PKB the only NU political link

JAKARTA: National Awakening Party (PKB) patron Abdurrahman Wahid asked on Wednesday that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) members channel their political energy to the party.

Underlining the fact that PKB was established by NU figures, including himself, to accommodate the political aspirations of members of the country's largest Muslim organization, Abdurrahman said it was logical that NU used PKB as its political vehicle.

"It is true that PKB must follow NU directives, but NU members should also perceive PKB as their political vehicle," the former president and NU chairman said in Surabaya.

Major political parties such as Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) have been eying NU leaders as running mates for their respective presidential candidates,

NU boasts 40 million supporters.

Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, was dismissed as president in July 2001. --Antara