The commotion surrounding the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Congress is\nfocused more on who will become rais aam and general chairman.\nObservers, and especially the muktamirin (congress participants), are\ngenerally busy calculating the map of support and how the configuration\nwill play out, including its political impact. Yet the urgent issue that\nneeds to be answered is: what is NU present for in the midst of our\nsociety, or indeed our nation, which is facing so many moral\nchallenges?<\/p>\n
This question is highly relevant as Indonesia enters an era full of\nparadoxes. On one hand, democracy is maturing, the economy continues to\ngrow, technology is developing rapidly, and access to information is\nincreasingly open. On the other hand, we are witnessing worrying\nsymptoms: democratic maturity tends to decay due to increasingly\ntransactional politics, corruption that has not yet subsided, massive\nspread of disinformation, prolonged social polarisation, and the\nstrengthening of a pragmatic culture that is slowly eroding the ethics\nof public life.<\/p>\n
In such a situation, this nation actually needs not only strong\npolitical leaders, but also a moral force capable of guiding the\nnation\u2019s direction. In my view, this is where NU\u2019s position becomes\nhighly strategic.<\/p>\n
Since its founding by the duumvirate of KH Hasyim Asy\u2019ari and KH\nWahab Chasbullah in 1926, NU has not been a political organisation. It\nwas born as a religious movement tasked with preserving the tradition of\nIslamic scholarship, guiding the faithful, and nurturing peaceful social\nlife. Politics is merely one sphere of service, not the primary\ngoal.<\/p>\n
Therefore, NU\u2019s greatest strength actually does not lie in its tens\nof millions of members, the thousands of pesantren it owns, or the\nbreadth of its organisational network down to the village level. Its\ngreatest strength lies precisely in the moral authority built through a\nlong history of service to the ummah and the nation.<\/p>\n
Power can be obtained through elections, positions, or coalitions.\nMoral authority, however, is only born from exemplary conduct,\nconsistency, and public trust built over a long period. It must not\nhappen that, because it is too busy pursuing political strength, moral\nauthority is neglected.<\/p>\n
For a century, NU has demonstrated its ability to maintain a balance\nbetween religion and nationhood. When some groups pitted Islam against\nPancasila, NU showed that the two can go hand in hand. When social\nconflict threatened national unity, NU kiai came forward as peacemakers.\nWhen radicalism grew, NU appeared carrying a friendly, moderate face of\nIslam that respects diversity. This is an invaluable social capital.<\/p>\n
Because of this role, at the global level, NU\u2019s position is\nincreasingly strategic. The Islamic world is searching for a model of\nthe relationship between religion, democracy, and modern life. Through\nits experience in blending Islamic values with plural national life, it\nis not impossible that NU could emerge as an attractive reference for\nmany countries.<\/p>\n
However, precisely because it possesses great moral capital, NU faces\nchallenges that are not light. The larger the organisation, the greater\nthe temptation to become absorbed in the vortex of power. In a\ndemocratic state, the relationship between civil society organisations\nand the government is indeed unavoidable. Cooperation is needed to\naccelerate development and serve the community. However, cooperation\nmust not eliminate independence.<\/p>\n
NU must remain able to say something is right when it is indeed\nright. Conversely, NU must also be brave enough to say something is\nwrong when state policy does not side with the interests of the people.\nThis is where the meaning of being the nation\u2019s moral guardian lies. It\ndoes not mean always being outside the government or becoming an\nopposition to every policy. Rather, it is about how to manage the\nability to maintain a healthy distance from power. Close when needed to\nprovide solutions, but independent enough to convey criticism when the\nvalues of justice, humanity, and the people\u2019s interests are\nthreatened.<\/p>\n
In the Islamic tradition, such a role has long been recognised. Imam\nAl-Ghazali once reminded that the corruption of religion often begins\nwhen scholars become too close to rulers, while the corruption of the\nstate occurs when rulers no longer wish to heed the advice of scholars.\nThe ideal relationship between scholars and power is not one of mutual\ndomination, but of mutual reminder. This aspect will remain relevant for\nNU, especially at this time when power<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/considering-nu-as-the-nations-moral-guardian-1788216637", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }