Nahdlatul Ulama untangles itself from politics

Nahdlatul Ulama untangles itself from politics

By Mitsuo Nakamura

CHIBA, Japan (JP): Originally, the Nahdlatul Ulama was non-
political when it was established in 1926. The Khittah of 1926
(basic guidelines) defined the Nahdlatul Ulama as an Islamic
religious organization devoted to religious education and the
enhancement of the well-being of the Moslem community.

However, as an organization with vast mass-support in rural
areas through pondok pesantren (boarding schools for traditional
Islamic education), the Nahdlatul Ulama started to get involved
in the process for the independence of Indonesia, through the
World War II and also in various efforts for nation-building
throughout the Sukarno era.

It first joined politics as a part of the United Moslem
Political Party, Masyumi, from 1945 to 1952 and then became an
independent political party of its own from 1952 to 1973. It
appeared as one of the four largest parties in the general
election of 1955, obtaining 18.4 percent of total votes.

After working with the Armed Forces under Gen. Soeharto, to
usher in the New Order through the 1965-66 turmoil, the Nahdlatul
Ulama started to lose legislative as well as administrative
positions in the new political constellation dominated by the
government's Golkar.

In 1973, together with other Moslem political parties, the
Nahdlatul Ulama was finally fused into the United Development
Party and kept at a distance from power centers. Under these
circumstances, the Nahdlatul Ulama, or more exactly Nahdlatul
Ulama elements in the development party, increasingly tended to
channel grievances of the masses to the government, which
otherwise had difficulties finding outlets.

Alarmed by this resilience or resurgence of Moslem militancy,
the authorities adopted a number of policies to deter the revival
of Islamic political forces. Hence, rising tensions and even open
conflicts during the years between the late 1970's and the early
1980's.

The government was to put an end to this situation by
requesting all social organizations, including religious ones, to
accept Pancasila (Five Principles) as their Asas Tunggal (sole
foundation). After intensive discussions among its members the
Nahdlatul Ulama congress in 1984 decided to comply with this
request, not passively but rather positively.

It declared that it would not aim for the establishment of an
Islamic state at all but would operate in order to consolidate
national unity in the framework of Pancasila. At the same time,
it re-confirmed the identity of Nahdlatul Ulama as an Islamic
religious organization, hence the return to the Khittah of 1926.

It also re-established the supremacy of the leadership of
ulama (religious scholars) over politicians and organization
activists.

Significance of the Nahdlatul Ulama's acceptance of Asas
Tunggal Pancasila (sole ideology), combined with its return to
the Khittah of 1926 was great. Of all Moslem organizations that
finally accepted Pancasila as the sole foundation, the Nahdlatul
Ulama's bold initiative helped open a new era of social harmony
and national unity between the government and Moslem
organizations and between Moslem and non-Moslem communities.

Implementation of the Nahdlatul Ulama's decision to withdraw
from "practical politics" meant its departure from the United
Development Party organization.

Only individual politicians of the Nahdlatul Ulama affiliation
were to remain in the party. This process did experience
difficulties with the development party under the leadership of
John Naro. He took advantage of Nahdlatul Ulama's new move for
the control of the development party's leadership by his own
faction, causing the famous "deflation campaign" of the Nahdlatul
Ulama against the development party in the 1987 election.

The development party's votes shrank significantly. Although
the leadership of the development party has changed from Naro to
Ismail Hassan Metareum, the Nahdlatul Ulama leadership is still
uneasy with the development party. The Nahdlatul Ulama elements
loyal to the Khittah of 1926 were excluded from its top
leadership in the latest congress of the National Development
Party held in August-September 1994.

Nevertheless, recent talks about the possible birth of a new
political party by frustrated Nahdlatul Ulama politicians, a
clear reversal of the Khittah of 1926, seem to be groundless
since it is now so deeply rooted in the Nahdlatul Ulama
organization.