MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, BANTUL – The Japanese occupation of Indonesia had a profound impact on Muhammadiyah. While Muhammadiyah managed to continue operating during this period, its activities were significantly restricted and its organizational structure was disrupted.
A notable consequence of the Japanese occupation was the division of Muhammadiyah into four regional boards. This division was a direct result of the Japanese military’s policy of dividing Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi into separate operational areas. In response, Muhammadiyah, as decided upon at the 1941 Surabaya Tanwir National Meeting, aligned its organizational structure with this new geographical division.
A Muhammadiyah historian and member of the Muhammadiyah Council for Board of Publication and Information Ahmad Mu’arif explained that this division created a unique organizational structure of Muhammadiyah.
“Unlike the unified structure of the central board, these regional boards, known as dairatul kubra (great circles), operated with a degree of autonomy,” said Ahmad Mu’arif in the preaching at the Muhammadiyah Subbranch Board of Tamantirto Selatan, Bantul on Thursday, August 29.
For instance, the dairatul kubra in Sumatra, led by Buya A.R. Sutan Mansur, Kalimantan, led by Haji Hasan Corong, and Sulawesi, led by Haji Andi Sewang Daeng Muntu, operated independently of each other. There was no hierarchical relationship between these regional boards and the central board. Mu’arif likened this relationship to separate, disconnected entities, rather than parts of a unified whole.
Consequently, the 1944 and 1946 Muhammadiyah congresses were limited to branches in Java and Madura. These were deemed as emergency congresses (Congres Dharurot) due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the Japanese occupation.
“The central board was only able to oversee activities in Java and Madura and could not issue directives to the regional dairatul kubra,” said Ahmad Mu’arif.
Despite these divisions, the leaders of the dairatul kubra shared a common vision and mission for Muhammadiyah. After the war, at the 1950 Muhammadiyah congress in Yogyakarta, these leaders reunited, demonstrating the organization’s resilience and unity.
