NU, Muhammadiyah involvements in politics 'may weaken them'
Abdul Khalik/Nana Rukmana, Jakarta/Cirebon
Scholars warned on Tuesday that the candidacy of several top figures from Nahdatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah's endorsement of Amien Rais would have an adverse impact on the role of those organizations as pillars of civil society.
The Rector of the State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta Azyumardi Azra said that the candidacies of NU Chairman Hasyim Muzadi and Solahuddin Wahid as vice president, as well as Muhammadiyah's support of Amien's run for president, was unfortunate.
"Both organizations are major elements of civil society, which have a role as a check and balance mechanism on the government. This role could is effectively compromised if they are involved in power politics because they would be reluctant to criticize once their figures got elected," said Azyumardi.
He also said that these candidates could eventually try to use their position in the organizations to get as many votes as they could from their respective members.
Azyumardi added that several candidates from NU would also divide and confuse the grassroots members (nahdliyin) as these members would have to choose one of the figures.
"I think the conflict among NU grassroots supporters is unavoidable as the elite will try to influence nahdliyin to win their votes. Many Muhammadiyah members are scattered in several parties, which have their own choices other than Amien," he said.
Hasyim has decided to team up with Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) while Solahuddin, the brother of Abdurrahman Wahid, has been picked as the running mate of Gen (ret.) Wiranto of the Golkar Party.
In addition to those figures, Jusuf Kalla the vice presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, is also a key NU member. His father, the late Achmad Kalla, was elected as a member of House of Representatives from the NU Party in the 1955 election.
Azyumardi proposed that non-partisan Muslim figures, such as academicians and intellectuals, should keep on playing the role as a guardian of the process of the democracy in the country.
A noted scholar from NU, Lili Munir, expressed similar concerns regarding the candidacy of several NU figures saying that clerics were now busy discussing politics or supporting one of the candidates while neglecting the educational process in pesantren, the Islamic boarding schools.
"I am very shocked that they are becoming candidates. As a result, many more clerics are now getting involved in politics. They take sides with one of the candidates and often leave their pesantren. They will try to influence students to vote for their candidates too," Lili surmised.
She also complained that according to her experiences, many nahdliyin were confused about what candidates to vote for in the upcoming election, given the fact that all NU candidates were influential figures.
The NU friction became evident when the NU Youth Group (KMNU) demanded on Tuesday that both Hasyim and Solahuddin resign from their NU posts to keep the organization neutral as required by its 1926 declaration (khittah).
"Their resignations are necessary to keep NU from practical politics. We would, however, allow them to contest the vice presidency as individuals. That's why they have to resign so that they don't manipulate NU as an organization," said Nuruzzman, the chairman of KMNU.
Meanwhile, Muhammadiyah Chairman Achmad Syafii Maarif said that he had never endorsed Amien formally and that Muhammadiyah as an organization remained neutral.
"As proof, I did not attend the Amien-Siswono declaration ceremony on Sunday. Also, I never used the official Muhammadiyah letter head when announcing Amien's endorsement," said Syafii.
Amien, former Muhammadiyah chairman, announced on Sunday his vice presidential candidate Siswono Yudohusodo for the July 5 presidential election.