Govt won't interfere in NU affairs
Govt won't interfere in NU affairs
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto assured the conflict-ridden Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) that the government would not take steps which might sacrifice Indonesia's largest Moslem organization.
"There's not even a shred of intention on the part of the government to sacrifice it," Soeharto said yesterday, referring to the ongoing leadership conflict within the 30-million strong organization.
"The government would not interfere with NU's internal affairs, either, but would be willing to help (solve) conflicts within this religious organization," Soeharto was quoted by Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher as saying.
Tarmizi met with Soeharto when returning to duty after several weeks of sick leave. He said the NU rift was the focus of his meeting with Soeharto.
Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono said in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, that the NU leaders should resolve their conflicts in the spirit of ukhuwah Islamiyah (Moslem brotherhood).
"If the conflicts are allowed to linger, they will worsen and eventually divide the ummat (community) and create national instability," he was quoted by Antara as saying.
The Ministry of Home Affairs reiterated that the government only recognizes the leadership board led by Abdurrahman Wahid which was formed in the December 1994 congress.
Sutoyo NK, the director-general for social and political affairs at the ministry, also stated the government's refusal to recognize the board established by Abdurrahman's foe, Abu Hasan.
The conflict first erupted in the Cipasung congress, during which Abdurrahman beat Abu Hasan by a slim margin in the chairmanship election.
After he was excluded from Abdurrahman's executive board, Abu established last January a rival board which he called KPPNU -- the coordinating board for NU's executive board.
Despite lacking police permits, the KPPNU convened an extraordinary congress here on Wednesday. It elected Abu Hasan as chairman of the board which now "formally" bears the same name as Abdurrahman's, which is the PBNU.
The congress also elected a five-member team which will meet soon to establish the full lineup of the board, according to Yanuar and Syafruddin of the new board's secretariat.
Abu, a wealthy businessman, reportedly enjoyed the government's support in his quest for the NU chairmanship. He said on Wednesday he was sure the government would recognize the board produced at the extraordinary congress.
Abdurrahman Wahid, however, said he was sure the government does not support Abu Hasan.
"Only certain individuals (within the government) support him," he told The Jakarta Post in Solo, Central Java, on Wednesday. "The legitimacy of an organization is not determined by whether there are officials who support it, but whether its followers do."
"What's the good of having the support of government officials, if the NU members don't support (them)?" he said.
"(Abu Hasan's) board is no serious threat to NU. It's nothing," said the controversial ulema, who is more popularly known as Gus Dur.
Two other NU leaders, Ahmad Bagdja and Arifin Junaidi, strongly protested Abu Hasan's move. Arifin said that members who are dissatisfied with the 1994 congress should have waited and bring their grievances to the next congress in 1999.
Chairman of the influential Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) Hasan Basri expressed regrets over the conflicts, and suggested that leaders of the two camps reconcile.
"NU is a religious organization, they should solve problems in ways which are in line with religious teachings," he said.
Political observers Maswadi Rauf and Afan Gaffar warned against negative ramifications of the conflicts.
Afan said that whoever tried "to ruin NU" ran the risk of also damaging national unity. "Its large membership, scattered throughout the country, is an invaluable asset in our efforts to maintain national integrity," he said.
"The government should have acted more swiftly to nip the conflicts in the bud and prevent Abu Hasan from staging the congress," he said.
"This is really damaging for the domestic political development," Maswadi was quoted by Antara as saying.
Nahdlatul Ulama, whose name means "the revival of ulemas", was established on Jan. 31, 1926. Two of its founders were K.H. Hasyim Asy'ari, the grandfather of Abdurrahman Wahid, and K.H. Wahab Hasbullah.
It became a political party in 1952, and was one of four parties that in 1973 merged to form the United Development Party (PPP). (swe/01/har)