Put Muhammadiyah and NU back on track

Put Muhammadiyah and NU back on track

Imam Cahyono, Jakarta

Following on Nahdlatul Ulama's (NU) 31st congress (Muktamar)
in Boyolali, Central Java, Muhammadiyah will hold their 45th
congress in Malang, East Java, on July 2005. Although they are
quite different Islamic organizations, many of the crucial
problems facing them are similar. In their respective
congresses, these two giant Indonesian Muslim organizations can
not absent themselves from discussion in relation to practical
politics.

In fact, both NU and Muhammadiyah are not political
organizations or parties, but separating them from politics is
quite impossible. This happens because they are truly owned by
the masses. Politics was, of course, very much part of the
Boyolali congress. Besides debate about leadership, the Boyolali
congress was also filled with discussion about the relationship
between NU and the National Awakening Party (PKB). In the same
manner, the next Muhammadiyah congress will also engage in
dialogue over its relationship with the National Mandate Party
(PAN) and ideas about a new alternative party.

It is important to note that one of the important results of
the Boyolali congress was the decision to distance NU from
"practical politics". Hasyim Muzadi, newly re-elected General
Chairman of the NU Executive Board (PBNU), has had to sign a
contract pledging that he will not involve NU in political
activities. After signing the contract, he promised that he
would not take an interest in legislative or executive government
positions.

This means that NU will be run according to its Guiding
Principles (Khittah) of 1926 that were written when the
organization was founded. The organization will go back to being
an exclusively religious body. With its 40 million followers, NU
will mostly act as a social and religious organization.
Actually, this very same policy was agreed to at NU's congress
held in Situbondo in 1984, but it was not implemented
consistently.

The collapse of the Soeharto-led New Order (Orde Baru) in 1998
caused Indonesia to enter -- as one scholar called it -- an era
of political liberation and euphoria. The reformation era
(reformasi) was used by Muhammadiyah for the first time to build
a political party, PAN.

The fall of the Soeharto regime caused NU to change direction.
The policy of staying out of politics as outlined in the Guiding
Principles of 1926 was adjusted. Abdurrahman Wahid, better known
as Gus Dur, and a number of elite Kiai (Islamic scholar) and NU
politicians founded the PKB. Politics became a new field which
captured the interest of many NU followers.

Under Gus Dur's leadership, NU tended to get dragged into
politics. Hasyim Muzadi also took the organization in the
direction of practical politics, accepting a nomination in the
last general election to run as the vice presidential running
mate of Megawati Soekarnoputri, leader of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

So, will he honor the contract? Taking a look at the long
history of this organization, which was founded by Hasyim
Asy'ari, anything could happen. The promises spelled out in the
contract could quite easily be broken.

On the other hand, sections of Muhammadiyah have put forward
the idea of establishing a new political party. The national
meeting (Tanwir) III of Muhammadiyah was held in Mataram, West
Nusa Tenggara, on Dec. 2-5, and recommended bringing this idea to
Muhammadiyah's congress next year.

According to its supporters, there are many reasons to build
an alternative party. First, there is no positive mutual
relationship between Muhammadiyah and PAN. Second, the desire of
Amien Rais to take a rest from his top position as Chairman of
PAN means that Muhammadiyah cadre are no longer represented in
this party. Muhammadiyah is disappointed because PAN is now
dominated by non-Muhammadiyah cadres who have no roots in their
organization. Hence, PAN no longer has an emotional attachment
to Muhammadiyah. Third, PAN cannot claim a mandate from its
supporters as a political channel of Muhammadiyah masses. In
other words, PAN cannot accommodate people's aspirations.
Certainly, PAN is not Muhammadiyah's party, but history has shown
that the largest of constituent base of this party were
Muhammadiyah masses.

The relationship between NU and Muhammadiyah with practical
politics is important and needs to be criticized. Following the
political liberation era, both NU and Muhammadiyah have been
exploited as objects of manipulation and politicization for
short-term political interests. These social-religious
organizations have been used by elites to obtain political power.
Of course, it is dangerous to democratic agendas.

NU and Muhammadiyah, as vital pillars of Indonesian civil
society, must make a political disengagement that distances them
from practical politics. It does not mean that they ignore
politics. But it must be understood that these organizations
should not get involved in -- and must keep their distance from
-- day to day politics.

Thus, it is high time that NU makes a definitive return to its
Guiding Principles of 1926. NU should not be tied to any
particular political party. NU must keep an equal distance from
all parties. It is time for the new chairman to run NU without
getting involved in politics.

Also, it is time for Muhammadiyah to get back its true purpose
as an organization. The fundamental character of Muhammadiyah
since 1912, when it was founded by Ahmad Dahlan, is as a
religious and social movement. Its main concerns and targets have
been community development. From the era of Dutch colonialism to
the period of national independence consisting of three
subsequent regimes, namely the Old Order (Orde Lama), the New
Order (Orde Baru) and the Order of Reformation (Reformasi),
Muhammadiyah has firmly maintained the original vision of the
organization and has consistently pursued this basic concern.

If Muhammadiyah wants to operate consistently as a religious
and social movement, then it must not take the political path by
establishing a political party. It could happen that its
important social activities would be depreciated. Besides,
politics gives rise to conflicts and short-term political
interests.

In short, both NU and Muhammadiyah must return to being purely
religious and social movements, promoting national integration,
and providing tolerant, open-minded, pluralistic and moderate
Islamic teachings. NU and Muhammadiyah, as Islamic NGOs, and as
important elements of Indonesian civil society, must continue to
make consistent efforts to embed the values of civil society and
civic virtues by concentrating on the social and cultural aspects
of politics rather than on the dimension of power politics. The
Indonesian public requires their role in the dynamic processes of
democratization and the empowerment of people in this country.
So, NU and Muhammadiyah must be put back on track as religious
and social organizations, not as Trojan horses for power elites.

The writer is a researcher at Al Maun Foundation, an activist
of the Muhammadiyah Scholars Network (JIMM), and also lecturer at
the Faculty of Da'wa and Communication, Syarif Hidayatullah State
Islamic University, Jakarta. He can be reached at
icahyo17@yahoo.com.