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View all search resultsNU leadership race tests strength to distance itself from Jakarta
The country's largest Muslim group will hold a leadership contest during its 35th national congress (Muktamar) in Jombang, East Java amid concerns of political interference that will sway the race result for external political interests.
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Participants of the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) national congress (Muktamar) interrupt the first plenary session of the event on Friday at the Tambakberas 'pesantren' Islamic boarding school in Jombang, East Java. The plenary session was suspended because of a wave of interruptions from attending participants. (Antara/Syaiful Arif)
A
ll eyes are set on the upcoming leadership race of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Muslim organization, which is seen as a test for an aspiration for the group to distance itself from practical politics.
Hundreds of NU members have gathered in Jombang, East Java since Wednesday for the group’s five-day 35th national congress (Muktamar). Voting delegates from regional branches are expected to elect its chair for the next five-year term on Saturday.
The Muktamar was opened on Thursday amid concerns over alleged attempts to influence the selection process of the next Ahlul halli wal-Aqdi (AHWA), a nine-member council of senior NU clerics tasked with choosing the groups’ supreme leader (Rais Aam) that could potentially play a key role in the upcoming leadership race.
The interference concerns revolve around a proposal offering an amendment to NU’s bylaws during the congress that would replace the one person one vote system among congress delegates with a closed-door deliberation process involving senior clerics, including AHWA members.
Delegates, according to the proposal, would only vote to narrow nominated candidates to nine names, from which the AHWA and newly elected Rais Aam would select one as chairman.
On Friday, NU secretary-general and Muktamar organizing committee chair Saifullah Yusuf said the proposal would be deliberated further during the congress, as the committee had yet to verify how many of 556 voting delegates approve the proposal.
Saifullah further underlined differences in arguments and debates are part of NU’s tradition, while urging all discussions to be done in a friendly manner.
