Gus Lilur: 35th NU Congress a Momentum for Organisational Purification

Jakarta - Young Nahdlatul Ulama figure Khalilur Abdullah Sahlawiy, known as Gus Lilur, has stated that the 35th NU Congress must be viewed within a broader national context as a momentum for organisational purification, not a power struggle. He noted that amid global geopolitical dynamics and the fragility of domestic social cohesion, NU, as a large organisation, has a moral responsibility to safeguard the nation’s integrity. “NU is part of the founders of this republic, so every major decision must be assessed for its impact on the nation’s wholeness,” Gus Lilur said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday. He urged all participants of the 35th NU Congress to make the organisation’s highest forum a space for purifying the direction of the organisation’s movement, not an arena for power contestation. Gus Lilur emphasised that the choice of leader at the congress would determine NU’s position as a guardian of the republic’s integrity, rather than merely a mass mobilisation organisation. He cautioned that an election process influenced by narrow interests could potentially cause internal divisions, management conflicts, and even lead to legal and practical political repercussions. According to him, the 35th NU Congress needs to emulate the spirit of the Jakarta Charter on 18 August 1945, when Islamic leaders prioritised the nation’s interests above group interests. “That spirit reflects a leadership choice that prioritises a greater interest above personal or factional interests,” he said. Gus Lilur assessed that this congress is a historical test for NU, not just a routine succession agenda, thus requiring moral steadfastness in determining the leader. He asserted that the direction chosen at the congress will determine NU’s future, whether it remains on the path of the ulama or shifts to follow the currents of power interests. “This is not just about today; this is about the future of NU and the ummah. Whether NU wants to return to the path of the ulama or be swept away by the currents of power, that is what is at stake,” said Gus Lilur.