Mining Management Criticism to Ormas during Gus Dur's Haul, Yenny Wahid: It's Better to Return

JOMBANG - The daughter of the 4th President of the Republic of Indonesia K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid, Yenny Wahid, criticized the mining management policy by community organizations (ormas) because it was considered to cause more harm, including the potential for division within religious organizations.

This was conveyed by Yenny when attending the 16th haul of Gus Dur at Pondok Pesantren Tebuireng, Jombang Regency, East Java.

"Now it is clear that in front of our eyes there is a great harm, namely the harm of division. This must be our top priority. I support the appeal of K.H. Said who said that maybe it would be better if the mine was given back to the government," said Yenny in Jombang, quoted from Antara, Thursday, December 18.

He revealed that, ahead of the implementation of his father's haul, he was contacted by Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. In the communication, the two discussed the development of national politics, including the dynamics that occurred in the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

According to Yenny, Luhut from the beginning stated that he did not agree if the mass organizations were given the authority to manage the mine.

In fact, Luhut is said to be reluctant to sign the policy because he considers mine management to be difficult and high-risk.

"He said from the beginning he didn't want to sign because it was difficult to manage the mine. The Chinese also said that the person who manages the mine must be cold. Otherwise, it will cause division," he said.

Yenny admitted that he was concerned about the current condition of NU. He assessed that NU, which was founded from the beginning as a "mine rope" to unite the people, is now potentially a source of threat for its leaders due to policies that are fraught with harm.

He also called on NU to stay away from things that could potentially have a negative impact. If the government wants to provide support, Yenny said, it should be in the form of a budget that can be used for education and social purposes.

"If you want to donate, give in the form of money to build schools, boarding schools, houses, it is much more useful. But if it's like this, the harm is much bigger," he said.

Yenny reminded the message of the founder of NU, K.H. Hasyim Asy'ari, who from the beginning emphasized that NU was built on the basis of the spirit of unity and mahabbah or love, to spread the teachings of Ahlussunnah wal Jama'ah Islam.

He also apologized if his statement offended certain parties. However, according to him, this anxiety needs to be conveyed in order to keep NU on the path of unity.

Furthermore, Yenny revealed information from Luhut that there was a minister who insisted on encouraging the granting of mining permits to mass organizations. In fact, according to the information he received from journalists, the mining permit was given to religious organizations affiliated with certain political parties.

"This means that NU is used as a tool for legitimacy only. That's what I think we should pay attention to," he said.

He emphasized that NU should not be trapped in such interests because it would only harm the organization in the long run.

"NU should not fall into this trap. NU is big. It is our duty to protect it, so that we can protect Indonesia and protect the world," said Yenny.

The 16th anniversary of Gus Dur was also attended by the Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa, the caretaker of Pondok Pesantren Tebuireng K.H. Abdul Hakim Mahfudz or Gus Kikin, K.H. Ahmad Mustofa Bisri or Gus Mus, as well as a number of national figures and other invited guests.