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NU at peak of powers after backing the right horse
Nahdlatul Ulama is set to dominate the political scene more than it ever has before.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (center, right) attends the 73rd anniversary celebration of Muslimat NU, the women’s wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), in Jakarta recently.
(Antara/Wahyu Putro A)
I
slamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has had a major influence on politics and government since its founding in 1926, but the results of the 2019 presidential election might have put it in a stronger position of power than ever before.
NU, which claims to have over 60 million members, making it the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, publicly backed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s reelection bid, and managed to place senior NU cleric Ma’ruf Amin in the hotly contested vice-presidential slot.
With Jokowi all but certain to secure a second term, experts and analysts predict that the organization is set to dominate the political scene more than it ever has before.
“It looks like NU’s decision to back Jokowi has paid off,” Indonesia Political Review executive director Ujang Komarudin told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
While the official election results will only be announced next week, reputable quick counts and regional General Election Commission (KPU) vote recapitulations show that Jokowi-Ma’ruf’s apparent victory was fueled largely by overwhelming wins in Central and East Java, which are considered NU strongholds.
Quick counts and the KPU’s ongoing vote counts show that Jokowi is set to beat Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto by a margin of around 10 to 12 percent, higher than the 6.3 percent lead he had in 2014.
Despite the higher margin, the incumbent’s votes were concentrated in a fewer number of provinces, with Jokowi garnering around 77.4 percent of the votes in Central Java and 65.7 percent of the votes in East Java, improving significantly on the 66.7 percent and 53.2 percent he got in those provinces last time around.
