Gus Yahya: Indonesia's Great Civilization Was Built From Maritime

General Chairperson of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board KH Yahya Cholil Staquf or Gus Yahya emphasized that the great civilization of the Indonesian nation was built from maritime civilization/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - General Chairperson of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board KH Yahya Cholil Staquf or Gus Yahya emphasized that the great civilization of the Indonesian nation was built from maritime civilization.

"Why did we choose East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) as the location for NU's birthday celebration, because to fight for the future we must know who we are, what our character is, what our character is," said Gus Yahya in a written statement quoted by Antara, Saturday, February 5 .

He explained that NTT is a miniature of Indonesia, so it is very appropriate and embodies the character of Nusantara civilization, namely maritime character.

"That our civilization is a maritime civilization and a maritime character," said Gus Yahya when giving a speech to NU's 96th Harlah in Labuan Bajo.

According to Gus Yahya, the character of maritime civilization is the capital of strength in welcoming Indonesian civilization. The character of the maritime community has a strong philosophy that can be used as the basis for building a nation's civilization.

He explained that there are three characteristics of the maritime community, namely, always being kind to God, being kind to humans, and being kind to nature.

In accordance with Harlah's theme, "Caring for the Universe, Building Civilization", then NTT became one of the centers where the event was held. Also in NTT, PBNU will start civilizing work by helping local fishermen.

"We will make words into work and work that can be measured," said Gus Yahya.

The work that Gus Yahya meant was that PBNU would start in NTT by embracing fishermen and providing assistance to fishermen. Not only in NTT, the empowerment of fishing villages has also been signed with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

There are many coastal areas that will later be embraced to empower these fishing communities.

Gus Yahya said that before NTT, the NU Harlah was also held in East Kalimantan on January 31, 2022. The reason is that the President wants to build a new capital city in East Kalimantan.

“This is a very iconic idea and it reflects a vision of building the future. So NU needs to be present to jointly build and participate in the construction of the new capital," said the former spokesman for Gus Dur.

After NTT, Harlah NU will also be held in Palembang on February 12, 2022. Palembang was chosen because this area is the place where Sriwijaya built a civilization that was recorded as the largest and ever in Indonesia.

"Later, we will end Harlah's peak in Bangkalan, Madura, because Bangkalan is the source of NU's spiritual strength. To start this civilization we need a spiritual source from the beginning of the founding of NU. Before forming NU, Hadratussyaikh Hasyim Asyari needed the opinion of Syaichona Cholil Bangkalan first," said Gus Yahya.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan who was present virtually this time said, the presence of NU was very much needed for the country.

"NU has not only become a symbol of a large Muslim organization but has also brought many major changes in the mastery of science and technology," said Luhut.

NU in the future, said Luhut, must be able to combine information technology science and religious knowledge to describe the challenges of the times.

"The world is certainly changing and requires a new breakthrough how NU in the future will be able to not only serve as a fence that protects the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia but also contribute to developing science and technology while adhering to Islamic values," said Luhut.

Besides being attended by the General Chair of PBNU, the Secretary General of PBNU Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) then Katib Aam KH Ahmad Said Asrori, several PBNU core administrators, the Chair of the NTT PWNU and all PCNU leaders throughout NTT. The Governor of NTT Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat was also present and gave a speech at the event.