Ahead of NU Congress, Student Alumni Group Highlights Polarisation

The University of Indonesia’s Islamic Student Movement Alumni Association (IKA PMII UI) is observing the increasingly sharp conflict dynamics between candidate camps ahead of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Congress, especially the polarisation over the selection of the congress venue. IKA PMII UI expressed concern over the polarisation between the two camps while encouraging an alternative figure, free from the conflict, to step forward as a candidate for General Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU). “The public and ordinary people find it difficult to understand how factions within NU struggle to agree on non-fundamental matters such as the congress location. This damages NU’s image in the public eye,” explained IKA PMII UI Chairman Alfanny on Thursday. “The protracted polarisation, which has yet to find a resolution, has prompted IKA PMII UI to encourage the emergence of a new figure unconnected to the current conflict,” he stressed. The figure referred to by IKA PMII UI is young NU figure Hery Haryanto Azumi, familiarly known as Gus Hery. “Gus Hery is one of NU’s young figures worthy of leading PBNU. Besides having been entrusted as General Chairman of PB PMII, Gus Hery has a wide network and a clear vision for NU’s future amidst the national constellation and global geopolitics,” continued Alfanny, who was once entrusted as Deputy Chairman of PW GP Ansor DKI Jakarta. Alfanny hopes that Gus Hery, or whoever leads PBNU in the future, will prioritise human resource development within NU. “PMII UI alumni initiated the NU 1st Century Vision back in 2013, which produced the NU Human Development Trilogy, namely Education, Health, and Culture,” he said. “We hope Gus Hery or the next PBNU General Chairman will share a similar vision,” concluded Alfanny.