NU leaders cannot hold political posts

Makassar, NU Online
In an apparent show of commitment to staying away from politics, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) approved on Friday an amendment of its statute that bans its executives from holding political posts.

As reported by The Jakarta Post, the decision came only after an acrimonious debate, particularly because the old statute did not prohibit NU executives from involvement in practical politics but asked them to be non-active. Under the old statute, NU leaders could contest elections provided that they temporarily vacated their posts which they could reclaim if they lost in the polls.
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“Okay, we agree to accept the ban,” KH Hafidz Usman, who presided over the meeting, told the participants as he banged the gavel.
 
The amendment had been proposed by representatives of NU provincial chapters in Central Java and East Java. They were met with an opposition from Jakarta and West Java chapters which desired no changes to the policy.
 
“We can no longer drag this organization into practical politics. We have seen many NU branches nationwide break into pieces because their leaders contest elections,” Nur Hidayat, the vice secretary of NU East Java branch, said.
 
He said that if the statute remained unchanged, many politicians would vie for top posts at NU regional chapters only to gain significant political bargaining power. “Everybody knows that NU members are a lot, and this is a great potential for politicians,” he said.
 
Representative from Jakarta insisted that despite his position as the Jakarta governor, chairman of NU chapter Fauzi Bowo managed to significantly develop NU in the city and upgrade the welfare of NU members. “In fact, Fauzi’s position as governor has helped connect NU with international donors,” the Jakarta representative said. (dar)