President Calls for Preserving “Three Brotherhoods”

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

President Joko Widodo accompanied by Secretary General of the Central Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Helmi Faisal Zaini (from left to right), Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, General Chairman of the Central Executive Board of NU Said Aqil Siroj, and Rais Aam of NU Miftachul Akhyar plays the angklung traditional music instrument to mark the opening of NU’s 2019 National Assembly and Grand Conference at Miftahul Huda Al-Azhar Islamic Boarding School in Banjar, West Java, Wednesday (27/2/2019).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called for preserving the three brotherhoods of Islam – ukhuwah wathoniyah (national brotherhood), ukhuwah Islamiyah (Islamic brotherhood) and ukhuwah insaniyah (brotherhood of mankind) – to maintain national unity.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has urged all Indonesian citizens to maintain the three forms of brotherhood at all times, including in political contests, as they had been proven to protect Indonesia’s diversity.

The three types of brotherhood are ukhuwah wathoniyah (national brotherhood), ukhuwah Islamiyah (Islamic brotherhood) and ukhuwah insaniyah, or basyariyah (brotherhood of mankind).

The President made the call on Wednesday (2/27/2019) in his opening speech for the Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) 2019 National Assembly and Grand Conference at Pondok Pesantren Miftahul Huda Al-Azhar in Banjar, West Java. NU is the country’s largest Muslim organization. The President wore a black suit jacket, sarong and sandals. The head of the pesantren (Islamic boarding school), K.H. Munawir, welcomed the President and draped a white turban over his head.

Also in attendance were Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar and West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil. NU advisory board member and vice presidential candidate Ma’ruf Amin was also present at the conference.

The President said that he appreciated the event’s theme, “Strengthening Ukhuwah Wathoniyah for the People’s Sovereignty”. “The theme reaffirms NU’s commitment to strengthening our brotherhood,” he said.

People’s sovereignty

NU chair Said Aqil Siroj said the theme was chosen in consideration of the nation’s situation ahead of the 2019 election, adding that the election should uphold, support and realize the popular sovereignty. The true duty of power was to benefit all. “The presidential, legislative and regional elections must not only be about the succession of power. It should also be an occasion to uphold popular sovereignty,” he said.

With regard to preserving the three Islamic brotherhoods, NU supported the commitment of Al-Azhar and the Vatican in the Document on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together”, which Pope Francis and Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb signed on Feb. 4, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

NU believed the Human Fraternity Document was similar to the concepts of brotherhood it promoted through the brotherhoods of the nation, Islam and mankind. “These concepts of brotherhood contribute to the efforts to cease enmity, accept the nation-state [ideology], accept the Constitution and strive towards world peace,” stated Said.

NU secretary-general Helmy Faishal Zaini said that Islam Nusantara (Islam of the Indonesian archipelago), which was one of the conference’s discussion points, embodied NU’s position that Islam was a universal blessing. Islam Nusantara was not a new mazhab (school of thought), and was instead the mindset that Islam must not conflict with nationalism or local cultures and customs.

Contributions

The President reaffirmed that the NU had contributed much in preserving national independence and unity. “The NU stands on the front lines of preventing those who wish to change our Pancasila state ideology. For the NU, Pancasila is a national solution and common consensus,” he said.

At the occasion, the President also spoke about his meeting with Afghan First Lady Rula Ghani, the wife of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who told him that Indonesia needed to maintain its differences and diversity. With 714 ethnic groups in Indonesia, small issues could lead to conflict. Afghanistan, with seven ethnic groups, has experienced several prolonged civil wars.

“[Rula Ghani] said that we should be careful, as we are a large nation. There must be no conflict, no matter how small. If conflict arises, it must be resolved immediately. Brotherhood is important, be it Islamic, national or of mankind,” said Jokowi.

Changes

The President continued that the government was committed to readying the nation’s human resources to face Industry 4.0. “We are optimistic that our human resources will be competitive. This year, we will establish 1,000 vocational training centers. I have told the Manpower Minister that we must have at least 3,000 vocational training centers by next year,” he said.

Industry 4.0, which emerged with the advent of internet-based information technology, artificial intelligence and big data, is also the NU’s focus. McKinsey Global Institute said Industry 4.0 would cause job loss for 800 million people by 2030 as robots and machines replace human workers. “Specifically in Indonesia, around 3.7 million new jobs will be created. However, 52.6 million jobs may be lost,” said Said.

The NU assembly, which ends on Friday, will also focus on environmental issues, especially plastic waste. Indonesia produces around 130,000 tons of plastic waste per day, of which only half are managed properly in landfills. (IKI/REK/NTA)