More candidates turn down NU posts
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.