Gus Yahya: NU Members' Data Cannot Be Loaned for Political Purposes

The General Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board, KH Yahya Cholil Staquf (Gus Yahya), has asserted that data belonging to NU members is a trust that cannot be traded or exploited for political gain. The statement was made during the launch of the ‘Saadatuna’ digital platform in Jakarta on Wednesday (5/8/2026). In the digital era, he noted, safeguarding citizens’ data is part of implementing the principle of al-amanah wal wafa bil ahdi (trustworthiness and keeping promises), one of the five basic principles of Mabadi Khaira Ummah formulated by KH Mahfudz Shiddiq. “This data is a trust, not the property of the administrators. So it cannot be bought or sold. It cannot be loaned for politics or anything else. And there must be a guarantee for that,” he stated in a press release on Thursday (6/8/2026). He explained that PBNU is developing a technology system that can guarantee the security of citizens’ data. With this system, data can only be used for its intended purpose, namely for the benefit of NU members. He added that citizens will eventually be able to verify for themselves that their data is safe. “I am personally ready to be held accountable before the citizens, before the administrators, and before Allah SWT,” he said. The launch of Saadatuna represents PBNU’s effort to contextualise Mabadi Khaira Ummah, the foundational principles for building the best community initiated by KH Mahfudz Shiddiq. Gus Yahya explained that the first principle is ash-shidqu, or honesty, which he described as the primary foundation for building civilisation and organisations. “Before anything else, number one is honesty. That is why KH Mahfudz Shiddiq placed as-Shidqu as the very first principle,” he said.