Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsCan't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
National Awakening Party (PKB) leader Muhaimin Iskandar’s decision to run for vice president alongside former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan in the 2024 presidential election has exposed longstanding frictions within Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), whose members are seen as a key voting bloc in next year’s contest.
In an effort to make the Anies-Muhaimin pairing more appealing to NU voters, the PKB said last week that leaders of NU – the country’s largest Islamic organization – had given their blessing to the Anies-Muhaimin pairing.
“We have met with a number of clerics and ulema from NU. They have given their approval [for the Anies-Muhaimin pairing],” PKB secretary general Hasanuddin Wahid said on Friday.
Not NU’s candidate
The NU central board (PBNU), however, was quick to deny any claims that the organization had a horse in the 2024 presidential race and has called on all presidential hopefuls to refrain from creating the impression that they represent the organization.
“There should not be any [presidential] contenders that [present themselves] on behalf of the NU. If there are any, they are doing it on their own capacity and track record,” PBNU chief Yahya Cholil Staquf said on Saturday.

Yahya also denied claims that clerics within the PBNU had taken part in meetings to determine the body’s support for any presidential contender.
“As a strictly religious mass organization, [supporting any electoral candidate] is outside of our domain,” Yahya said. “The PBNU, in accordance with our muktamar [national congress], cannot present ourselves as a competitor in any political contest.”
A day after the Anies-Muhaimin declaration on Saturday, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas released a statement asking people to examine the records of presidential candidates and to avoid electing a presidential candidate “that once divided the community”. His statement has been interpreted as an attack on Anies, who has been accused of fanning divisive identity politics to win the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race.
Yaqut is the brother of NU leader Yahya and once led the Ansor Youth Movement, the youth wing of NU.
A meeting between Ganjar Pranowo, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) nominee, and Nyai Muhsinah Cholil, the mother of Yaqut and Yahya, in August sparked ongoing speculation that Yaqut could be named Ganjar’s running mate.
Divisive figure
Despite Yahya’s assertion of NU’s aloofness from electoral politics, the organization has had a major influence on previous elections, given its large number of members and supporters.
While there is little reliable data on the true number of NU followers, the organization has become an electoral magnet for presidential hopefuls seeking to capitalize on its clout to win at least one key battleground province: East Java, where NU enjoys significant influence. To this end, it is not uncommon for politicians to interfere in the organization’s leadership contests.
In 2019, the group’s supreme council leader Ma’ruf Amin was tapped as a vice presidential candidate by President Jokowi to help him secure reelection. Ma’ruf was nominated at the eleventh hour, as Jokowi had initially wanted to name Mahfud MD as his running mate. Several political parties, including the Golkar Party and the PKB, are said to have opposed Mahfud’s nomination. Muhaimin reportedly argued that Mahfud was not a devoted NU member, even though he was associated with the organization.
Questions have now been raised over whether Muhaimin is sufficiently close to NU to win Anies votes from the organization’s supporters. A number of other NU-affiliated figures have emerged as potential 2024 vice presidential candidates. They include Yenny Wahid, the daughter of former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid; East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa; and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD.
Muhaimin is a divisive figure within NU, mainly over a conflict he had with the late Gus Dur, his uncle, who served for a time as NU chairman and was a cofounder of the PKB. Muhaimin took over the party’s leadership in 2005.
Speaking in a televised Kompas TV interview earlier this month, Yenny said Gus Dur loyalists within the PBNU had yet to bury the hatchet with Muhaimin.
PKB versus NU
Political analyst Adi Prayitno said Muhaimin’s strained ties with the PBNU had become more apparent since Yahya succeeded Said Aqil Siroj as chief of the PBNU in 2021.
“Before [Yahya took charge of the PBNU], the PKB was the PBNU and the PBNU was the PKB. But it’s clear to see that Yahya and Muhaimin have differing stances. That’s why Yahya has put up stiff opposition to [the PKB’s efforts to align the Anies-Muhainin ticket with the PBNU],” Adi said on Monday.
With Muhaimin seemingly at odds with loyalists of both Yahya and Gus Dur within the NU, Anies’ hopes of attracting NU voters, particularly those in East Java, by picking an NU-affiliated figure as his running mate may not be realized.
Adi said Muhaimin’s decision for the PKB to join Anies’ coalition could push the PKB’s own loyalists away, as Anies was associated with a kind of conservative Islam that was at odds with many of the positions endorsed by the PBNU and the PKB.
Rifts within NU’s ranks had persisted beyond the Muhaimin-Gus Dur conflict, Adi said, as NU members and leaders retained their political autonomy.
“If we look at past elections, votes from people who identify themselves with NU have always been fragmented. But compared to past elections, the PKB is facing a bigger struggle in getting votes from NU members [for its presidential candidate], since the party is seemingly in conflict not just with Gus Dur’s loyalists but with the PBNU itself.” (ahw)
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.
Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.