NU leaders banned from taking side
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Acting chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Masdar F. Masoedi has prohibited all NU leaders, including those of affiliated bodies, from making statements supporting any presidential or vice presidential candidates in the upcoming election.
He also told NU leaders on Monday that they could not be active in the organization as soon as they were officially registered as campaign team members of presidential candidates.
"Leaders of NU and autonomous bodies (under NU) are not allowed to issue statements supporting presidential or vice presidential candidates on behalf of the organization. Leaders who have officially become campaign team members have to be non- active," Masdar was quoted by Antara as saying in Jakarta on Monday.
Masdar was appointed acting chairman of NU, the country's largest Muslim organization, replacing Hasyim Muzadi, who was declared non-active by NU's Syuriah Council following his decision to be Megawati Soekarnoputri's running mate in the July 5 presidential election.
The decision was taken during a meeting of NU's Syuriah Council in the Central Java town of Rembang.
The meeting was attended by the deputy chairman of NU's board of patrons Fachrudin Masturo, adviser Mustofa Bisri and members Fuad Hasyim, Said Agil Siradj Al Munawar, Thohal Hasan, Masdar, Manarul Hidayat, Fahri Toha and Chotibul Umam Wiranu.
The decision to suspend Hasyim and other NU leaders who are involved in the presidential campaign was made to maintain the neutrality of NU, which has around 40 million members across the country.
Said Agil, who is also the religious affairs minister, and NU deputy chairman Ahmad Bagja must agree to be non-active to meet the ruling as they are officially registered as members of the campaign management for Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim.
Masdar said the ban applied to leaders of NU and autonomous bodies under the organization, including Ansor, Muslimat, IPNU, IPPNU, and Lakpesdam NU, from their central boards down to the grassroots level.
He stressed that NU would not issue a political edict as suggested by a number of NU leaders, saying that NU had decided not to support or reject any presidential and vice presidential candidates in the upcoming election.
Aside from Hasyim, NU leader Solahuddin Wahid, the younger brother of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, is also eying the vice presidential post under Golkar, which has selected Gen. (ret) Wiranto as its standard bearer. Solahuddin had earlier resigned voluntarily from his post in NU.
Another NU member, Jusuf Kalla, is also vying for the post under the Democratic Party, which has chosen Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as its presidential candidate.
The National Awakening Party (PKB), which was established by NU leaders ahead of the 1999 election, has also nominated Gus Dur as its presidential candidate. His candidacy, however, is now in doubt due to his visual impairment.
Separately, the NU board in East Kalimantan declared its support for Hasyim.
Chairman Rusli explained that the decision to support Hasyim, instead of others from NU, was supported by its members in the province.
In Semarang, dozens of supporters of Gus Dur called on NU leaders to stay away from politics as decided by the organization in 1926.
Several protesters visited the General Elections Commission (KPU) in Surabaya to encourage it to allow Gus Dur to join the presidential race.