Prabowo Quips: To Learn Politics, One Must Learn from NU!

President Prabowo Subianto has stated that many prominent figures and leaders from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) serve as officials in the Red and White Cabinet. He quipped that if one wants to learn politics, one must learn from NU.

This was conveyed by Prabowo while attending the closing ceremony of the NU National Conference (Munas) and Grand Conference (Konbes) in Bangkalan, East Java, on Tuesday, 23 June 2026.

Prabowo initially greeted several ministers present at the event. They included Social Affairs Minister and PBNU Secretary-General Saifullah Yusuf, Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Nusron Wahid, and Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifah Choiri Fauzi. These three ministers are known to be NU cadres.

“ATR Minister Mr Nusron Wahid, PPPA Minister and Chairwoman of PP Muslimat NU Ms Arifah Choiri Fauzi. This Red and White Cabinet has a lot of NU members, yes,” Prabowo remarked.

Prabowo then praised the religious organisation for having its cadres spread everywhere. He subsequently joked that if one wants to learn politics, one can learn through NU.

“NU is indeed great, always present everywhere. NU is present in all parties. So, NU never loses. Great, great. If you want to learn politics, you actually have to learn from NU,” he said.

On the occasion, Prabowo said NU is a religious organisation that upholds the values of nationalism and patriotism.

“And there is also one characteristic that I have long observed, that Nahdlatul Ulama is indeed a religious organisation,” Prabowo stated.

“But it is very nationalist, very patriotic, and deeply loves the homeland. So it is religious, yet nationalist and patriotic. To the extent that NU’s anthem, written or composed before Indonesia’s independence, already contained extraordinary love for the homeland. And this is still maintained,” he continued.