NU mulls proposal to set up own party<\/p>\n
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
To the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the notion of involving itself in
\npolitics amounts to a taboo, but executives of the largest Muslim
\norganization are hinting that those days of are numbered.<\/p>\n
NU chairman A. Hasyim Muzadi said on Wednesday that he
\npersonally disagreed with the proposal to convert NU into a
\npolitical party, but it would be up to the NU members to decide
\nduring the NU Conference and National Congress in July.<\/p>\n
Hasyim was commenting on a proposal by two small NU-based
\npolitical parties -- the Awakening Ummah Party (PKU) and the
\nNahdlatul Ummat Party (PNU) -- that NU should have a solid party
\nto politically unite its members.<\/p>\n
The two parties voiced their concern over the split in the
\nNational Awakening Party (PKB), which NU had helped to establish,
\nand over the fact that NU members were scattered in non-NU
\npolitical parties.<\/p>\n
Under the leadership of Abdurrahman Wahid, NU issued a khittah
\n(decree) in 1984 to the effect that the organization would not
\nengage itself in politics but allowed its individual members to
\ndo so.<\/p>\n
PNU secretary-general Asnawi Latief was convinced that NU
\nmembers would agree with the idea of turning NU into a political
\nparty.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure they will agree with the idea. We still have two
\nyears to go,\" he said referring to the 2004 general elections.<\/p>\n
Asnawi said NU would not able to accommodate its members'
\naspiration if it maintained its current role and function.<\/p>\n
\"Even to settle the PKB internal dispute, the organization had
\nits hands off. I wonder how they will handle problems faced by
\nPNU and PKU,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hasyim defended that NU was a non-political organization. \"If
\nthere is a merger among NU-based political parties, it has
\nnothing to do with the NU executive board, but we always protect
\nour members whatever their party is,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"NU had once been a political party for 21 years and it
\ndrained NU energy so it could not play its role for the promotion
\nof civil society, education, law, even economy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nahdlatul Ulama, whose name means \"the revival of ulemas\", was
\nestablished on Jan. 31, 1926. It was meant as a response to the
\naggressive modern teaching of the Moslem reformist in the early
\nyears of the century.<\/p>\n
In line with the political liberalization in the 1950s, NU
\nbecame a political party in 1952 and surprisingly grabbed third
\nposition, behind the Indonesian Nationalists Party (PNI) and
\nMasjumi, in the country's first general election in 1955.<\/p>\n
But after a defeat in the 1971 election and the policy imposed
\nin 1973 by the ruling government that there were supposed to be
\nonly three political parties contesting the election, many of its
\nmembers joined the United Development Party (PPP), others joined
\nthe ruling Golkar party and a small number in the third political
\nparty, the Indonesian Democratic Party (PKI). NU returned to its
\nfunction as a social and religious organization in its 1984
\nCongress.<\/p>\n
Hasyim said he was opposed to the proposal because it would
\nonly restrict NU's nationalism and religiousness.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, NU deputy chairman Solahuddin Wahid said that
\nalthough the idea was understandable, he did not believe that NU
\nmembers had the intention to change it into a political party.<\/p>\n
\"It is too late. If NU wanted to become a political party, the
\ndecision was supposed to be made in 1998. Now there is no chance
\nfor it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Solahuddin said further that NU would not actively join the
\npolitical arena. \"We don't want to plunge into real politics. We
\nshould keep away from any political parties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Instead, Solahuddin suggested that NU members in non-NU-based
\npolitical parties to cooperate with each other through Stembus
\nAkkord (vote swap deal) if the government implemented the
\ndistrict system in the 2004 general election.<\/p>\n
\"The district system will leave only two national parties, the
\nGolkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan), in the lead. Others will only be local players,\" he
\nsaid, adding that through the Stembus Akkord the NU members would
\nhave a place in the MPR.<\/p>",
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