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Politicians’ meddling in NU cause for concern
NU is the only mass organization that was created for and in the name of a revival of thought.
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President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo delivers a speech at the opening of the 34th Nahdlatul Ulama national congress in Darussa'adah Pesantren (silamic boarding school), in Lampung, on Dec. 22, 2021. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A)
Along with Syarikat Islam (SI) and Muhammadiyah, NU is the oldest Islamic organization in this Republic.
These mass organizations were born amid a background of upheaval and movement. All three Islamic organizations were also born in the center of the motherland, without mingling or being contaminated with Middle Eastern Islamic ideology.
Even though the three organizations were born at the center of Islam, NU has a few differences and uniqueness compared with SI and Muhammadiyah.
NU is the only mass organization that was created for and in the name of a revival of thought.
On the national stage, NU's progress and role can be easily traced. Since the founding of the organization until now, NU members have always contributed to the national interest. During the physical revolution, NU deployed its laskar pesantren (Islamic boarding school troops) on the battlefield against the Dutch.
In the early days leading up to independence, at the NU Congress in Banjarmasin in 1939; NU broke the deadlock in the basic polemic on the state of Indonesia, by saying that the Unitary State should be the final form of political struggle.
NU's role on the national stage was somewhat diminished during the New Order era. Under the New Order, not a single NU figure was given the role of minister or other equivalent position in the government.
