Prabowo: NU and Muhammadiyah Are Tremendous National Assets

President Prabowo Subianto has affirmed that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah are tremendous national assets. He made the remarks at the opening of NU’s 35th Muktamar in Tambakberas, Jombang Regency, East Java, on Thursday, 27 August 2026.

Prabowo stressed that he would not have been able to become President of Indonesia without the support of NU and Muhammadiyah.

“Nahdlatul Ulama is a tremendous national asset. The same goes for Muhammadiyah. So, as President, as the people’s mandate holder, it is clear that without the support of NU and Muhammadiyah, I could not have become the people’s mandate holder,” Prabowo said.

The Head of State also described NU as a historic institution that has rendered great service to Indonesia’s struggle for independence.

“Nahdlatul Ulama is a historic institution that has made an enormous contribution to the struggle for the independence of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.

He noted that one of the clearest and most tangible pieces of evidence of NU’s service to Indonesia’s independence struggle is the song “Syubbanul Wathan” or “Ya Lal Wathan”. The song, he said, embodies a spirit of love for the homeland and nationalism.

“The clear evidence is the song Syubbanul Wathan, which has now become the anthem of Nahdlatul Ulama. This song can be described as a patriotic song, a national song, a song created by a religious group, but its spirit is one of extraordinary love for the homeland and nationalism,” he said.

Interestingly, the song was composed by one of NU’s founders, Kiai Wahab Hasbullah, in 1934. It was therefore written more than a decade before Indonesia gained independence.

“At that time, we did not yet know what form the proclaimed state would take; even its name was not yet clear. But religious leaders dared to compose such a patriotic and nationalist song. More than a decade before the proclamation of independence, this song already existed,” he asserted.