Chairman Of PBNU: Playing Political, Religious Identity MEANs Bitting The Nation Towards Breaking

JAKARTA - The Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board asked politicians to refuse to use identity politics to bring down opponents. They encourage a more rational democracy to prioritize ideas, credibility, and track records.

"We must remind these political actors that playing with religious identity is tantamount to leading this nation into division," said PBNU General Chair Yahya Cholil Staquf in a statement quoted on the NU website, Saturday, November 5.

Yahya reminded that no single politician using an identity such as religion defeated their political opponents. Rational democracy is more important to implement in society.

"So we can't, 'Even if it's a corruptor, Islam will go to heaven too'. For example, that's something irrelevant to develop in our democracy," he said.

He reminded politicians to be accountable for their actions in the future. Their strategy for politics will determine the journey of the nation and state in the future.

"I ask all these political actors to be more responsible considering the founding of this nation and state," said Yahya.

"Because what we have as an Indonesian nation is actually not only for ourselves, but this can be a high-value contribution for all the constructions of world civilization in the future," he concluded.