JP/3/PPNUI

JP/3/PPNUI

Renowned cleric leads another Nahdlatul Ulama-oriented party

Rais Hidayat
Research and
Development Unit
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

The country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama,
which claims 40 million members, is far from homogeneous.
Commonly known as a rural-based organization with its main basis
in traditional Islamic schools (pesantren), it has seen major
shifts as its leaders have striven cautiously to adjust to the
times and as its younger generation has responded more
impatiently.

A "play safe" strategy under the New Order, which was watchful
of potential troublemakers, particularly among Muslims, did not
always augur well for restless figures who differed from others
on whether NU as an institution could formally participate in
politics.

NU members have always been courted, ahead of each general
election, by Islam-oriented and secular political parties, while
its leaders have also joined or established parties themselves.

Religious leader Syukron Ma'mun, 62, is one such figure. The
well-known kyai from Madura, East Java, who has held a number of
posts in the NU leadership, set up the Nahlatul Community Party
(Partai Nahdlatul Ummah or PNU) to contest the 1999 election. It
failed to pass the electoral threshold so he eventually declared
the establishment of the Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party
(PPNUI) on March 5 last year.

Syukron represents what has become a minority voice within NU,
one that insists that Muslims as the majority must play a central
political role. It is also a voice that argues that sharia should
be applied to complement the country's criminal code, given that
the country's law alone has not curbed effectively today's evils
such as murder, rape and corruption.

Such views have been drowned out by the other NU camp
regarding this issue, most notably represented by Abdurrahman
Wahid. The latter camp says Islam is one of the country's assets
along with other religions and their followers. But regardless of
the debate, Abdurrahman did not shy away from presidential
ambitions and became the country's fourth president, although his
National Awakening Party (PKB) only came fourth in the last
election.

Despite advocating harsh corporate punishment such as the
severing of hands for thieves or corruptors, Syukron's party does
not advocate an Islamic state. This reflects the long discourse
within NU, which led to the organization's united stand in
accepting the Indonesian state. The interpretation of efforts to
achieve Islamisasi differs within NU, as not all agree that it
means making Islam a way of life at a national level, such as by
adopting sharia law, even if only to complement the criminal code
for Muslims.

Among NU figures with a long distrust of "modernist Muslims",
Syukron is not among them. He was a deputy chairman of the
Advisory Council of the Jakarta branch of the Association of
Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) from 1997 to 1998. In 1999
his party was among those supporting B.J. Habibie and Gen. (ret)
Wiranto as candidates for the presidency and vice presidency.

But if Syukron's party is relying on the support of NU members
it faces the daunting challenge of attracting anything like the
potential voters for Abdurrahman's PKB, as well as other parties
targeting these members, including those within Syukron's home
province, East Java. The charismatic preacher, Zainuddin MZ, who
leads the Reform Star Party (PBR), also claims to be a follower
of NU.

In 1999 PKB won 51 seats with over 13 million votes, while PNU
had only five seats from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Lampung, West
Java, East Java and South Kalimatan, with less than 700,000
votes.

Nevertheless, the party, said executive Dhany Syafruddin
Nawawi, is optimistic of more votes, with particular reliance on
NU networks in which Syukron has influence.

These would include the Islamic Propagation Institute of NU
(LDNU), of which Syukron is chairman, the NU Community for
Tarekat (Islamic mysticism) or Jatma, and the Islamic Preachers
Association (Persatuan Muballigh se Indonesia), which Syukron led
from 1995 to 1998, with 15,000 members.

His party creed, Islam Ahlussunah wal-Jama'ah is similar to
that of NU, and is understood to mean that Islam is a moderate,
tolerant and accommodating religion open to local culture and
environment. However, as seen above, interpretations differ on
what exactly this means -- and the results of the elections will
reflect, in part, voter preferences amid today's lively discourse
among Muslims -- both within and beyond NU.