Jakarta, NU Online
Deputy General Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) H As'ad Said Ali said, NU had long been committed to nationalism and the struggle for nationhood including in monitoring any policy made by the government.<>

NU, As'ad said, would support pro-people policies and would instead criticize the ones that infringe on the people's rights.

"This is part of the so-called amar ma'ruf nahi munkar. Ma'ruf means supporting the government's positive policies, while nahi munkar means criticizing the government for doing possible mistakes," As'ad said on the sidelines of a meeting with Afghan clerics in Jakarta recently.

On the occasion, the Afghan clerics complained about the occupation by foreign parties in their country for being fully littered with economic and political motivations and triggering disputes among the Afghan people themselves.

As'ad responded that Indonesia actually had not fully been independent. The legislation after the 1945 Constitution ammendement "has changed the face of the constitution in the country to be very liberal. Indonesia is not sovereign over the existing wealth in its own territory."

"In some ways we did support the U.S., but we also know what they do to us," he said.

Reporting by Mahbib Khoiron; Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq