Anita Rachman – The chairman of the country's second-largest Islamic organization has raised the specter of plotting government officials and parties hijacking the group's national caucus to further their own political ends.

Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said on Friday that the government might wish to interfere in the caucus to silence the organization's outspoken criticism of some of its policies, while political parties would want to secure a slice of the considerable Muhammadiyah vote.

"The possibility of outside interference is not unprecedented, given the huge voter bloc that Muhammadiyah represents," he said.

Muhammadiyah, which has an estimated 28 million members nationwide, will hold its 46th national caucus from July 3-8. It will discuss the pressing issues facing the organization, as well as elect a new chairman.

"I can smell the machinations," Din said. "I don't have any hard evidence to prove it, but that could either be because I've been so busy preparing for the caucus, or else they're using really sophisticated and subtle methods to interfere."

Despite his concerns, however, Din said it was unlikely any outside parties would be able to sway the course of the caucus or influence its outcome, particularly the election of the group's next chairman.

The organization does not elect its chairman directly, but rather elects a 13-member executive board that then selects the chairman to a five-year term.

"I suspect that the interference will at most amount to attempts to prevent certain candidates from running for chairman," Din said. "I believe the organization will be fairly resistant to such moves, but we'll find out in 10 days' time. Nothing's certain in this era in which money holds sway."

Slamet Effendi Yusuf, a senior member of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Islamic organization with an estimated 40 million members, said his group and Muhammadiyah had always held a "very seductive" appeal for political parties and those in power.

"Anyone in a position of power would want to get their hands on the huge masses that we represent," he said.

Slamet pointed out, however, that not all political parties were guilty of coveting, citing the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) as a notable exception.

Former NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi, who now serves on the group's legal advisory board, said it was difficult to tell if there had been outside interference at the NU caucus in March. "My view would be deemed subjective, so I'll let others judge for themselves," he said.

He lauded Muhammadiyah's Din for recognizing the threat of outside interference and vowing to stamp it out, saying this type of meddling would only benefit a handful within the organization while leaving the vast majority with nothing.

At its caucus in Makassar, South Sulawesi, NU's newly elected chairman, Said Aqil Siradj, vowed to keep the group out of politics. However, he caused a stir when he went on to appoint As'ad Said Ali, former deputy chairman of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), as his deputy.