Hasyim elected NU chairman, VP closes congress

KEDIRI, East Java (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri closed on Friday the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) congress, which elected Hasyim Muzadi the new chairman in place of Abdurrahman Wahid.

Hasyim, the former chairman of NU's chapter in the province, took the helm of the 35 million-strong Muslim organization for the next five years with a convincing victory over his major rival Said Aqiel Siradj in a vote which moved beyond its overnight schedule.

Hasyim secured 215 of a total of 323 valid ballots, against Said's 105. Three votes were declared invalid and one abstained.

Muslimin Mobbing, who chaired the ballot, conceded the number of ballots cast did not match the number of voters, but said the margin was not significant to cancel out the outcome of the vote.

The congress went to a vote after the floor named four candidates. The other two contenders, Achmad Bagdja and Solahuddin Wahid, Abdurrahman's younger brother, made an early exit after failing to gain the minimum vote of 40.

Siradj, who sat with his head bowed during the vote counting, embraced Hasyim as he congratulated him.

"I am very satisfied with this fair and democratic election. I am confident he (Hasyim) will be able to lead the organization and I will be ready to cooperate with him," Said said.

He offered an apology to Idris Marzuki, who represented senior ulemas, for his election campaign which was considered a breach of NU's tradition.

Hasyim called on all ulemas and Muslim people to join forces in developing the organization.

"Let's now bury the hatchet and enter the new era with a united stance to develop the organization and the nation," he said.

He said his short term program was to visit all NU branches during the coming fasting month to observe the people's conditions at grassroots level.

Hasyim was born to a rich but religious couple, Muzadi and Rumyati, in Bangilan, Tuban, in 1944. He has seven brothers and sisters.

He graduated from the Gontor pesantren in Ponorogo in 1963 and the Malang Islamic Teaching Institute in 1967.

Earlier in the day, Sahal Mahfudz, a noted ulema from Kanjen, Pati, Central Java, was elected chairman of NU's law making body, popularly known as Rois Aam Syuriah. Pre-election favorite Sahal collected 282 votes to beat his closest rival Fakhrudin Masturo of Sukabumi, West Java, who earned 133 votes for the deputy chairmanship of the body.

Later in the day, Hasyim announced the lineup of NU's board of executives, which included Solahuddin, Rozy Munir, Achmad Bagdja and Fajrul Falaakh. Said made a return to the Sahal-led law making body, which also comprised Mustofa Bisri, Said Agil Munawar and Masdar Mas'udi.

Abdurrahman, the current President, and noted senior ulema Abdullah Faqih were named patrons.

As expected, no women were selected to the organization's executive and legislative boards.

Hasyim defended the decision to maintain the long-standing tradition to exclude women from the inner circle, saying it was enough for female constituents of NU to sit as members with rights to take part in any plenary sessions.

"I think the effort to empower women should not be translated out of proportion," Hasyim said.

Megawati watched the NU figures select the members of both the executive and legislative boards.

In her speech which brought down the curtain on the six-day event, Megawati repeated a call for the Muslim organization to maintain its role as a moral force which is critical of government.

Megawati also praised NU's persistent support for women's empowerment, which resulted in her election as vice president.

"With all my respect, I thank God for receiving support from many NU members," she said, referring to NU politicians grouped in the National Awakening Party, the closest ally of Megawati's party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. (nur/rms)