Gus Dur and magnanimity

Gus Dur and magnanimity

From Kompas

As a sympathizer of the National Awakening Party (PKB) I welcomed enthusiastically the party's idea to nominate Nurcholish Madjid as an alternative presidential candidate, but was greatly disappointed to learn that former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid had rejected the idea on the grounds that Nurcholish did not agree with unseating Megawati Soekarnoputri from the presidency before 2005 (Kompas, March 27, 2003). Gus Dur said that the respected ulemas had appointed him as the party's sole presidential candidate.

In this context, Gus Dur must show greater magnanimity and allow younger leaders in the party, for example the party's chairman Alwi Shihab, to run for the presidency.

It is still fresh in our minds that when Gus Dur was president he faced a lot of resistance from the community. Learning from this, PKB must put its house in order so that it will no longer depend on the decision of its respectable ulemas for its presidential candidate. As a moderate and modern party, PKB must take into account someone's work ethics and leadership before naming him or her its presidential candidate. Besides, the candidate must also be in really good health.

If Gus Dur is magnanimous enough to refuse being named the presidential candidate for PKB, he will always be remembered by the community, command respect, particularly among members of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and earn the respect of Kyai Langitan, the respectable ulemas of NU.

MUHAIL, Jakarta