Former PBNU Chairman Robikin Emhas: NU Congress is Not Just to Choose the Chairman, but to Restore the Organization's Dignity

Chairman of the PBNU 2015-2020 period, Robikin Emhas, reminded the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Congress, which will be held at the end of August 2026, not to be seen as only an agenda for leadership change.

According to him, the highest forum of the organization must be a momentum for evaluation as well as the recovery of the NU's prestige which is considered to be tarnished due to the elite conflict.

Robikin conveyed this view when he was a resource person in the "Rembug Warga NU Series 4 titled Caring for the World, Forgetting the People? Global Civilization Minus Local Empowerment" held by the NU 26 Joint Forum (Forbes) at the University of Indonesia (UI) Salemba Campus, Jakarta.

Robikin assessed that the National Congress was an opportunity for NU members to evaluate the organization's journey, including governance and direction of service to the community.

"The muktamar is not just about choosing Rais Aam or the General Chairperson. The muktamar is an opportunity to renew the contract of service, the momentum to evaluate the organization's journey, governance, and also the dignity of NU," said Robikin, quoted Sunday, July 26, 2026.

He also alluded to conflicts at the PBNU elite level which he said had an impact on the organization's image in the eyes of residents.

"The glory of NU has been torn apart just because of the conflict of the elite of PBNU. We are all ashamed, you all must feel it. I am one of those who bear the shame in such a way," he said.

In Robikin's view, the greatness of Nahdlatul Ulama is not determined by the size of the organization's stage, but rather by the extent to which the benefits are felt by the community.

"The greatness of NU is not born from the size of the stage we have, but from the size of the benefits we provide. Civilization is not built by leaving the people, but by glorifying the people. A strong people will give birth to a dignified civilization," he said.

Rembug Warga NU Seri 4 is a continuation of a series of discussions that previously discussed the organization's governance, funding, to global politics in the PBNU environment. In this series, the discussion focuses on the balance between the idea of global civilization and the agenda of empowering citizens at the grassroots level.

Besides Robikin, the forum also featured the Secretary of the Indonesian Women's Ulama Congress Deliberation Council (KUPI) Nyai Hj. Masruchah who discussed the perspective of social justice, advocacy for vulnerable groups, and strengthening community-based preaching.

The discussion also featured the Executive Director of PRAKARSA for the period 2015-2025, Ah Maftuchan, who reviewed the governance of the budget and the redistribution of resources in the PBNU environment. In his presentation, he also offered the Nahdlatul Ulama Sustainability Index (NUSI) as an instrument to measure sustainability and the impact of the organization on citizens.