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