NU’s National Assembly and the National Mandate
Fathorrahman GhufronArsip Pribadi16-12-2014Penulis Opini Kompas Siang
“Strengthening Ukhuwah Wathoniyah for People’s Sovereignty” is the theme of Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) national assembly and grand conference in Banjar on Feb. 27 – March 1.
The theme is highly contextual and reflective. There are at least two fundamental reasons why such a nationalist theme is perfect for a NU assembly. First, the NU is historically significant in the fight and struggle for Indonesia’s independence as well as in its commitment to preserving the national brotherhood mandated by the nation’s founding fathers.
Such loyalty can be observed in the three brotherhoods (ukhuwah) formulated by NU’s founders as the fundamental capitals in statehood, namely ukhuwah Islamiyah (brotherhood among Muslims), ukhuwah wathaniyah (national brotherhood) and ukhuwah basyariyah (brotherhood among men). The three brotherhoods are complementary to one another and the concepts are imparted to all NU members who will always adhere to the mandates of NU’s founders.
Second, empirically, our instinct of nationhood has successfully weathered storms but, in today’s age of unbridled speech freedom and excess of information, is reaching its lowest point. This can be observed in the widespread infiltration of disruptive religious and social values into the public space that has seriously obstructed people’s logical thinking skill and perspective. Many populist issues have turned into “social specters” that polarize and divide people in Indonesia and various other parts of the world.
Consequently, interpersonal and intergroup frictions due to differences of opinions and political choices are more rampant. It has become easier for people to stigmatize others with negative labels and personify groups seen as “others” with threatening or fear-inducing names: apostates, heretics, anti-religion, and even degrading the presence of God Himself in the face of people with different political preferences.
Ironically, such populism is often combined with certain conservative-aggressive religious groups affiliated to certain transnational movements that are gaining fame among certain groups of people. These transnational movements, through their various agendas, try to delegitimize the government and undermine Indonesian values founded upon state ideology Pancasila, national diversity, the concept of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and the 1945 Constitution (Imdadun Rahmat, Islamism in the Era of Democratic Transition).
Based on these two major themes, through its national assembly, the NU reaffirms its loyalty and commitment in the actualization of national mandates as formulated by the nation’s founding fathers and NU founders. This is the NU’s pledge in the endless rejuvenation that the nation direly needs.
Furthermore, the national assembly also included important issues and topics that were discussed and formulated into ideas that can strengthen the national mandate.
Indonesian problem
Nationalism needs rejuvenation in the NU national assembly as Indonesia serves as two mediums at once for NU people. First is as a collective home. To borrow the words of the late former president and celebrated NU leader Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesia is like a big house with many rooms, housing people from various backgrounds. As time goes by, the behaviors of these people start to pollute the authenticity of the house, which is adorned with ornaments of peace, harmony and tolerance.
The differences of opinions between people in the various rooms then spread into the living room and no middle ground can be reached. Different residents remain stubborn with their own opinions and refuse to foster awareness of and understanding with other people in the big house. In fact, residents are more receptive towards ideas from unreliable strangers as their foundation in thinking about cohesion and religiosity. This is despite the strangers having hidden agendas to undermine the house’s foundations.
Consequently, the big house, which serves as a collective home, is neglected as everyone prefers to promote their own views and principles. Residents became uncaring towards one another and have no sense of belonging to the big house.
Second is as a vehicle. Indonesia can be seen as a public transportation vehicle with its driver’s assistants and various passengers. Some of the driver’s assistants (state officials) and passengers (groups of citizens) pay no attention to the directions of the actual driver (the President) and act like drivers themselves. Often, these driver’s assistants and passengers act naively and sabotage the vehicle’s tracks through malicious ways.
Then, when these malicious acts lead to the vehicle breaking down, these driver’s assistants and passengers are the first to verbally attack the driver. Not one of them are willing to work together to repair the vehicle. Instead, they would rather leave the vehicle broken down in the middle of the road while they are waiting for a new vehicle with a new driver.
As a result, the car that has been prepared with various engine parts (policies and other rules of the game) that can sustain a relatively smooth ride is now causing a traffic jam. Unfortunately, some of these driver’s assistants and passengers would rather keep the car in the middle of the road and collectively blame the driver.
Based on these two metaphors, critical thinking and wisdom are needed by all residents of the house and all passengers of the car so that they would not conduct malicious acts against the other residents or passengers.
In this respect, NU people, as residents of the big house or passengers of the big car, are mandated to be wise and sincere, to be sam’an wa tha’atan, in safeguarding the legacies of Indonesia’s and NU’s founding fathers. This includes the duty of safeguarding Indonesia and applying the complementary three brotherhoods in everyday life.
A refreshment and rejuvenation of the bonds of nationhood are necessary so that they can accommodate all residents of the home and all passengers of the car. In this respect, NU’s conceptual
contribution in combining the spirits of religiosity – that merges religious teachings and local wisdom as in Islam Nusantara – and nationalism – which glues all national identities – must be disseminated to all corners of the nation and the world. At least, through the proliferation of ideas and actions founded upon civility and Indonesian values, we can contribute towards the fostering of a global civilization and our salvation, both in this world and in the next one.
(Fathorrahman Ghufron, Deputy Secretary, Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta; Lecturer, School of Law and Sharia, Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University)
