As'ad Said Ali : NU is not government's 'seal'

Surabaya, NU Online
Deputy general chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) H. As'ad Said Ali said he would remain proportional to assess the performance of government, adding that NU supported some government programs, but in some ways NU remained critical of government policies that are not pro-people.<>

The statement was made by As'ad in a seminar on "Keeping Indonesia's Cultural Entities amidst Liberalization and Information-Communication Disclosure" in the hall of the East Java's Regional Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PWNU), JL Al Akbar mosque, Surabaya on Saturday (8/9).

At the seminar that is part of the NU's Pre-National Conference and Large Conference activities 2012, As'ad dismissed the notion of a seminar participant who said "NU in this period is not too critical of the government, and even appears to be merely the government's 'seal'.

"The assessment that NU is pro-government organization or simply the (government) stamp is just an impression. It may be concluded from the statements of some NU board members," he said.

According to As'ad, the NU board members made the statement personally instead of making it as at NU meetings.

"Sometimes the statement has not been discussed yet. We are human in which mistakes and negligence are part of man's nature (mahallul Khoto 'wan nisyan)," he said.

As'ad said, NU attitudes were actually represented by NU Rais Aam (general chairman of lawmaking body) KH Sahal Mahfud as supreme leader of NU.

"What becomes a reference in NU is Rais Aam," he said, adding that the Ulema National Conference and the NU Large Conference that will be held in Cirebon on 14-17 September would criticize the government's products of legislation and policy. "This is in accordance with the instructions of the Rais Aam of NU."

Writer : A. Khoirul Anam
Editor : Sudarto Murtaufiq