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View all search resultsNU must transform to navigate uncertain world order: Chairman Yahya
Without transformation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) risks becoming irrelevant in a world that has changed drastically, said chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf.
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Yahya Cholil Staquf, chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), speaks during an interview on Jan. 29, 2026 with The Jakarta Post in Central Jakarta. (JP/Iqro Rinaldi)
N
ahdlatul Ulama (NU), the nation’s largest Islamic organization, marked the centenary of its establishment according to the Gregorian calendar on Saturday. NU chairman Yahya Staquf Cholil spoke with The Jakarta Post’s Yerica Lai to talk about the organization’s transformation, future direction and its relation with power as it enters its second century. Below are excerpts from the conversation.
Question: As NU nears its centenary, how do you reflect on its journey since founding? How has your leadership sought to prepare NU for its next century?
Answer: Over the past century, NU has gone through intense struggles, evolving from an exclusive ulema organization to a political party, then into a mass organization that withdrew from practical politics while still navigating national political changes.
Under the current leadership, NU executive board (PBNU) set three major agendas, including transforming organizational governance to adapt to rapid global change through refining internal rules and mechanisms and strengthening cadre training, among other initiatives.
Another concerns NU’s positioning within the national political landscape. As NU’s constituency holds a wide range of political preferences, it would be inappropriate for the institution to take sides in political contests.
Third, NU seeks to develop and offer its own initiatives to the international community, which requires a more active and outward-looking approach and engagement with all groups without framing NU as opposition to any particular side. The focus is on advancing shared humanitarian interests.
All these agendas are fundamentally transformative. We do indeed have the ambition to drive change, even as the process involves challenges and adjustments.
