NU, Muhammadiyah involvements in politics 'may weaken them'

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.