East Java PWNU Officially Tasks Gus Kikin to Run for PBNU Chairman
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The East Java regional board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PWNU) has officially mandated its chairman, KH Abdul Hakim Mahfudz, or Gus Kikin, to stand as candidate for Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) at the 35th Congress to be held in Jombang.
Deputy Rais Syuriyah of PWNU East Java, KH Abdul Matin, said in Surabaya on Tuesday that the decision was the result of internal deliberations by the board, and not driven by Gus Kikin’s personal ambition.
“PWNU East Java is assigning Kiai Haji Abdul Hakim Mahfudz to become a candidate for Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama at the 35th Congress,” said KH Abdul Matin.
He explained that the decision was reached through a series of successive meetings of the Syuriyah and Tanfidziyah Executive Boards of PWNU East Java, followed by the formation of a small team to refine the nomination proposal.
According to him, before the decision was taken, PWNU also sought the views of Nahdlatul Ulama branch boards (PCNU) across East Java.
As a result, 45 PCNUs in the province declared their support for the appointment of Gus Kikin as candidate for PBNU Chairman.
“Alhamdulillah, all PCNUs across East Java have agreed to stand united in nominating Kiai Abdul Hakim Mahfudz as candidate for PBNU Chairman,” he said.
Abdul Matin stressed that the candidacy rests on a number of organisational considerations.
One of them is that Gus Kikin is regarded as having a commitment to restoring the direction of the jam’iyah to the guidance of the Qanun Asasi drawn up by Nahdlatul Ulama’s founder, Hadratussyaikh KH Hasyim Asy’ari.
In addition, Gus Kikin is said to have a vision of building more serene organisational governance, strengthening ukhuwah Islamiyah and ukhuwah nahdliyah, and preserving the unity of NU members in implementing the organisation’s programmes.
PWNU East Java also considers Gus Kikin to have long experience in leading organisations, whether in the pesantren environment, the business world, or within the Nahdlatul Ulama structure.
He previously served on the PBNU, currently chairs PWNU East Java, and has gone through the cadreisation process, which is one of the requirements for leadership within NU.
According to Abdul Matin, this experience is important capital for steering NU as a modern organisation that remains grounded in pesantren values and the tradition of Islamic scholarship.
Beyond the leadership aspect, PWNU East Java also views Gus Kikin’s economic independence as an added value, as it is considered capable of strengthening the organisation without personal interest.