Time ripe for NU to return to politics: Scholar<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A political observer feels that the time is
\nright for Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Moslem
\norganization, to return to the political arena which it abandoned
\n10 years ago.<\/p>\n
NU can grab the opportunity to take the reins at the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) if it wants to, Kacung Marijan said, as
\nreported by Antara. Kacung Marijan is a political lecturer at the
\nAirlangga University in Surabaya, East Java. He is also a
\nspecialist on Islamic politics and authored the book Quo Vadis
\nNU?,<\/p>\n
NU formally left the political arena in 1984 when it severed
\nits formal links with the party which it helped found in 1972.<\/p>\n
Although NU was the largest of four Moslem factions that made
\nup the PPP, it had never held the leadership of the party. This
\nwas one of the reasons cited for leaving the party and allowing
\nmembers to cast their votes for the party of their choice at
\ngeneral elections.<\/p>\n
However, many NU leaders and supporters have remained loyal to
\nPPP despite attempts by some of its leaders to deflate the party
\nin the 1987 and 1992 elections.<\/p>\n
PPP, the second largest political party after Golkar, is
\nscheduled to hold its congress in August during which it will
\nelect its leadership board. It is currently chaired by Ismail
\nHasan Metareum.<\/p>\n
Kacung said if the chairmanship election is held openly, NU
\ncould win the election because of their numerical dominance.
\nHowever, if the election is held through an electoral college as
\nhas been the practice in the past, NU will likely lose the vote
\nagain.<\/p>\n
One factor that is working in NU's favor is the declining
\nability of the government to intervene in the affairs of
\npolitical parties, as shown by the congress of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) in December which swept Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri to the top post.<\/p>\n
Megawati, a daughter of former president Sukarno, beat the
\ngovernment's choice of candidates in the PDI election.<\/p>\n
Kacung estimated that NU only controls 104 of PPP's 310
\nbranches and this composition could be a telling factor on the
\nchairmanship election.<\/p>\n
Chairman<\/p>\n
PPP, the most conservative of the three political parties, has
\ncome under pressure to elect a new leader who is more popular
\nthan the present chairman. This would be necessary to match the
\npopularity of Megawati and Harmoko, the chairman of Golkar and
\nminister of information.<\/p>\n
NU's current chairman, Abdurrahman Wahid, a vocal and often
\ncontroversial figure, is considered by some as the ideal
\nindividual to lead the PPP. However, he has not yet made clear
\nhis intentions, one day saying he was prepared to run and the
\nnext day saying he would rather stay at NU.<\/p>\n
Many in the NU also opposed the idea of nominating the
\ncharismatic Abdurrahman for the PPP chairmanship.<\/p>\n
The deputy chairman of the East Java's regional board H.M.
\nMuhyiddin Suwondo said this week that such a move would be a
\nsetback. He also warned PPP against using NU simply to boost
\ntheir chances at the next election.<\/p>\n
At this point, NU leaders are split about whether or not they
\nshould return to the political arena, given their bitter past
\nexperiences and the commitment they made in 1984 to concentrate
\non religious propagation and education. (par)<\/p>",
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