Gus Ipul: Rais Aam Orders NU Congress To Be Sped Up To 17 December

JAKARTA - PBNU Chairman Saifullah Yusuf said PBNU's Rais Aam, KH Miftachul Akhyar issued a warrant ordering the committee to immediately take measurable steps to hold the 34th NU Congress on December 17.

"This order becomes the basis and footing for PBNU through the steering committee and the executive committee to accelerate the implementation of the congress from a previously determined date," he said, in a written statement quoted by Antara, Friday, November 26.

According to Gus Ipul - Saifullah Yusuf's nickname - with the issuance of the order, the confusion over the timing of the congress has now been answered.

"All parties must comply with Rais Aam's decision as the highest command holder of PBNU," he said.

According to him, Rais Aam's order did not appear suddenly, but there were causes and events that preceded it. "This order has a background, it's not 'finally'. That's why I said that PBNU is not doing well," said Gus Ipul.

Before the order was made, continued Gus Ipul, there had been a meeting schedule to address the status of PPKM level 3 for the period from December 24, 2021 to January 2, 2022, nationally. This was done considering that the 34th NU Congress was previously scheduled to take place on 23-25 December 2021 in Lampung.

The meeting participants, said Gus Ipul, were Rais Aam, KH Miftachul Ahyar, Katib Aam, KH Yahya Cholil Staquf, General Chairperson of PBNU, KH Said Aqil Siroj, and PBNU Secretary General, A Helmy Faishal. The meeting was agreed to be held on Wednesday, November 24.

Because on that day no decision or deadlock could be made, said Gus Ipul again, the secretary general asked for the meeting to be postponed and it could be continued on Thursday, November 25.

"So, Wednesday's meeting was over. Apparently no agreement was found to advance the congress. The reason was the committee's readiness," said Gus Ipul.

To get a report on readiness, the meeting participants tried to contact the congress committee, but to no avail. "It turned out that Pak Nuh (Mohammad Nuh) as the Chair of the Steering Committee was in the field, in Lampung. Meanwhile, the Chair of the Organizing Committee, Pak Imam Aziz, could not be contacted on Wednesday," he explained.

Finally, the Secretary General of PBNU, A Helmy Faishal, asked for the meeting to be postponed. The four agreed to meet again on Thursday, November 25 and invite the congress committee.

On Thursday, continued Gus Ipul, Rais Aam and Katib Aam came back to continue the pending meeting. However, until the afternoon, the chairman of the committee, general chairman, and secretary general did not appear.

Because there is no clarity regarding the presence of the general chairman, secretary general, and chairman of the committee, continued Gus Ipul, Rais Aam decided to issue a warrant. "Thursday's meeting should have started at noon. But let alone the chairman of the committee, even the general chairman and secretary general did not appear. This is what I say that PBNU is not doing well," he said.

According to him, the absence of the committee chairman, general chairman, and secretary general on the second day of the meeting showed a lack of commitment to implementing the meeting results.