NU will suffer, whatever: Observers<\/p>\n
A. Junaidi, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The involvement of leading figures of the country's largest
\nMuslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in the presidential
\nelection would only hurt the organization, observers said.<\/p>\n
\"NU, as part of civil society, will suffer a loss (of support)
\nno matter whether its candidates win or lose in the election,\"
\nSyafiq Hasyim, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Committee for
\nIslam and Pluralism, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Presidential candidate and United Development Party (PPP)
\nleader Vice President Hamzah Haz, is a former NU activist, while
\nthree vice presidential candidates: Hasyim Muzadi for the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Solahuddin Wahid
\nfor the Golkar Party and Jusuf Kalla for the Democratic Party,
\nare the NU chairman, deputy chairman and advisor respectively.<\/p>\n
The Amien Rais-Siswono Yudohusodo ticket is the only one with
\nno links to NU.<\/p>\n
Syafiq said if any of the NU candidates won the election, the
\norganization would continue to be used as quasi-political party
\nby political candidates to further their own ends.<\/p>\n
\"But if they fail, the NU will weaken even more as nobody will
\nconsider it a driving force in civil society,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The NU, which was founded in 1926, became a political party
\nand joined the general election in 1955, where it finished second
\nbehind the Indonesian Nationalist Party and secured a significant
\nnumber of seats in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
It left politics following a congress in Situbondo, East Java
\nin 1984, returning to its earlier role as a mass organization.<\/p>\n
From that time, the NU was considered an independent voice in
\nthe political landscape, with its leadership often standing up
\nagainst corruption and in favor of human rights.<\/p>\n
Syafiq blamed NU's former chairman Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid
\nfor leading the NU back into party politics when he was elected
\nthe country's president in 1999.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur's move was followed by Hasyim Muzadi's now. It's
\nregretful,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Syafiq predicted that while many NU executives had joined the
\npresidential race, none of them would secure complete support
\nfrom the organization's 40 million followers.<\/p>\n
He said NU chapters, known as NU's structural camp, would
\nlikely vote for Hasyim, while NU's informal leaders -- often
\ncalled the NU cultural camp, would support Solahuddin.<\/p>\n
\"But many NU followers will also choose Kalla because of his
\nimage and as his presidential running mate is Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Last week, hundreds of NU's boarding schools in West Java and
\nEast Java expressed their support for Hasyim and incumbent
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Solahuddin who is the running mate of Gen. (ret)
\nWiranto, also secured the votes of dozens of prominent NU
\nclerics.<\/p>\n
Political observer Ikrar Nusa Bhakti agreed none of the four
\npresidential and vice presidential candidates would secure the
\ncomplete support of NU members.<\/p>\n
\"Hasyim and Solahuddin won't receive more than 10 million NU
\nvotes each. The remaining votes will go to other candidates,\"
\nIkrar of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences told the Post.<\/p>\n
Besides the NU, Ikrar said millions of voters from the
\ncountry's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, would
\nbe courted by candidates, especially if Amien and Siswono crashed
\nout in the first round.<\/p>\n
He said many Muhammadiyah followers preferred civilian to
\nmilitary candidates.<\/p>",
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