NU to begin conggress amid bickering
NU to begin conggress amid bickering
Blontank Poer and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta/Yogyakarta
The debate on involvement in politics seems likely to dominate
the upcoming 39th congress of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the
country's biggest Muslim group, to be opened in the Central Java
town of Surakarta by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on
Sunday.
To some extent, the race for the chairmanship and chief patron
posts during the congress will be a rerun of the rivalry between
elite groups within the organization during the presidential
election in July and the runoff election in September.
For many months now, the 40 million members of the
organization have been split between NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi,
who represents "structural" leaders, and Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid who, despite his absence from the election, orchestrated a
move against Hasyim along with informal but influential clerics.
One thorny issue for the around 5,000 participants expected at
the congress centers on how NU executives can be involved in
politics without dragging the institution into their power
struggles.
Despite its decision in 1984 to go back to its roots as a
sociocultural organization, some NU leaders, including Gus Dur
and Hasyim, have long been attracted to politics.
Gus Dur took the presidency in 1999 at the expense of Megawati
Soekarnoputri, while Hasyim contested this year's presidential
election as President Megawati's running mate.
NU deputy chairman Masdar F. Mas'udi said the NU was
originally a religious organization.
"NU does not practice politics through political parties. Its
politics are always aimed at improving public welfare and
protecting the process of nation-building," he said.
The organization turned to politics in 1945 when it joined
Masyumi, a leading Muslim-based party. Later in 1952, it broke
away from Masyumi and declared itself an independent political
party.
As a political party, the NU finished third in the country's
first ever general election in 1955.
Under the New Order regime, the NU was forced to merge with
other Islam-based parties to form the United Development Party
(PPP) in 1970.
At a landmark congress in 1984, the NU stepped back from
politics, although five years later in Yogyakarta, it decided
that involvement in politics was tolerable but should not affect
the organization's solidarity.
Following the fall of the New Order, the NU facilitated the
establishment of the National Awakening Party (PKB).
During its congress in 1999, the NU called on its followers to
vote for the PKB. This decision drew criticism from some NU
followers, which led to the establishment of other parties by NU
figures.
The PKB finished fourth in the 1999 election, the first
reasonably democratic one since 1955.
Under Hasyim, the NU adopted a new approach on how the
organization should respond should its leaders wish to contest
elections. Hasyim agreed to step aside temporarily, while another
NU executive running in the presidential election, Solahuddin
Wahid, opted to relinquish his post.
Blontank Poer and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta/Yogyakarta
The debate on involvement in politics seems likely to dominate
the upcoming 39th congress of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the
country's biggest Muslim group, to be opened in the Central Java
town of Surakarta by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on
Sunday.
To some extent, the race for the chairmanship and chief patron
posts during the congress will be a rerun of the rivalry between
elite groups within the organization during the presidential
election in July and the runoff election in September.
For many months now, the 40 million members of the
organization have been split between NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi,
who represents "structural" leaders, and Abdurrahman "Gus Dur"
Wahid who, despite his absence from the election, orchestrated a
move against Hasyim along with informal but influential clerics.
One thorny issue for the around 5,000 participants expected at
the congress centers on how NU executives can be involved in
politics without dragging the institution into their power
struggles.
Despite its decision in 1984 to go back to its roots as a
sociocultural organization, some NU leaders, including Gus Dur
and Hasyim, have long been attracted to politics.
Gus Dur took the presidency in 1999 at the expense of Megawati
Soekarnoputri, while Hasyim contested this year's presidential
election as President Megawati's running mate.
NU deputy chairman Masdar F. Mas'udi said the NU was
originally a religious organization.
"NU does not practice politics through political parties. Its
politics are always aimed at improving public welfare and
protecting the process of nation-building," he said.
The organization turned to politics in 1945 when it joined
Masyumi, a leading Muslim-based party. Later in 1952, it broke
away from Masyumi and declared itself an independent political
party.
As a political party, the NU finished third in the country's
first ever general election in 1955.
Under the New Order regime, the NU was forced to merge with
other Islam-based parties to form the United Development Party
(PPP) in 1970.
At a landmark congress in 1984, the NU stepped back from
politics, although five years later in Yogyakarta, it decided
that involvement in politics was tolerable but should not affect
the organization's solidarity.
Following the fall of the New Order, the NU facilitated the
establishment of the National Awakening Party (PKB).
During its congress in 1999, the NU called on its followers to
vote for the PKB. This decision drew criticism from some NU
followers, which led to the establishment of other parties by NU
figures.
The PKB finished fourth in the 1999 election, the first
reasonably democratic one since 1955.
Under Hasyim, the NU adopted a new approach on how the
organization should respond should its leaders wish to contest
elections. Hasyim agreed to step aside temporarily, while another
NU executive running in the presidential election, Solahuddin
Wahid, opted to relinquish his post.