Gus Dur's Eldest Daughter Shares Hopes for Upcoming NU Congress

Alissa Wahid, the eldest daughter of former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), has shared her hopes for the upcoming Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Congress. She expressed her wish for the congress to proceed smoothly and produce a leadership that can steer the organisation in a better direction.

Substantive matters for the congress have essentially been prepared, ranging from the outcomes of the National Conference of Religious Scholars (Munas) and the NU Grand Conference (Konbes) in Ploso, to various future organisational programmes.

“My hope for the upcoming NU Congress is a process that runs well to produce good leadership. That is my main hope,” Alissa said on Sunday, 9 August 2026.

She explained that several substantive agendas have been prepared, including the planned launch of the NU Roadmap 2050 and discussions on organisational governance. According to her, the most important aspect of the NU Congress is ensuring the entire process is conducted properly and democratically, resulting in leadership that meets the expectations of NU members.

“What we certainly hope for is a good process at the congress to produce good leadership. The issues that arose previously must serve as lessons,” she stated.

She believes that merely using Gus Dur as a slogan is no longer relevant. It is far more important to preserve and emulate Gus Dur’s thoughts and conduct. “For me, it is no longer relevant to use Gus Dur as a jargon. The most important thing is the example set by Gus Dur, namely his thoughts and his conduct,” she said.

According to her, the values Gus Dur fought for should be realised in concrete actions, one of which is the courage to fight against injustice and tyranny. She assessed that NU’s alignment with the common people is also an important value that needs to be strengthened once again.