NU leaders banned from taking side
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.