NU Congress Debates Charter Changes, Leadership Election Methods

The 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Congress in Jombang, East Java, is currently the scene of crucial internal deliberations. The Organization Commission is tackling significant strategic issues, notably proposed amendments to the organization's Articles of Association (AD/ART) and the methods for electing the PBNU leadership.

These discussions are being conducted behind closed doors. Muhammad Nuh, Secretary of the Steering Committee (SC), explained that this closed-door approach is a deliberate mechanism to foster a more open and uninhibited environment for delegates to deliberate. "The session is closed, outsiders cannot join. During the 'cooking' (discussion) process, they cannot participate, but once it's finished, we can enjoy (the results)," he stated.

Similar closed sessions are also underway for the Program Commission and the Recommendation Commission. The SC emphasized that while the discussions are private, the outcomes will be publicly disclosed once deliberations and decision-making processes are complete. "Later, I will present the results," Nuh assured.

To streamline the congress, the SC has inventoried all organizational matters and other potentially contentious issues. These were previously discussed in pre-congress forums. The goal of these preliminary talks was to reduce potential disagreements and deepen the understanding of the materials. "So that now, in the current commission, it is relatively richer, with more understanding. Hopefully, differences will also be smaller, because the congress is a place for differences. If it were a place for agreement, it would be over already," Nuh added.