Indonesian Islamic Scholars Urge Congress to Reject Vote-Buying

A coalition of Indonesian Islamic scholars, including members of the Forum Ulama Nahdliyyin (FUN), has issued a strong call to reject vote-buying at the upcoming 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) congress. They stressed that accepting bribes is a profound moral failing that should not be tolerated by any congress participant.

KH Abdul Manan Ghoni, a prominent NU figure and Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), stated that all regional NU leadership must actively combat bribery related to the Ahlul Halli Wal Aqdi (AHWA) system, which is used to select NU's top leaders. He emphasized that normalizing such practices would be a significant moral decay.

The call was made during a gathering in Jakarta attended by several NU leaders and pesantren (Islamic boarding school) leaders. Some leaders noted that previous reconciliation efforts between top NU officials had not fully resolved internal issues, suggesting underlying tensions remain.

Discussions also touched upon the evolving geopolitical landscape and the challenges facing the organization, particularly in youth development and educational institutions. The scholars reiterated that the primary goal of the AHWA system was to prevent vote-buying, expressing concern that the opposite is now occurring.