Ulemas urge holiday during Ramadhan

BAGU, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): Indonesia's largest Moslem organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), concluded its national conference yesterday with a call for the government to, among others, declare the Moslem fasting month of Ramadhan a school holiday.

The ulemas also asked the government to manage the yearly haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in a transparent and professional manner.

The Rais Aam (chairman) of the syuriyah (lawmaking body), Ilyas Rukhiat, closed the gathering held here, some 17 kilometers east of Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara.

The ulemas also decided to reject the motion of Abdurrahman Wahid, the influential chairman of the organization's executive board, to hold a congress and leadership election next year instead of in 1999 as scheduled.

The conference, however, failed to decide who would host the 1999 congress. Five chapters have expressed interest in staging the politically important congress; they are East and Central Java, Lampung, South Kalimantan and South Sulawesi.

The decision disappointed leaders of the Yogyakarta chapter which supported an early congress. Chapter secretary Nuruddin Amin said the proposal to hold an early congress did not signify a wish to topple Abdurrahman.

He conceded, however, that the chapter wished to see Abdurrahman not as chairman of the executive board (known as tanfidzyah) but leader of the lawmaking body. Abdurrahman's critics have said that the prominent scholar and his activities often eclipse the lawmaking body.

The conference's taushiyah (recommendations), which were read out by the NU's deputy secretary-general, Arifin Junaedi, and senior ulema Cholil Bisri, included nine topics of discussion: religion; education; economy; politics; government; sociocultural; environment; human rights; and security and defense.

Religious affairs remained the main topic of the ulemas' discussion. They noted that people only understood religion as a ritual and separated it from other elements in their daily lives.

"No wonder a person who is diligent in performing his or her religious duties can keep on doing munkar (evil things)," Arifin, who took the first turn in reading out the recommendations, said.

The ulemas also cited what they alleged was mismanagement in the organization of the haj pilgrimage and the national education system.

They said the current education system stressed the transfer of science and technology at the expense of character building. The roles that family, society and the mosques used to play in the development of a person had been forgotten.

"We, therefore, ask the government to declare Ramadhan a national holiday," he said, "as it will give the students the opportunity to get closer to their families, society and their mosques."

Indonesian students used to spend the Ramadhan month at home before then minister of education Daoed Joesoef issued a decree in 1980 stating that Ramadhan was no longer a national holiday.

Distribution

The ulemas also said Indonesia's economic achievement had not led to the equal distribution of wealth.

"Only a small part of the nation enjoys the results of development, while the biggest part of the nation receives a small portion of it," he said, adding that the ulemas considered the state's economic policy only benefited those already strong.

They therefore called for the eradication of monopolistic practices.

"The eradication of monopolistic practices should be part of a national commitment and be established in a 1998/2003 decree of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)," Arifin said.

Cholil, who continued reading the ulemas' recommendation, said the NU supported the campaign to make the MPR general session next March a success.

However, the NU would not express support for any particular candidate in next year's presidential and vice presidential election. This statement was an anticlimax to earlier speculation that the NU, which forms an influential political base because of its 30 million followers, would openly support certain people for the next vice presidency. (imn/43)