Tension Erupts During NU National Conference Plenary Session Over Muktamar Venue

A plenary session to determine the location of the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muktamar was marred by tension among participants on Monday (22/6). Despite the commotion, no official decision has been reached regarding the host for the largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia’s major event. The incident occurred during the 2026 NU National Conference of Religious Scholars and Grand Conference (Munas-Konbes) at the Al-Falah Ploso Islamic Boarding School in Kediri Regency. Several participants reacted strongly after a perception spread that the Muktamar venue had been decided in favour of the Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School, even though the forum had not yet made any decision. The tension escalated into pushing and shoving, forcing security personnel to restrain several participants before the session resumed. Rais Syuriyah of PBNU East Kalimantan, Muhammad Ali Kholil, stated that the situation was merely a misunderstanding. ‘It was just a misunderstanding about the Muktamar venue being immediately decided for Lirboyo. In fact, it has not been decided yet, because this will still be discussed internally within PBNU,’ Ali said after the session. At least five regions have proposed themselves as hosts: East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, West Java, DKI Jakarta, and West Sumatra. The forum only stipulated one main requirement: the location must be within an Islamic boarding school environment that has active students. ‘It is not final. Many want the Muktamar venue to be in NTB, West Java, Jakarta, and also West Sumatra. However, the directive was that the location must be at a boarding school that has its own students,’ he said. Secretary of the 2026 Munas and Konbes NU Steering Committee, KH Muhammad Nuh, stated that PBNU will now form a special team to review and assess all candidate locations. He mentioned that the assessment covers four aspects: suitability of facilities and infrastructure, security, financial readiness, and spiritual considerations. ‘There are already several proposed locations, from NTB, East Java, West Java, and West Sumatra. We will immediately form a team to review these places,’ Nuh said. Regarding the spiritual aspect, the former Minister of Education and Culture emphasised that this has never been absent from any strategic decision of NU. ‘NU always ultimately uses spiritual considerations, including when it designated the Al-Falah Ploso Islamic Boarding School as the venue for the 2026 NU Munas and Konbes,’ he explained. Meanwhile, the 35th NU Muktamar itself is scheduled to take place from 1 to 5 August 2026.