A short message came into my mobile phone stating: "Rendered in peace to Illahi Rabbi, Prof. Anton Timur Djaelani, today, Sunday 15th February 2009. He will be buried in his tranquil village Tasikmalaya." Anyone who is and was member of Indonesian Muslims Students' Association (IMSA or PII in bahasa, stands for Pelajar Islam Indonesia) would be certainly feel condolence by the news. Why not?
Prof. Anton is one of founding fathers of PII, along with his friends; Yoesdi Ghazali, Ibrahim Zarkasyi, and Amin Syahri. He is the last among the four, and God blessed him with a long age (80 years), witnessing many social changes, including the ones simmering within PII, the organization that he established 56 years ago. May Allah accept his deeds, forgive his mistakes and place him in His best side.
Now, whart next? Should PII also passed away with the demise of its founding fathers? After its glorious age in 1960s, where PII and HMI -backed by outrageous military, topple flambouyant President Soekarno with their street parliament, PII seems to redefine its position among Indonesian society. During Soeharto era (1966-88) which has military tendency in exercising its power, the role of PII is decreasing into minimum level.
