Politics in its understanding is an activity that is created and maintained and used by society to enforce the rules that exist in society itself. Then what is the role of Muhammadiyah in politics? Muhammadiyah is one of the Islamic organisations in Indonesia that supports its members in politics. Because Muhammadiyah is also a political movement that can be seen from various aspects such as, Muhammadiyah's own ideology which reads "Amar Ma`ruf Nahi Munkar" this is a form of Muhammadiyah in influencing the process and state policies to be in accordance with Islamic values. This da'wah movement also stands for religious and social values to remain balanced in everyday life.
On the other hand, Muhammadiyah as an organisation that has high politics, which is an organisation that focuses on religious values and morality in everyday life, as I have discussed earlier that Muhammadiyah highly upholds the balance between these two things. With this ideology, Muhammadiyah is able to have an important role in Indonesian politics so that Muhammadiyah members are able to lobby, communicate, and socialise politics to influence the interests and policies of the state and society. With this right, Muhammadiyah members also use this role as an organisation that is able to represent the aspirations of the community and fight for the interests of many people.
As evidence of Muhammadiyah's aspirations in political roles. In 2002, the 2002 Denpasar Khittah made it clear that Muhammadiyah chose to struggle in the life of the nation and state through efforts to foster and empower a strong civil society. So, these words make it clear that the Muhammadiyah organisation is a community development organisation and an organisation that aims to uphold the values in Islam.
Not only that, Ahmad Dahlan, who was the founder and first chairman of Muhammadiyah, once wrote words, namely, understanding politics with a theological approach which is closely related to the relationship between religion and state politics in the Muhammadiyah perspective. In this context, Muhammadiyah is an organisation that acts as an organisation that understands politics that focuses on the context of religion and Islamic values.
Is Muhammadiyah effective as a political organisation? Judging from the history of Muhammadiyah's development, this organisation has actually never been an organisation with a definite political position. However, the breadth of the organisation's reach to support all things positive and change makes Muhammadiyah acceptable in political circles. Muhammadiyah's influence in Indonesian politics cannot be denied, as a large and influential organisation in Indonesia and abroad that has a wide and strong network that makes Muhammadiyah's voice often heard in political issues and national policies.
Perhaps if traced, it is true that it has not been that influential, the policies and voices and aspirations carried out by the Muhammadiyah organisation. However, these voices have been able to represent the aspirations of small communities to be fought for. There are several factors that influence this; such as extensive networks and influence, strong social capital, and the organisation's strong commitment to values and morals.
Muhammadiyah has a strong and extensive network throughout Indonesia, from remote areas to big cities. This gives Muhammadiyah great access to the community to garner support for political interests. Then, because Muhammadiyah has strong social capital built on the trust and solidarity of its members, making this a valuable resource in a political campaign and mass mobilisation. Not only that, Muhammadiyah is also known for its commitment to Islamic moral and ethical values. So it can attract political voters looking for leaders with integrity and good morals.
However, due to these great influences, there are also many who do not like the second largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia, not even a few people who want to bring down and even want to destroy the power and influence of Muhammadiyah in various fields, especially in the field of politics itself. The power they fear, for example, is the fear that the influence of the Muhammadiyah organisation will dominate the political agenda to the exclusion of other groups. Muhammadiyah's stance on issues to be neutral and constructive is feared to exacerbate polarisation and heighten tensions between existing groups.
Muhammadiyah's involvement in politics is feared by the political establishment, because it will trigger the politicisation of religion, which will disrupt political stability, especially for people who do not have political allegiance to one of the organisations. Political views between Muhammadiyah and other groups will also be feared to trigger conflicts that can damage social stability. However, we need to underline that these concerns are not always based on assumptions and speculations. Muhammadiyah itself, in its official statement, affirms that it is committed to non-involvement in practical politics and focuses on the role of da'wah, education, and community service.
The political relationship between Islam and Muhammadiyah in Indonesia is a complex and multidimensional topic, which has various perspectives and interpretations. Muhammadiyah has never been a practical political organisation, founded in 1912, Muhammadiyah positions itself as a social movement that focuses on religion, da'wah, education and community service. As the largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia, Muhammadiyah has a broad mass base and has a strong network throughout the country. So that the voices of Muhammadiyah have a broad mass base and have a strong network.
Muhammadiyah has proven several important points related to Islamic politics and Muhammadiyah in its role, attitude and dynamics. Namely:
