NU chief says no candidate for PPP chairmanship<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Abdurrahman
\nWahid cold-shouldered the recent bustle over the organization's
\ncandidacy for the coming election of the United Development Party
\n(PPP).<\/p>\n
\"The executive board (of NU) won't bother itself with naming
\ncandidates for the PPP chairmanship,\" the prominent scholar told
\nthe press in Semarang yesterday. \"However, if individual members
\nask for permission to run, then they'll get the organization's
\nblessing.\"<\/p>\n
\"Even if our members ask permission to become heads of village
\nor regents, we'll give them our blessing,\" he was quoted by
\nAntara news agency as saying. \"We'll bless them even more if they
\nwant to run for the chairmanship of PPP, Golkar or the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI).\"<\/p>\n
\"We'll bless them even if they eventually lose,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Some 80 ulemas, usually called kyai, from NU held a meeting in
\nRembang, Central Java, on Sunday to discuss strategies to seize
\nPPP leadership from the dominant Muslimin Indonesia (MI) faction.
\nThey concluded that PPP needs leaders from NU, who have some 34
\nmillion members, in order to grow bigger and more appealing to
\nvoters.<\/p>\n
They had originally planned to name their candidates for the
\nPPP election in August, but later decided to withhold the names
\nfor the next several weeks.<\/p>\n
Claiming that the Rembang meeting was not any concern of the
\nexecutive board, Abdurrahman nevertheless supported the ulemas'
\ndecision to refrain from publicly endorsing their candidates.<\/p>\n
\"They did not have any authority to pick names,\" he said. \"The
\nmost that they could do is to suggest certain names to be brought
\nto the PPP congress.\"<\/p>\n
The ulemas and the initiator of the meeting, Hamzah Haz, have
\nrejected criticism about the Moslem leaders' engaging in
\npolitics, saying that the meeting was only an informal gathering
\nof kyais who already have been active in PPP.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said the meeting was not intended as a politicking
\nvenue.<\/p>\n
However, through their speeches, the kyais themselves showed
\nclearly that they meant to be more involved in practical
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
\"Life itself is politics,\" said Cholil Bisri, host of the
\nRembang meeting. \"We need strategies in this life, and isn't that
\nwhat politics is all about?\"<\/p>\n
The majority<\/p>\n
The meeting of the ulemas ended with the establishment of a
\ncouncil who will be responsible for picking one out of the three
\nstrongest candidates.<\/p>\n
The candidates are Hamzah, who is chairman of PPP faction in
\nthe House of Representatives; Matori Abdul Djalil, the incumbent
\nsecretary general of PPP; and Karmani, chairman of PPP branch in
\nEast Java.<\/p>\n
Despite the ulemas' decision against formally naming
\ncandidates, several newspapers ran reports suggesting that the
\nmajority of the kyais favored Matori Abdul Djalil.<\/p>\n
The news reports also said that Alawy Muhammad, a highly
\ninfluential ulema in Madura Island, had specifically singled out
\nMatori.<\/p>\n
Hamzah, however, was quick to point out that he had checked
\nthe news with Alawy and that the latter denied making the
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
Nadhir Muhammad, a council member, was reported to have asked
\nthe NU leaders to treat the news reports as non-existent because
\nthey were not true.<\/p>\n
Hamzah also acknowledged the possibility that the news about
\nthe Matori's endorsement was generated by people with evil
\nintentions.<\/p>\n
\"All that we did during the meeting was establish a set of
\ncriteria for suitable leaders for PPP,\" Syansuri Badlawi, the
\nmost senior ulema in NU, said.<\/p>\n
\"We still have two months to go before election time, so
\nthere's no need to rush with the candidates' names,\" Hamzah said.<\/p>\n
\"Anyone who claims that he has won the kyais' endorsement will
\nbe reprimanded,\" Syansuri added.<\/p>\n
Syansuri said the draft report on the meeting needs to be
\nstudied further as it contains the word \"grab\" (the PPP
\nchairmanship). \"Can you imagine ulemas grabbing for positions?\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said certain parties have circulated the draft report,
\nwhich is yet to be edited, in order to discredit the Rembang
\nmeeting. (swe\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nu-chief-says-no-candidate-for-ppp-chairmanship-1447893297",
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