Jakarta \u2013 Young Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) figure HRM Khalilur R Abdullah\nSahlawiy, known as Gus Lilur, has called on all participants of the 35th\nNU Congress to make the organisation\u2019s highest forum a moment for\npurification, not an arena for power struggles. He stressed that the\nchoice of leader at this congress will determine NU\u2019s position as a\nguardian of the republic\u2019s integrity, rather than a machine for mass\nmobilisation.<\/p>\n
Gus Lilur pointed to the 34th Congress held in Lampung in December\n2021 as a stark warning. According to him, the interest-laden election\nprocess at that congress resulted in internal division, management\nconflicts that spilled over into the legal domain, corruption, and NU\nbeing dragged into the vortex of practical politics. \u201cThe 34th Lampung\nCongress must serve as a bitter lesson that should not be forgotten.\nChoosing the wrong leader has fatal consequences for NU; the\norganisation became divided and was swept up in currents of corruption\nand the lust for power,\u201d Gus Lilur told reporters on Thursday, 18 June\n2026.<\/p>\n
He assessed that the 35th Congress cannot be separated from the\nbroader national context. Amid turbulent global geopolitical conditions\nand the fragility of domestic social cohesion, NU, as an organisation\nwith over a hundred million members, bears a significant moral\nresponsibility. \u201cNU is part of the founders of this republic. Therefore,\nevery major decision by NU must always be questioned: what does it mean\nfor the nation\u2019s integrity?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gus Lilur drew an analogy between the spirit that must be brought to\nthe 35th Congress and the Jakarta Charter event of 18 August 1945. At\nthat time, Islamic leaders relinquished seven words regarding the\nobligation to implement Islamic law for its adherents in order to\nprevent the disintegration of the newly independent nation. For him,\nthat decision was not a sign of defeat, but the pinnacle of\nstatesmanship. \u201cThe spirit of the Jakarta Charter is the mindset of an\nIslamic leader, choosing the greater interest above personal and\nfactional interests. That spirit must be present in the congress voting\nbooths,\u201d Gus Lilur stated.<\/p>\n
As a concrete manifestation of that spirit, Gus Lilur affirmed that\nthe NU leader elected at the 35th Congress must support the continuity\nof the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President\nGibran Rakabuming Raka for two terms.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gus-lilur-backs-nasaruddin-umar-for-pbnu-chair-citing-lessons-from-past-congress-1781787291", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }