![]() In Indonesia’s context, Muhammadiyah members voted for PAN in the past, perhaps because of their historical memory of this party and its connection with Muhammadiyah. ![]() In many cases, a vote is based on emotion or sentiment, a real or felt personal connection with the candidate, and even money politics. Is this a smart move for PAN?Īn individual voting for a political party or candidate often does not decide based on rational choice. However, this event could also be interpreted as PAN starting to disassociate from or at least loosen its ties with Muhammadiyah. With this symposium, PAN has certainly tried to draw close to NU followers. Alluding that this was consistent with the spirit of NU, Staquf stressed that “ NU ngotot menolak politik identitas (NU insists on rejecting identity politics)”. He praised PAN for becoming “partai yang rasional” (a rational political party) by trying to stay away from identity politics or manipulating any religious or other sectarian tendency (of the people). In his opening speech, Yahya Staquf stated that it was not haram (prohibited) for NU members to vote for PAN or its legislative candidates in 2024. Several PAN legislative candidates from East Java are NU kyai or leaders and do not necessarily relinquish their NU positions even after winning a legislative seat. This was done in several districts, such as by PAN’s Blitar branch in the south of East Java province. These parties would facilitate or sponsor transportation for another NU tradition, such as ziarah (a “small pilgrimage”), to pay respects to the Wali Songo, the nine most venerated Muslim saints in Java. In previous elections, to attract potential NU voters, other parties, including PAN, would organise istighosah, a communal chant and prayer tradition within the NU. Given this demographic reality, East Java has traditionally boosted votes for the National Awakening Party ( Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa, PKB) – most closely identified with the late president Abdurrahman Wahid (d.2009 president October 1999-July 2001). East Javanese perhaps comprise around 50 per cent of NU’s total membership, while East Java is home to thousands of NU-affiliated pesantren. It is well known that East Java is where the NU was born and its grassroots base. People might quickly assume that the symposium’s purpose was to attract NU followers or members to vote for PAN or a legislative or presidential candidate from or supported by PAN in the 2024 elections.īefore and during the symposium, Yahya Staquf, Zulkifli Hasan (PAN chairman and the Minister of Trade) and PAN leaders joked that PAN’s acronym in East Java did not stand for “Partai Amanat Nasional” but “Partainya Anak Nahdliyyin” (NU Members’ Party), “Partai Anak Nahdliyyin” (Party of NU) or even “Partai Akan NU” (Party that would become NU). In the Gregorian calendar, NU’s founding was on 31 January 1926.) (In the Islamic lunar calendar, the NU was founded on 16 Rajab 1344: 7 February 2023 was equivalent to 16 Rajab 1444. The symposium commemorated the 100th anniversary of NU’s establishment. In attendance were NU Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf, NU General Secretary Saifullah Yusuf, and several kyai, such as Fuad Nurhasan of Sidogiri, who heads one of the largest and most influential Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) in East Java. The event was surprising mainly because, historically, PAN has been synonymous with Muhammadiyah, the mass Muslim organisation that was the midwife of PAN. ![]() On 18 February 2023, the Central Board of the National Mandate Party ( Partai Amanat Nasional, PAN) organised a surprising and unusual symposium entitled “A Century of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)” in Surabaya, East Java.
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