The NU congress

Today, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is scheduled to start its congress in Tasikmalaya, West Java. Without a doubt, it is one of the year's most important political events and one of the most interesting to watch.

What makes the event interesting is not only the fact that NU, with a following of an estimated 30 million, is the biggest non- governmental organization in this country. No less interesting is watching to see how this organization will set out its future course and elect its leaders free of the government's intervention. In other words, its current meeting is a test for Indonesian democracy.

Up to about a decade ago there was no shortage of people who mocked the Nahdlatul Ulama for its apparent passiveness. Its initial letters, NU, were said to stand for the Javanese phrase nunut urip, which roughly means to passively follow in someone's footsteps simply to continue to survive.

Obviously, this was a reference to the organization's perceived inclination to support government policies in order to ensure its political survival. There seems to be some truth in this perception, judging by the way in which NU's policies in the past were always in conformity with those of the government.

However, things started to change in 1984, when NU adopted the Khittah of 1926, or basic guidelines, which stressed the organization's determination to stay away from practical politics. In that year, NU elected Abdurrahman Wahid, who is popularly known as Gus Dur, as its chairman.

It has been under the leadership of Gus Dur that NU has changed its image of docility and turned into an organization that can be truly called independent. What is more, under Gus Dur's leadership NU has managed not only to maintain this independence, but even to enlarge on it. It is under his steering that people, including the government, have begun to realize NU's real and enormous potential.

A controversial figure, Abdurrahman Wahid is widely known, not only for his intellectual capabilities, but also for his democratic ideas. He was one of the first Moslem leaders in this country to draw a line between religion and politics, stating that there was no concept of an Islamic state in Islam. His Forum Demokrasi, a small but influential group, has shown its commitment towards speeding up the nation's democratization process.

In past years, Gus Dur's outspokenness often offended many people, including government officials, and sometimes even confused NU members. His popularity among the public at large and his impeccable family background as a grandson of NU's founder, however, has so far ensured his political survival.

Weeks before the present congress, rumors began circulating that the government would prefer someone else to lead NU. Some newspapers even reported that certain NU branches have been pressured not to re-elect Gus Dur. Still, Gus Dur's position seemed unaffected by those pressures. Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono's reported statement the other day, hinting that Gus Dur still had a chance of retaining his position, was in fact an important message that the government has no objection to the re- election of Gus Dur.

We believe, however, that all of this will not stop other parties from trying to stop or challenge Gus Dur. Yet, barring any unexpected developments, it is likely that Gus Dur will be re-elected as NU executive chairman for another five-year term in office.

With NU remaining under the helmsmanship of so colorful and genial a figure as Gus Dur, we can expect that politics in the foreseeable future will not be too dull in this country. Gus Dur's re-election also could help push forward the democratization process in this country. Besides, as one expert observed, NU under the leadership of Gus Dur may help to improve the image of Islam in Indonesia and in the world.