Nahdlatul Ulama stuck between ego and ambition
Nahdlatul Ulama stuck between ego and ambition
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta
Ahead of the 31st Congress of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which
will be held at the Donohudan Haj Dormitory, Surakarta, the focus
of its members is on the heightened rivalry between supporters
and opponents of incumbent chairman Hasyim Muzadi, who is seeking
reelection for a second five-year term.
Dissatisfaction with Hasyim stems from his controversial
decision to side with Megawati Soekarnoputri as her running mate
in the presidential election. Many alleged that he ran for the
vice presidency even though the NU's larger-than-life patron,
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, was himself running for president.
The die-hard supporters of Gus Dur insist that it was because
of Hasyim that the Islamic scholar and former president failed to
secure a place in the runoff.
Hasyim's move in the presidential election flew in the face of
the National Awakening Party (PKB), which is recognized as the
political wing of NU.
"NU members have always nurtured great political enthusiasm.
Since the time when the NU Party came into being in the 1950s,
and later evolved into the United Development Party, NU members
have always performed with political distinction," Kyai Masdar
Farid Mas'udi told The Jakarta Post.
To Gus Dur's and PKB's distaste, Hasyim -- head of the Al
Hikam Islamic Boarding School in Malang, East Java -- has
succeeded in mobilizing significant NU support for the coming
congress.
The choice of Donohudan Haj Dormitory as the venue of the
congress is also believed to be another irregularity of the NU
central board under Hasyim.
"Usually, a congress is held at an Islamic boarding school to
ensure that, as an organization of ulema, NU will not be divorced
from its members," said Jazuli, a senior religious teacher from
the NU Klaten chapter.
Not surprisingly, Gus Dur is being nominated as a Rais Aam,
which heads the NU supervisory council, to counter Hasyim.
Gus Dur has mentioned several potential candidates to replace
Hasyim as executive chairman, among them former religious affairs
minister Tolchah Hasan, Manarul Hidayat, Cecep Syarifuddin and
Masdar F Mas'udi. One common trait between the four is that none
seem to harbor strong ambitions for power to rival Gus Dur.
The "return" of Gus Dur into the political fore of the NU
could very well weaken its organizational solidarity further.
"Many people have intentionally encouraged Gus Dur to get on
the NU board. The inclusion of Gus Dur would mean relinquishing
his (official) involvement in the PKB. This will only stir things
up more," said Jazuli.
The decision of NU clerics to set up the PKB and then separate
it institutionally from the organization will also be put to the
test at the congress. Gus Dur's wish to include more non-NU and
non-Muslim members on the PKB board could incite a negative
reaction from the congress, and conservative clerics are expected
to maintain that the PKB is the political vehicle of the NU.
It will be a dilemma indeed. On the one hand, only Gus Dur can
be expected to block the reelection of Hasyim as NU executive
chairman; on the other hand, his return -- designed solely to
block Hasyim -- will open the doors to certain political
opportunists either in the PKB or NU itself.
Given this condition, the NU is now in a highly precarious
situation. The only key person expected to be able to end the
internal conflict is the current Rais Aam, A. Sahal Mahfudz.
Many believe that this respected cleric, who hails from Pati,
Central Java, could play a decisive factor in whether Hasyim
launches an all-out assault for the chairmanship.
Even though the succession issue is likely to dominate
headlines, a small group of NU youth members is pushing the
congress to focus on concrete programs that can be pursued by the
new executive board.
"The welfare of the members are often neglected," remarked
Luthfi Rahman, one of the organizers of the congress. "Many of
our schools have had to suspend operations because issues like
education are ignored."