Gus Dur faces stiff contest in NU election

By Santi WE Soekanto and Petty Prihartini

TASIKMALAYA, West Java (JP): Re-election of the charismatic leader of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Abdurrahman Wahid, is by no means certain, despite strong support showed by organization's branch offices.

As the congress of the largest Moslem organization entered its second day, speculations as to who will win the executive board's chairmanship grew.

Some of the 26 branch offices told a plenary meeting that they were satisfied with the accountability speech given by the incumbent Abdurrahman, popularly known as Gus Dur.

Praise of his leadership was signaled with loud applause from participating ulemas, creating the impression that Gus Dur would likely snatch the coveted seat.

Outside the meeting room, however, a number of NU leaders displayed downright opposition to his re-election.

NU leading politician K.H. Yusuf Hasyim, who is also Gus Dur's uncle, assembled journalists to state his displeasure with nephew and to throw his support behind other candidates.

So far, the several names that have been circulating as possible candidates to contest Gus Dur include Dr. Fahmi Syaifuddin, a Johns Hopkins University medical school graduate; K.H. Abdul Wahid Zaini -- an unassuming ulema who chairs the association of NU's 6,000 boarding schools (pesantren); Abu Hasan MA, a leading member of NU and a businessman; and Chalid Mawardi, a member of the Supreme Advisory Council and NU politician.

"Gus Dur has been walking alone, he and all his ideas, activities and connections," Yusuf Hasyim said. "He's practically an institution unto himself. If he remains within NU, then the organization will lose out."

"He should make way for other people to hold the leadership. He's just too strong for this organization," Yusuf added.

Yusuf clearly stated his preference for Wahid Zaini or Fahmi. The two men, he told a reporter from BBC London, will be able to bridge the aspirations of NU members, most of whom live in rural areas, with the organization's programs.

"Gus Dur claimed he wants the top seat in order to save the organization from the grip of politicians .. but he himself is a very political man," Yusuf continued his attack. "He's even more political than Chalid Mawardi."

Yusuf cleared himself from speculations that he has his eyes trained to the leadership, saying that he had already requested the current acting chairman of Syuriyah, K.H. Ilyas Ruhiat, that he be excluded from the coming leadership.

"I'm tired and old and this kind of job requires high mobility," he told The Jakarta Post. "I just hope that the coming NU leaders will be more responsive toward the aspirations of NU members in the regions."

However, several observers to the congress, including Japanese anthropologist Mitsuo Nakamura and Dutch observer Dr. Martin van Bruisen, said NU still needs Gus Dur in order to be able to face future challenges.

Van Bruisen said the next NU chairman will bear the greatest responsibility of seeing the organization through a period of important political transformation.

"His role would be to see that his members are protected from various currents of political interests," he said. "This chairman will need to be able to converse with every layer of society...only Gus Dur fits the bill."

No intention

Despite speculations that the government may not be too pleased with him, Gus Dur himself did not show any intention to back off from his chairmanship bid.

The kyai famous for his controversial moves, including his recent visit to Israel, even presented a scenario which sees him as leading the Syuriyah (law-making body) and another person as a leader of the executive board. He specifically named Fahmi as his partner.

"Don't pit me against Fahmi," he said. "If NU sees him as the fittest man to lead it, I'll be the happiest person for him."

"That (if Fahmi is elected) means, (the situation) I have been wishing for will be realized...If I get the post at the Syuriyah, then he can lead the Tanfidzyah...isn't it good?"

However, "even if I'm not elected (to lead Syuriyah), that's okay, too," he added. "I trust Fahmi completely."

Gus Dur named K.H. Mustofa Bisri, a kyai with strong artistic inclination and well-known for his poems, as an alternative figure.

Soen'an Hadi Poernomo, an expert at the center for human resource development in NU, sees the Wahid-Fahmi scenario as the most workable solution for the organization which has often been criticized for poor management.

"As a leader, Gus Dur is okay, but he is a poor manager. Fahmi, who chairs NU center for human resource development, is a better manager ," Poernomo said.

"This organization needs someone who can better translate its programs in the coming five years...it needs leaders who can improve its members' welfare."

Poernomo said Fahmi and Gus Dur will compliment one another in leading NU. "So, this organization should not have to choose between Fahmi or Gus Dur, but take them both," he said.

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