Pergunu: Pak Ud's File As A Complete National Hero

General Chairperson of Pergunu Prof. Dr. KH. Asep Saifuddin Chalim gave a speech during the National Seminar proposing KH. Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim ANTARA/Naufal Ammar Imaduddin

SURABAYA - General Chairperson of the Nahdlatul Ulama Teachers Association (Pergunu) Prof. Dr. KH. Asep Saifuddin Chalim stated that the collection of files for the KH National Hero's title. Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim (Pak Ud) has been completed and complete.

The file will be submitted to the Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa to be forwarded to the Ministry of Social Affairs.

"Later at the Ministry of Social Affairs will be discussed from several existing proposals. Then, later there will be those that will be determined to be verified by the Central Title Study Research Team (TP2GP)," said KH. Asep when met after the National Seminar Proposed by KH Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim as a National Hero, at the Al Akbar Mosque in Surabaya, Antara, Sunday, March 15.

After being verified by TP2GP, said the man who is also the caretaker of the Amanatul Ummah Islamic Boarding School, will then be discussed together with the State Council and submitted to the President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto.

According to him, after being submitted to the President, all beliefs and assessments will be determined as his prerogative.

Meanwhile, the Research Team for the Study of the Central Title Prof. Useb Abdul Matin stated that all files that had been submitted to the team regarding the proposal for the title of National Hero KH. Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim is fit and eligible.

"Because one of the articles for the National Hero candidate is that he has never been convicted of a criminal act based on a military court," he said.

According to him, these points are the most important in order to pass verification to be proposed for the title of National Hero.

From the premium data that has been received, he continued, it was found that KH. Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim was tried by a military court and detained.

"But it turns out that his detention was not proven guilty and it was slander, because with that point completed, other points will be easy to adjust," he said.

More than that, he said, Pak Ud, also contributed to maintaining the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), one of which was the Madiun region which in the end did not fall to the Republic of Soviet.

"That is what needs to be more deeply observed regarding Pak Ud's services," he said.

Fully supported

On the same occasion, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa said the figure of KH. Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim is not only a scholar, but also a fighter who has contributed greatly to defending independence and building a national character through pesantren education.

"We fully support the proposal of KH. Yusuf Hasyim as a National Hero so that his services are recognized and become inspiration for future generations," he said.

KH. Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim, born on August 3, 1929 at the Tebuireng Islamic Boarding School, Jombang, is the youngest son of Hadratus-syekh Hasyim Asy'ari and Nyai Nafiqoh.

Since a young age, he has been active in the youth organization Nahdlatul Ulama and became one of the leaders of Laskar Hezbollah, the warrior army formed by NU kiai at the beginning of independence.

After Hezbollah was disbanded, he joined the Indonesian National Army (TNI) to the rank of Lieutenant One before returning to devote himself to the pesantren world. KH. Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim died on January 14, 2007 in Surabaya.