•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

The younger brother of the late former President Aburrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid on Saturday confirmed that he would be running for chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organization in the country.

KH Solahuddin “Gus Sholah” Wahid made the announcement during a dialogue among NU officials in the provincial capital of Palu in Central Sulawesi.

If elected, Solahuddin said, he would focus on the improvement of education and regional economies.

“I told the clerics that I was already old, but they said my age wasn’t going to be a problem in leading NU,” he said.

The leadership should possess good organizational skills and be strong-willed, Solahuddin added.

“NU is a social organization, but it is being run as if it were a political organization,” he said.

“Politics is important, but only politics that has good intentions and not one that is concerned with party politics.”

Solahuddin is trying to follow in the footsteps of Wahid and their grandfather, Hasyim Asy’ari, who were both once influential leaders of NU.

“If Gus Dur fought for democracy, our goal now is to improve our economy,” Solahuddin said.

He also planned to look into the needs of the country’s poor, street vendors, farmers and migrant workers, and make NU a civil “society power.” To accomplish these, Solahuddin added, he would seek to improve the welfare of NU members.

During Saturday’s dialogue, a prelude to NU’s 32nd conference schedule next month, NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi said there was a need to emphasize the principles of the organization.

“NU clerics must not be seen as mere figures. The people need to see their vision and their character, and the causes they are fighting for,” Hasyim said.

 

Antara