The central boards of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, have distanced themselves from the Jakarta gubernatorial election despite previous claims by their Jakarta branches that they will back the Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni ticket.

Some 60 Muslim groups, including the Jakarta branches of NU and Muhammadiyah, declared on Saturday that they were supporting the Agus-Sylviana pair — backed by the Democratic Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) — in the Jakarta gubernatorial election slated for Feb. 15.

In response to the decision taken by NU’s Jakarta branch, NU central board executive Imam Aziz said the organization remained neutral in “any political activities,” including the Jakarta election.

Imam, who is known for advocating tolerance and pluralism, said members of NU, including those residing in the capital, had to maintain NU’s nature as “a mass organization, not a political party.”

“[The decision taken by NU’s Jakarta branch] is not in line with our stance to remain neutral. Members of NU are encouraged to participate [in the Jakarta election] by casting their votes, but not by directing other people to vote for any particular candidate,” Imam told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Imam said NU members had to become “wiser” to toe the organization’s line on maintaining its neutrality when it comes to politics.

Asked about steps to be taken following the declaration of support by NU Jakarta, Imam said merely that the board had given its instructions and that the support “might be coming from individuals.”

Muslim groups declaring their support for the Agus-Sylviana ticket include the Jakarta chapter of the Communication Forum for Islamic Propagation Organizations (FKLD), the presidium board of which is chaired by Muhammadiyah Jakarta deputy chairman Tjuwandi (not Tjuandi as reported earlier), and another 12 groups across the capital.

Tjuwandi, along with Maisaroh Ali, the chairwoman of the Jakarta branch of Aisyiyah, Muhammadiyah’s women’s wing, said after the event that Muhammadiyah was backing Agus and Sylviana, claiming the pair was “capable of protecting diversity and religious pluralism” in Jakarta.

Muhammadiyah central board secretary Abdul Mu’ti said Monday the organization was not “involved in any activities related to political support in the Jakarta election,” adding Muhammadiyah Jakarta was “more authorized” to respond to any question over its neutrality.

“If [the support] came from individuals, it was their political right,” Abdul said in a telephone interview.

In the past, the two influential organizations stressed their neutrality in major political events.

In the 2004 presidential election, NU distanced itself from politics when its cleric Hasyim Muzadi ran in the race as a vice presidential candidate for Megawati Soekarnoputri, the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party Of Struggle (PDI-P), while Muhammadiyah, which is headquartered in Yogyakarta, took the same direction when then PAN chairman Hatta Rajasa was paired with presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the 2014 presidential election. PAN is linked with Muhammadiyah.