Our hope for NU

The outcome of the four-day congress of the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which is scheduled to be opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Sunday, will not only determine the future direction of the organization and the well-being of its 40-million members, but will also strongly influence the nation as a whole and the development of Islam in general.

NU has become a strong model for moderate, inclusive and pluralistic Islam, and in the midst of ongoing acts of terrorism that misuse the word Islam, people's expectations of NU are also higher. When terrorists attacked U.S. cities on Sept. 11, 2001, and then bombed Bali one year later, the voices of NU leaders very much helped in calming people down.

Hopefully, when the NU congress meets to elect a new leadership, congress participants will always bear in mind people's high expectation of them in resolving conflicts and problems. The future of the nation is put at risk whenever they fail to make wise decisions. Pursuing short-term political interests can be a big temptation for NU elites.

Along with the other major Muslim social organization, the more progressive Muhammadiyah, NU has played a crucial role in national life from earliest times, especially during Indonesia's fight for independence. Since the country's independence in 1945 until now, these two organizations have become strong representations of Islam both domestically and internationally.

Over the past 20 years, NU has been able to transform itself from its traditional and rural roots to become a more modern organization, and this is evidenced in the rising prominence of more highly-educated people within the organization. Although even now the majority of NU members are farmers and ordinary people, they have also undergone positive development that has benefited their welfare.

The role of Abdurrahman Wahid ("Gus Dur"), the grandson of the co-founding father of NU, Hasyim Ashari, has been decisive in modernizing the organization since his election as NU chairman, 1984-1999. The organization, which has strong base in East Java and Central Java, was committed to a return to khittah (basic) as a purely social and religious organization, distancing itself from the politics of the Soeharto era.

However, when Soeharto's regime collapsed in 1998, NU was tempted to return to politics. It established the National Awakening Party (PKB) that later became the fourth largest political party in the 1999 legislative election. Many NU members, however, also joined other political parties, and this affected the unity of the organization.

The practically-blind Gus Dur was selected as president by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 1999, and Hasyim Muzadi replaced him as chairman of NU. When the Assembly sacked Gus Dur in 2001 due to his perceived incompetence, NU could not completely distance itself from his fall. The previous president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, enticed Hasyim into becoming her running mate in the recent presidential election.

Despite their denials, it is clear now that NU finds it very difficult to distance itself from the political interests and ambitions of its organizational elites. NU's huge membership has always been a magnet for outside political forces. The organization's future may be threatened if NU can not resist temptations to engage itself in practical politics.

It can only be hoped that during this congress NU leaders will give priority the interests of the majority of NU members and to the nation, above everything else. Divergences of views and even conflicts are quite common within this organization, however they more often than not succeed in overcoming their differences.

NU, the pride of the nation, will hopefully not disappoint its grass-root supporters and also the nation. It is hoped that the congress will be conducted in the spirit of Islam and thus be a success.