PKB and Ulama Discuss Four Strategic Issues Ahead of 28th Anniversary
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Awakening Party (PKB) together with a number of Islamic scholars discussed four strategic issues at the Ijtima’ Ulama Indonesia gathering ahead of the peak event marking the party’s 28th anniversary (Harlah).
“There are four main strategic issues that we discussed. Firstly, the dynamics of national, state and community life,” said Saifullah Ma’shum, Secretary of the PKB Central Executive Board’s Syura Council, after attending the event in Jakarta on Thursday.
He explained that the first issue involved PKB and the ulama discussing the direction of development as well as the state of politics and democracy in the country. The second issue, he said, related to the economy.
According to him, PKB and the scholars view the economic policies of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s administration as being in line with the constitution, prioritising community empowerment.
“However, we criticise the fact that there are still problems in their implementation, particularly in governance and the preparation or readiness of human resources, which have not been properly prepared, so that deviations, distortions and inconsistencies with what the President has planned occur here and there,” he said.
As a result, he said the forum urged that evaluations be carried out and that constant oversight of government programmes is necessary.
“Because these are major programmes involving large budget allocations and with enormous socio-economic effects. Therefore, space must be opened as widely as possible for public participation, evaluation, monitoring and supervision,” he said.
On the third issue, he said the forum highlighted educational practices in the country, particularly at pondok pesantren (Islamic boarding schools).
“Recently, pesantren have received various negative stigmas from people who do not understand them, to the extent that public enthusiasm for sending their children to pesantren has declined,” he said.
He also said the forum agreed on the need to increase funding for pesantren from the 20 per cent allocation of the education budget.
“Fourthly, there is the issue and discussion of the planned NU congress in Jombang in the near future,” he said.
Specifically, Maman Imanul Haq, Deputy Secretary of the PKB Central Executive Board’s Syura Council, explained that the forum recommended that the forthcoming Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) act as a locomotive of civil society organisations, providing constructive criticism to the government, accompanying the community in economic empowerment, and improving the quality of education.
“For that reason, the Ijtima’ Ulama requests that the congress in Jombang be one that is genuinely far from transactional practices, far from practices that merely exploit the NU branch boards (PCNU).”
He also said the forum asked that this year’s PBNU Congress involve many parties and provide opportunities for young people to help redefine NU’s role going forward.