NU dissenters hold extraordinary congress
NU dissenters hold extraordinary congress
JAKARTA (JP): Dissenters of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem
organization, taking advantage of the authorities' ambiguous
stance over their existence, held an extraordinary congress
yesterday to establish a rival executive board.
Abu Hasan, who lost the chairmanship election to incumbent
Abdurrahman Wahid at the Moslem group's congress in Dec. 1994,
opened the congress despite lacking police permits.
Attended by some 500 participants claiming to represent 23
regional branches and 225 units at regency level, the gathering
established a board which is structurally similar to
Abdurrahman's board.
Abu Hasan was elected chairman of the rival Tanfidzyah
(executive board), while outspoken ulema K.H. Hamid Baidlawi was
widely favored to sit at the helm of the Syuriah (law making
body).
On the board produced at the 1994 congress in Cipasung, West
Java, Abdurrahman Wahid is the chairman of the Tanfidzyah, while
respected ulema K.H. Ilyas Ruchyat sits at Syuriah.
"I am confident that the government will recognize the results
of this extraordinary congress," Abu Hasan told reporters
covering the event. "Whoever is elected in this congress will
function as a bridge between this board and (Abdurrahman's)
board."
The congress proceeded relatively smoothly, although there
were reportedly attempts by the police to persuade the organizers
to stop the meeting. Lower level officers, however, appeared to
be at a loss as to how to react to the meeting.
The National Police Headquarters announced yesterday it did
not issue any permits for the gathering.
Abu Hasan said he did not need permits to hold the gathering
under the recently issued decree which abolished the requirements
for organizations to need gathering permits. The decree
stipulates that organizations have only to notify the authorities
of their plans.
Sources at the local police office told The Jakarta Post and
Kompas that they had just turned a blind eye to the proceedings,
even though there were a number of inconsistencies in Abu Hasan's
notification.
"If the meeting proceeds in a way which is consistent with the
organizer's application for permits, we'll just do this.." a
police officer said, gesturing to cover his eyes.
"This is not to say that there are no problems regarding
permits, but what can we do? We have instructions from our
superiors," he said, requesting anonymity.
In his letter of notification to the National Police
Headquarters, Abu Hasan said his group would hold a "grand
conference" with the intention to silaturahmi (strengthen)
brotherly ties. In it, the participants would only "pray and talk
about religious matters".
Abu Hasan also claimed that his group would not hold an
extraordinary congress.
As it turned out, however, the "grand conference with the
intention to strengthen brotherly ties" developed into a congress
from the outset. Abu Hasan opened the morning session himself,
and launched a critical speech of Abdurrahman's board.
Abu Hasan pointed out that his was not a rival board; it was,
instead, the legitimate board because Abdurrahman's board was
produced in a rigged election.
"It is now up to you all, whether you want to return to
(Abdurrahman's) board," he said to the NU ulemas, some of whom
admitted that they did not realize they had been invited to
Jakarta to establish a rival board.
"You decide," Abu Hasan said. "Remember the people. If you
refuse, then I'll probably go to heaven alone."
In the afternoon session, a number of unscheduled events, such
as the plenary session in which participants aired their
criticism about Abdurrahman's board, were held. This peaked in
the holding of the extraordinary congress in the evening.
Abu Hasan and the other organizers claimed that the number of
participants were enough to justify their quest to dissolve
Abdurrahman's board and change the organization's statutes.
Abu also criticized Abdurrahman for threatening to dismiss NU
members who attended the "grand conference" or the "extraordinary
congress". "His stance is really undemocratic, and does not
reflect ahlaqul karimah (good conduct)," Abu said.
The government has been giving conflicting parties within the
largest Moslem organization mixed signals. Soon after the 1994
congress, when Abu Hasan declared his opposition to Abdurrahman's
board, the government said the congress was not yet "finished".
More recently, however, some officials said Abdurrahman's
board was the legitimate one and that they could not tolerate Abu
Hasan if he "went too far" and established a rival board. (swe)
Editorial -- Page 4