Observer hopes for healthy competition at 2026 NU Congress

Director of Indonesian Political Parameters Adi Prayitno has expressed hope that competition at the 2026 Nahdlatul Ulama Congress will be conducted in a healthy manner and free from transactional politics.

“Of course we hope, from the bottom of our hearts, for healthy and fair competition,” Adi said during a discussion titled “Stop Transactional Politics at the NU Congress” in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to him, healthy competition free from transactional politics is important to safeguard NU’s standing in the future.

“For me, it is as simple as that, which will then make NU’s dignity increasingly solid in the years to come,” he said.

“If the issue of money politics, of bisyarah, of party transactions, the public may consider it something ordinary. However, if this occurs within a socio-religious organisation, and this is the largest Islamic organisation, it is certainly rather ironic,” he added.

He reminded NU that it should focus on the interests of the community and not be oriented towards power struggles.

“If NU becomes somewhat meddlesome and flirtatious with matters outside religion, social affairs and the community, such as politics, then NU might as well become a political party. Its orientation towards power would be clear and more open,” he said.

He stated that candidates for the chairmanship of the NU Executive Board (PBNU) should at least meet three criteria: understanding the future of NU and Indonesia, possessing vision and ideas, and being able to orchestrate all the resources that NU has.

The 2026 NU Congress is scheduled to take place at the Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas Islamic Boarding School in Jombang, East Java, from 27 to 31 August 2026.