More candidates turn down NU posts

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Following the footsteps of Solahuddin Wahid, who declined a position on the central board of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), two other respected NU figures turned down posts in the newly announced lineup.

Mustofa Bisri, who was appointed to the syuriah, or lawmaking body, and Akrom Malibary, who was appointed khatib am, an advisory body member, gave different reasons over the weekend as to why they declined the posts.

Mustofa, who had won the support of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to challenge Hasyim Muzadi's reelection bid for the NU chairmanship, said he did not have time for a post on the central board.

"I am honored and grateful for the offer, but since the death of my older brother Cholil Bisri, I have less time than before," Mustofa wrote to Hasyim, leader of the advisory body and preparatory committee that selects central board members.

After the death of Cholil in August, Mustofa took over the management of a large Islamic boarding school previously run by his older brother in the Central Java town of Rembang.

Meanwhile, Akrom was quoted by Gus Dur.net as saying that he would not disclose his reasons for being unwilling to assume a post on the advisory body for the 2004-2009 term.

Hours before the new NU central board lineup was announced on Saturday, Solahuddin, a younger brother to Gus Dur, said he would not sit on the board, as he preferred to mediate an islah, or reconciliation, between the Hasyim and Gus Dur camps.

Gus Dur has bitterly contested Hasyim's reelection and has pledged to establish a splinter group within the NU to push his interests in the country's largest Muslim organization.

Hasyim and Gus Dur have been at loggerheads since the former joined the 2004 presidential election as Megawati Soekarnoputri's running mate, when Gus Dur accused Hasyim of using the NU as a vehicle for his political ambitions.

In an apparent bid to mend the rift, Hasyim has included in the lineup those figures known to support Gus Dur, such as Masdar Farid Mas'udi, Tolchah Hasan, Mustofa, Solahuddin and Malik Madany.

Commenting on Mustofa's refusal, Hasyim said the renowned cleric did not entirely reject his offer. "Gus Mus wants a position in the advisory body, while we want him to be in the lawmaking body," he was quoted by Antara as saying in Surabaya, East Java, referring to Mustofa by his nickname.

Hasyim said he would talk with syuriah chairman Sahal Mahfud as to the most suitable post for Mustofa.

He also asserted that the only person who had truly declined a central board post was Solahuddin.

"He is the only one who turned down the offer because he wants to stay in the middle. It is his right -- who knows, it might bring good," said Hasyim, adding the preparatory committee would soon decide who would fill the vacant position supposedly allocated for Solahuddin.