First Plenary of 35th NU Congress Ratifies Session Rules of Procedure

The first plenary session of the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama Congress has officially concluded. Its focus was the ratification of the event schedule and session rules of procedure, while the rules for electing the Rais Aam and General Chairman were discussed separately.

Coordinator of the Organisational Commission of the 35th NU Congress, KH Miftah Faqih, said that despite considerable dynamics and tough debate among participants, the session managed to find a middle ground through deliberation and consensus.

“Alhamdulillah, we have passed the first plenary, which discussed the congress session rules of procedure. These were separated from the rules on the election mechanism for the Rais Aam and General Chairman,” said Miftah Faqih after the session at the congress venue at Bahrul Ulum Islamic Boarding School, Tambak Beras, Jombang, on Friday (28/8).

The rules regarding the election mechanism for the Rais Aam and General Chairman will be drafted and discussed at the Organisational Commission session level. He explained that this decision was the result of a good compromise.

According to him, Nahdlatul Ulama, as an organisation that upholds the values of the ulama, always prioritises respect and appreciation for differences. Therefore, every decision is taken for the common good and to avoid division.

“For example, two views emerged earlier. The first view was that the discussion of the rules of procedure should not be separated. But ultimately, because of the dynamics involved, it was agreed that the rules of procedure would be discussed separately so that the discussion could be focused. That has now been completed,” he said.

Miftah stressed that the main orientation of this congress is productive deliberation without leaving behind tension. He expressed gratitude that concerns about a failure to make strategic decisions due to differing views were completely unfounded.

“What is sought is a meeting point, not a point of contention, so that it can be compromised,” he said.

On the same occasion, Rais Syuriah and Secretary of the Steering Committee of the 35th NU Congress, Prof Mohammad Nuh, also confirmed the smooth running of the session.

He said that the first plenary, which had been scheduled since the morning, was completed effectively and efficiently in less than three hours thanks to the cooperation of all congress participants.

“Alhamdulillah, after yesterday afternoon’s opening, this morning we continued with the first plenary session with the agenda of ratifying the event schedule and the rules of procedure for the congress. Alhamdulillah, everything went very well. It was completed in less than two to three hours,” said Prof Nuh.

Regarding the election mechanism for the general chairman, which is one of the crucial issues, Nuh explained that the Steering Committee has prepared two options to be discussed further in the commission-level sessions.

These options refer to the practice of previous congresses and also accommodate a new proposal from the National Deliberation and the Grand Conference of Ulama, which proposed that the election be carried out by members of the Ahlul Halli wal Aqdi (AHWA).

“Yes, we have two options. The first option is the usual one, where the candidate is elected after being proposed by PCNU, PWNU, and PCI, with a minimum of 99 votes obtained. After that, the candidate receives the blessing of the elected Rais Aam, and then it is returned to the congress participants for voting. That is what has been happening,” he said.

To maintain the integrity and security of the proposed names of Ahlul Halli wal Aqdi members submitted by branch and regional administrators since the registration period, the committee has implemented a strict and transparent security system.

Prof Nuh said that the documents containing the proposed names of AHWA member candidates are stored in a box that is tightly guarded inside a glass room and continuously monitored by CCTV.

“The box does not even use a lock. Because if it had a lock, people would think, ‘You hold the key, and later you will open it and so on.’ There is no lock. So later it will be opened by breaking it. It is placed in a location in front of Gus Rozak (KH Abdul Rozaq Sholeh, General Chairman of the Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas Jombang Islamic Boarding School Foundation), where there is a glass room so that anyone can see it, it is guarded, and there is CCTV. So it is guaranteed to be safe,” he concluded.