Gus Dur wants new NU chairman

Gus Dur wants new NU chairman

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The upcoming Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) congress in November looks set
to rekindle the rivalry between chairman Hasyim Muzadi and his
predecessor Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

Gus Dur, who assumed the presidency in 1999 after chairing NU
for 15 years, has named NU deputy chairman Cecep Syarifuddin as a
candidate for the top executive post in the country's largest
Muslim organization in place of Hasyim.

Chairman of NU's East Java chapter Choirul Anam said on
Tuesday that Gus Dur had also confirmed his bid to contest the NU
chief patron post now held by Sahal Mahfudz.

Gus Dur said the NU should be led by a person with integrity
and who was concerned about the public interest.

"That's why I prefer Cecep, who has more advantages than
Hasyim," Gus Dur said.

Cecep is also known as an expert in Islamic jurisprudence
pertaining to ritual obligations. In addition, he chairs the
board of patrons of the NU youth wing, Anshor, and has been
tipped to take charge of a foundation to be established by Gus
Dur, which will concern itself with educational issues.

The congress will take place from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 at the
Surakarta haj dormitory in Central Java.

Gus Dur said his choice of candidate for the NU chairmanship
had been approved by Sahal, who quickly dismissed Gus Dur's
claim.

Contacted separately, Sahal said he preferred Mustofa Bisri,
who is also a noted poet, for the position, saying Mustofa was
considered neutral.

Like Gus Dur, Sahal urged Hasyim not to seek reelection,
mainly because of his involvement in politics. Hasyim contested
the presidential election as the running mate of President
Megawati Soekarnoputri. The ticket is headed for imminent defeat
at the hands of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla.

"It would be better if Hasyim did not run for the chief
executive post. However, I will leave the decision to the
congress participants," said Sahal, who also chairs the
Indonesian Ulemas Council.

Relations between Gus Dur and Hasyim turned sour after the
latter refused to stand behind Gus Dur when he was facing
mounting pressure from his political rivals to quit the
presidency in 2001.

Hasyim himself seems to have lost interest in joining the
race, despite support from the grassroots.

"I am thinking about returning to the pesantren (Islamic
boarding school)," he told journalists at his residence in
Malang, East Java. Hasyim runs an Islamic boarding school.

The deputy secretary of the NU's East Java chapter, Achmad
Sujono, said his chapter still favored Hasyim.

He said Gus Dur's plan to join the race for key posts in the
NU was a political maneuver by the National Awakening Party
(PKB), which wanted to turn the NU into its political machine.

The PKB was founded by NU figures to channel the political
aspirations of the 40 million members of the Muslim organization.