NU to potent force in future: Experts

KEDIRI, East Java (JP): Local and foreign observers attending the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) congress here predicted that the organization would be a force to be reckoned with in national politics for the next five years, due to the fact that its outgoing chairman Abdurrahman Wahid is president.

The presence of several foreign observers in itself denotes the added importance of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization.

They were of the common view that despite pledges not to exploit it, Abdurrahman's ascendency remained a decisive factor that would allow NU to exert influence in politics.

Dutch political scientist Martin van Bruinessen said here on Monday that NU will become an interesting phenomenon to observe.

"The election of Gus Dur as president has brought many changes to the organization ... NU (now) appears to be a powerful organization," he said, referring to Abudrrahman by his popular name.

He predicted that NU would have strong bargaining powers with political organizations and the government.

"More and more NU figures are expected to enter the business sector," he said, adding that NU figures were also abundant in strategic state positions.

Mitsuo Nakumura, a professor at the University of Chiba in Japan, said even if at first there may be reluctance, the mere presence of NU members in political parties would mean NU would exert influence in government policy.

Nevertheless, both Martin and Nakamura expressed confidence NU would maintain some distance from the government.

They stressed it would be crucial for NU not to develop a personality cult around its former chairman.

French observer Andre Fielard said the fruits of Abdurrahman's style of leadership while chairman would see that NU's ability to be critical of the government continues.

"This is a consequence of the liberal way of thinking introduced by Gus Dur during his 15-year leadership of the organization," she said.

NU is currently holding its 30th national congress at the Lirboyo Pondok Pesantren (Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School). One of the primary agendas is to elect an executive for the 35- million people strong organization.

Election

During a plenary session on Monday, delegates agreed that the three top posts in the organization's executive board for the 1999-2004 period would be chosen via an election.

The plenary session, presided over by Abdul Wahid Zaini, director of the Islamic Boarding School in Paiton, Probolinggo, agreed the next chairman of the legal matters (Aam Suriyah) department, his deputy chairman and the NU chairman will be directly elected by the congress on Thursday.

" The Rais Aam (chairman of the legal matters department) and his deputy will be first elected directly by the congress. After that, NU chairman will be elected by the congress after nominated candidates have won support from the newly elected Rais Aam and his deputy," Zaini said, referring to the organization's statute book.

He said the congress will also appoint four NU figures to help the NU chairman and the Rais Aam and his deputy in forming an executive board.

The congress also agreed to use a method whereby each of the organization's 306 branches would each get one vote. This is a departure from the one delegate, one vote method in the 1994 congress which reelected Abddurahman for his third term.

During the current congress each of the 306 branches has been allotted five delegates.

Meanwhile in the accountability speech, Sahal Mahfud representing the outgoing executive board, conceded that it had failed in several programs but had helped to calm down a series of violent incidents that had occurred over the last five years.

"Despite some progress, we have to admit our failures because we could not fully carry out the organization's programs outside of Java," he said.

He said the executive board were deeply concerned over the rioting and killing sprees that occurred in numerous towns in East Java last year that claimed hundreds of lives.

He however said NU was satisfied with June 7 general election and the success of the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

All NU branches accepted the outgoing executive board's accountability with reservations, saying NU under the next executive board should play a more proactive role in carrying out the organization's program, for the sake of Muslims and the nation.(nur/rms)