Prabowo: Political Lessons Should Be Learned from Nahdlatul Ulama

President Prabowo Subianto joked that the Islamic mass organisation Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) should be a place to learn about politics. The Head of State made the remarks while attending the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nahdlatul Ulama National Alim Ulama Conference and Grand Conference. Prabowo began his address by greeting members of his Red and White Cabinet, noting the significant presence of NU figures, including Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, who also serves as Secretary General of the NU Executive Board, and Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, who chairs the central board of Muslimat NU. Also present were Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Nusron Wahid and Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar, both prominent NU figures. ‘There are so many from NU in the Red and White Cabinet,’ Prabowo remarked at the Syaichona Mohammad Cholil Islamic Institute in Bangkalan, East Java, on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, as broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel. The Gerindra Party chairman then praised the prowess of the religious organisation, noting that NU cadres are everywhere. Prabowo quipped that everyone should learn politics from NU. ‘NU is great. It is always everywhere. In every party, NU is present. So NU never loses. It’s great. Actually, we should learn politics from NU,’ Prabowo said with a laugh. In his speech, Prabowo also claimed that he always feels comfortable being among the NU extended family. ‘Comfortable and safe, I feel safe. The welcome is so great for me,’ he said. Prabowo recounted that he has known NU since he was young, mentioning that he was once neighbours with Indonesia’s fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur, in Jakarta. Gus Dur was the grandson of NU’s founder and led the organisation from 1984 to 1999.