Gen. Feisal tells NU to manage conflicts

Gen. Feisal tells NU to manage conflicts

By Santi WE Soekanto and Petty Prihartini

TASIKMALAYA, West Java (JP): Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal
Tanjung told Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) yesterday that among its roles
in society, one is to manage conflicts from within and also in
society.

Addressing the largest Moslem organization's congress
yesterday, Feisal asked NU members to sharpen their ability to
discern conflicting interests and to avoid those harmful to the
organization.

"In a democratic situation, competition and differing opinions
normally occur ... when these differences create conflicts among
NU members, then the organization itself should try to manage
alone," he said.

He pointed out that in many instances, mass organizations fail
to function as managers of conflict. In this situation, various
"internal factors" could threaten the organization's existence.

"NU members should be aware of the various interests and able
to differentiate which of them are beneficial for NU," he told
some 3,000 participating ulemas from the organization's 26
provincial branches and over 250 offices at regency level.

Feisal also told NU, as an institution within the nation's
political infrastructure, to abide by the state's political
system, which is based on the state ideology Pancasila and the
1945 Constitution.

"We have to realize that a weak mass organization, as an
infrastructure body, will affect the nation's development
progress," he said. This is because "political infrastructure is
a component of the whole Pancasila democracy", he said.

"Therefore, infrastructure bodies need to improve their
quality...in order to help support the nation's development
efforts," he said.

Feisal's briefing reflected the government's wish for NU to
effectively deal with its own problems while remaining within the
existing political system. It also addressed the situation of the
ulemas and their conflicting concerns about future leaders.

During yesterday's lively plenary sessions, representatives of
the 26 provincial branches announced that they could accept the
accountability speech of the outgoing chairman of the Tanfidzyah
(executive board) of NU, Abdurrahman Wahid.

Some of them also openly threw their support behind some
candidates, and met with various reactions from the floor.

At least three provincial branches from NU, Riau, Irian Jaya
and East Java, have called for the re-election of Abdurrahman
Wahid to the Tanfidzyah chairmanship.

"We nominate Gus Dur (Wahid) as chairman of executive board of
NU," the East Java representative said to loud applause from the
floor.

Leader

"Nahdlatul Ulama needs a leader who is a solidarity maker, a
good organizer and who has innovative ideas," the representative
said. "We want him to lead NU, but on the conditions that he
won't engage in a one-man show any longer, and that he will build
good teamwork with other leaders."

Representatives from West Sumatra and South Kalimantan
declared they would prefer Abu Hasan, a leading member of NU and
a businessman, for chairman. The floor, however, booed.

"Abu Hasan meets the four criteria of a good leader,"
announced the West Sumatran representative. "He's democratic,
trustworthy, a good Moslem, and a practical man."

"Besides, Abu Hasan is not an ambitious man," the ulema said,
adding that Abu Hasan should be accompanied by senior ulemas,
K.H. Idham Chalid and K.H. Ilyas Ruhiat, in leading the
organization.

As for the position of Rais Aam (chairman) of the Syuriyah
(law-making body), East Javanese representatives proposed that
the congress elect K.H. Ahmad Sahal Mahfud as Rois Aam and K.H.
Ilyas Ruhiat, the outgoing acting Rais Aam, as deputy chairman.

"Both men are solidarity makers, and have no (political)
interests," the ulema who represented 42 branches at regency
level, said. "They have both struggled to bring NU back to its
original mission, as a religious educational organization."

East Java, by far the largest group, also praised both Ilyas
and Sahal for protecting the organization from conflicting
external forces in the political arena.

The representative from West Nusa Tenggara province touched
one of the most fundamental problems when he said that the next
leaders should be able to move NU from its long-time marginal
position in society to the center of the nation.

"The next NU leaders should be able to build good relations
with the government," he said.

During the plenary meetings yesterday, the congress also
received briefings from Minister of Education and Culture
Wardiman Djojonegoro, and Minister of Population Haryono Suyono.