PBNU commits to supporting government programmes through human development

The General Chairman of the Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), KH Abdul Hakim Mahfudz (Gus Kikin), has committed to supporting the programmes of the Republic of Indonesia by focusing on human development.

“We will always support government programmes, but NU focuses more on developing people; we build human quality within NU so that the quality of the people is excellent, and together with the government, we support these programmes,” said Gus Kikin when met following the Global International Holistic Education Summit (GIHES) organised by the University of Darussalam (UNIDA) Gontor in Jakarta on Saturday.

He also responded to recent forest and land fires, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes that have struck Indonesia. As a humanitarian, Gus Kikin emphasised the importance of working together to assist victims.

“What we can do, when disasters occur and there are many victims, is to participate in helping. However, NU maintains a vertical communication with God, hablum minallah, so we also pray for prevention and strive to ensure such disasters do not occur frequently,” he said.

“Building humanity means building softness of heart. As long as people maintain a soft heart, the prevalence of demonstrations and crimes will decrease; we must work on this together. Everyone has a responsibility to strive so that we can bring heart into every step we take,” he explained.

Gus Kikin also elaborated on PBNU’s future programmes, which will return to the teachings of the Qanun Asasi, emphasising unity and brotherhood. In its second century, NU aims to mobilise its social strength once again.

“We will revisit the Qanun Asasi together, study it individually, and then apply it. This may differ from previous NU administrations because NU is very inclusive, focusing on how we build togetherness,” he added.