NU Is Not a Commodity! Congress Must Be Clean and Free from Political Manipulation

JAKARTA - Ahead of the Nahdlatul Ulama Congress, HRM Khalilur R Abdullah Sahlawiy or Gus Lilur reminded the importance of maintaining the organization's independence from practical political interests. He assessed that this time's congress was a crucial momentum to determine the direction of NU in the future.

"NU was founded by scholars with the foundation of science and morality, not to be a tool for power interests," said Khalilur R Abdullah Sahlawiy in his statement, Wednesday, April 15.

According to him, the dynamics involving a number of names such as Nusron Wahid, Saifullah Yusuf, to the leadership of Yahya Cholil Staquf show the increasingly blurred boundaries between religious and political organizations.

"This is not about personal matters, but about dignity. NU must be guarded so that it does not become a political stage," he said.

Gus Lilur also highlighted a phenomenon that he called a tendency for some managers to focus more on power networks than strengthening the scientific basis and kaderisasi in the NU environment.

He assessed that NU actually has many figures with strong religious and intellectual capacity, such as Nasaruddin Umar, Said Aqil Siradj, Abdus Salam Shohib, Yusuf Chudlory, Zulfa Mustofa, to Bahauddin Nursalim.

"NU is rich in figures. Don't let those who appear be determined by political factors, not by scientific capacity," he said.

He emphasized that the congress must be an event to purify the organization, by choosing leaders who depart from the tradition of science, not electoral interests.

"NU is not a political stepping stone. If you want to do politics, please do it in the party, don't bring NU," he said.

Gus Lilur also reminded the importance of maintaining NU's independence so that it remains a cool and guiding the people. According to him, if it is too close to power, the moral role of the organization will be eroded.

"NU must stand above all groups, not be part of certain interests," he added.

He hopes that the congress can return the focus of the organization to strengthening the intellectual ecosystem, ranging from pesantren, bahtsul masail, to the development of Islamic thought that is relevant to the challenges of the time.

"This is not just about today, but the future of NU and the people," he concluded.