan disbursement surges 17.1 percent yoy in first quarter