Our hope for NU
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.