EAST JAVA NAHDLATUL ULEMA CONFERENCE: POLITICS, RELIGION,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000071 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KISL PHUM SOCI ID SUBJECT: EAST JAVA NAHDLATUL ULEMA CONFERENCE: POLITICS, RELIGION, AND AMBITION REF: A. JAKARTA 03070 (POLITICAL ISLAM) ¶B. SURABAYA 65 (EAST JAVA'S CHINESE MUSLIMS) SURABAYA 00000071 001.2 OF 002 This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The East Java Nahdlatul Ulema (NU) Conference selected Ali Maschan Moesa as the Chairman of the NU Tanfidziyah Council on November 4. Ali Maschan's election did nothing to dampen speculation that he would soon announce his candidacy in the 2008 East Java Governor's race. Ali Maschan has stated publicly that he would prefer to serve as NU's National Chairman, rather than as East Java's Vice Governor. Disavowals of interest and prohibitions against NU officials seeking public office aside, Ali Maschan would make a powerful running mate for Golkar's gubernatorial candidate Soenarjo given NU's popularity in East Java. Meanwhile, East Java's NU continues to debate how to balance its role in religious life and politics. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) A host of influence political and civic leaders attended the early November East Java NU conference, which took place in Peseantrn Zaenul Hasan, in Genggonh, Probolinggo. Approximately 4,000 NU followers, including the Minister for Information and Communication, the Minister of Trade, the Minister of Religion, former President Gus Dur, the Governor of East Java Imam Oetomo, the National Chairman of NU Hasyim Muzadi, the Bupatis of Probolinggo and Sidoarjo, and the Vice Mayor of Surabaya, attended the gathering. While NU Chairman Hasyim Muzadi urged the conference to focus on internal issues and improving the lives of the people, the conference and the media coverage it generated were dominated by politics (Ref A). POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT? -------------- ¶3. (SBU) As described by local observers, East Java's NU leadership divides into two camps: some Kiais (an informal title within the NU community bestowed in recognition of an individual's knowledge and standing in society) strictly hold to "Khittah 1926," which prohibits NU from involvement in politics. Other Kiais believe that NU leaders need to be involved in politics because only with political power and authority can NU advance the peoples' welfare and support the struggle for the peoples' rights. Drawing on a local example, these Kiais ask how NU can help the people affected by the Lapindo mud flow disaster if NU leaders are not involved in politics. They add that many NU Kiais have been involved in politics throughout history. ¶4. (SBU) All candidates for chairman of East Java NU signed a "Jamiyah" contract, which stated they would not become indirectly or directly involved in politics, including running in local elections, if elected NU chairman. On November 4, the conference elected Ali Maschan Moesa as Chairman of the East Java NU Tanfidziyah Council (executive body) and Kiai Miftahul Akhyar, leader of Pesantren Miftachussunnah in Surabaya, as the Chairman of Rois Syuriah (law-making body) for the 2007-2012 term. This was the first-ever election of the Rois Syuriah chairman; traditionally changing only on the death of the incumbent. POLITICAL AMBITIONS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Speculation about Ali Maschan's political ambitions intensified after the conference. Most observers dismiss suggestions that the Jamiyah contract prohibited Ali Maschan from seeking public office -- he would just need to suspend his NU duties during the campaign period. A November 6 Jawa Pos editorial suggested that Ali Maschan was trying to increase his bargaining power by accepting the chairmanship position and simultaneously refusing to rule out joining Soenarjo's gubernatorial campaign. Farhan Effendy, a journalist from Surya Daily, wrote November 6 that Ali Maschan should resign his position as East Java NU Chair and run for Vice Governor. Recognizing the importance of having a senior NU official on the ticket, Golkar gubernatorial candidate Soenarjo reportedly approached Khofifah Indar Parawansa, former Minister of Women's Empowerment and current Chairwoman of Muslimat NU (the NU women's organization),about joining the ticket should Ali Maschan ultimately decline his offer. ¶6. (SBU) M. Asfar, a political observer from Airlangga University and director of the Democracy and Human Rights Study Center (PUSDEHAM) told Consulate General Surabaya that Ali SURABAYA 00000071 002.2 OF 002 Maschan's decision to accept the chairmanship position was very strategic. Should he decide to be Soenarjo's running mate, as the East Java NU Chairman, he would select his successor from among those who supported his vision of NU and its role in society. Asfar speculated that Ali Maschan would select Kiai Mutawakkil Allah, leader of Pesantren Zaenul Hasan (host of the conference),to be the next chairman. He added that this would explain why Kiai Mutawakkil refused all suggestions to challenge Ali Maschan in this year's election. ¶7. (SBU) Ali Maschan Moesa has made no secret of his interest in high office, either in politics or within NU (Ref B). He has long said that he would prefer to serve as the National Chairman of NU rather than East Java Vice Governor. Asfar told us that Ali Maschan's chances of succeeding to the position of National NU Chairman were limited because he did not currently have the support of either the current National Chairman Hasyim Muzadi or Gus Dur. Asfar concluded that Hasyim Muzadi planned to run for a third term as National NU Chairman himself. Asfar suggested that Ali Maschan will decide that joining Soenarjo in the governor's mansion will best position him to replace Hasyim Muzadi. BIO NOTE -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Bio Note: Dr. Ali Maschan Moesa was born in Tulungagung, East Java, in 1956. He replaced Kiai Hasyim Muzadi (current NU National Chairman) as Chairman of the East Java NU in December 1999, after serving as Hasyim Muzadi's deputy. Ali Maschan completed his Masters and PhD degrees at Airlangga University, and is a senior lecturer at IAIN Surabaya. Hi wrote his PhD on the role of Kiai in religion and politics. In his dissertation, Ali Maschan broke kiai into three categories: "Fundamentalist Clerics," "Moderate Clerics," and "Pragmatic Clerics." He is a leading figure in the Surabaya interfaith forum and is considered a campaigner for "moderate Islam." Ali Maschan participated in an International Visitor Program in ¶2001. He speaks some English, but prefers to speak in Indonesian. MCCLELLAND