NU striving to modernize organization

TASIKMALAYA, West Java (JP): Thousands of Moslem leaders in Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) are trying to bring the organization up to date by holding discussions on contemporary issues.

In the fourth day of its 29th congress here yesterday, participating ulemas debated such matters as the relationship between religion and the state, environmental degradation and Islam's stance on scientific advancement.

The commission in charge of discussing scientific advancement, for instance, agreed to issue an edict which prohibits surrogate motherhood and to allow the use of animal organs, such as pig livers and heart valves, for organ transplants in "emergency states".

Despite the controversial nature of the issues, discussions yesterday went smoothly since much had already been debated in preliminary meetings.

For issues not covered by the ulemas'kitab kuning (literally yellow book), reference books on religious laws established by great ulemas centuries ago, the commission invited comments from experts.

Dr. Mohammad Thohir, director of Moslem Hospital in Surabaya, and Dr. Suryanto, an expert on genetic engineering, also based in Surabaya, were invited to provide explanations to the ulemas.

On environmental issues, the representative from Central Java provincial branch called for review of the government's plan to build nuclear plants in the province.

"The planned plant does not promise real benefits for the public," the representative said. "Taking examples from other countries, nuclear power presents more threats of environmental damage."

Agreed

The commission in charge of discussing those contemporary issues agreed that environmental problems are not only political and economical in nature, but a "theological issue" as well.

Attention and efforts to prevent environmental damage, the commission agreed, should be seen as religious edicts to be observed by Moslems, either individually or collectively.

Another commission, in charge of NU programs in the coming five years, agreed to increase efforts to improve human resource development. It plans to set up, among other projects, leadership training programs, libraries and financial assistance for small enterprises.

These efforts to be responsive to contemporary issues, according to some observers, are what the organization needs in order to strengthen itself and inspire greater loyalty among its members.

Kacung Marijan from the Airlangga University in Surabaya, Dutch-expert Dr. Martin Van Bruinessen, and Abdul Azis from NU, all believe that the emerging younger intellectuals will be the organization's driving force.

"Ideally, NU also needs to establish a solid organizational structure so that it can thrive, no matter who is at its helm," Kacung said.

Van Bruinessen said in a discussion Saturday that a process of "secularization" is forcing the organization to deal with issues previously uncovered.

"The Kyai (the Moslem leader) used to be placed at a very exalted place..now, there are university graduates who are more informed than those kyai," he said.

The great numbers of NU, 34 million members, mostly farmers in rural areas, can no longer be protected by the kyai from the onslaught of new information. "These farmers do not first transform from rural citizens into a urban society citizens, but go directly towards being a world citizen because of parabola disks," he said.

In such situations, Van Bruinessen said, the organization needs to have "political" characteristics, in the sense of representing the interests of its masses more effectively.

Abdul Azis, however, believed that NU leaders have to deal with resistance from its members who want to cling to old patterns and programs.

Kacung seconded Azis' opinion, saying that the younger members of NU will help bring the organization more up to date, but that the whole organization has to figure out how to deal with the resistance.

"Those farmers in the rural areas are usually the ones left behind by leaders with too sophisticated ideas," he told The Jakarta Post.

"Which is why I support the organization's decision to return to Khittah, its original mission as a social and religious movement," he said.

The organization should act more like a moral force and not be attached to any political groupings. A ramification of this decision, however, is that NU should strive to be more independent financially to enable it to fend off party interests in turning its millions of members into a power base.

Without improvement of its economic potential, Azis said, NU may eventually lose direction and also the trust of its followers. (swe/pet/wahyu muryadi)