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View all search resultsPrabowo urges unity at NU conference amid growing public discontent
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President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech while attending the closing ceremony of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) National Conference of Religious Scholars and Grand Conference at the Syaichona Mohammad Cholil Islamic Institute (IAI) in Bangkalan, East Java, on June 23, 2026. (Antara/Moch Asim)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of unity and praised the role of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in maintaining stability on Tuesday, as his administration faces mounting criticism and a persistent wave of student protests over the country’s economy and costly government programs.
The President delivered his remarks during the closing ceremony of NU’s National Conference of Islamic Scholars and Grand Conference in Bangkalan, East Java, which opened on June 20. The forum was held in preparation for the organization’s 35th congress (Muktamar), the highest decision-making forum scheduled from Aug. 1 to 5, which will elect a new chairman.
Also attending the ceremony were members of Prabowo’s cabinet, namely Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar, who also serves as deputy chair of NU supreme council Syuriah, and Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, who is also NU secretary-general, as well as National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto.
Addressing hundreds of NU clerics and members, Prabowo underscored the need for unity among the public, religious leaders and state institutions in navigating the country’s challenges, noting that they were all part of society.
“We understand what the people are feeling,” the President said in the livestreamed event on Tuesday. “Religious scholars, the government, the military and the police understand what the people feel because they, too, come from the people.”
Prabowo also highlighted NU’s historic role in supporting the state during difficult periods, describing the country’s largest Islamic organization as a “stabilizing force” with deep roots among ordinary Indonesians.
“NU has always stepped up when Indonesia faces difficult times,” he said. “The NU family is a stabilizing factor, a force that can keep the nation and the state secure.”
