Regional

Hasyim: Regional elections deprave nation's political moral

Selasa, 18 Maret 2008 | 03:59 WIB

Lamongan, NU Online
General Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) KH Hasyim Muzadi has likely stood firm with his ideas in dealing with the abolition of direct regional elections system that he considered to have depraved the nation's political moral.

"And NU followers as the biggest mass in Indonesia tend to have been victims. That is why the regional direct elections should be abolihed," Hasyim addressed a commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW and 59TH Haul of KH Musthofa at Pesantren Tarbiyatut Tholabah, Lamongan, East Java on Sunday (16/3).<>

Hasyim said the cost of politics that should be spent was not little. Each participant of the elections must provide a lot of money.

"In Indonesia if individuals want to be officials they should have a lot of money. At the level of East Java alone, money amounted to Rp.350 billion is gone," Hasyim said.

At the commemoration festival held at KH Nasrullah Baqir-led pesantren and attended by millions of people, Hasyim expressed his disappointment over the disability of Nahdliyin to control their political passion during the elections. AS a result, he added, in many regions, including in East Java, NU cadres had been left behind other other organization cadres.

"In Lamongan, bacause Nahdliyin are easy to be fooled and purchased, NU cadres have always lost during elections," Hasyim said, adding that if NU followers were brilliant NU cadres could have "controlled" Lamongan.

Hasyim called on Nahdliyin to unite in developing NU amidst any existing disasters, including the disaster related to the process of recent direct regional elections.
 
According to Hasyim, if NU followers are in unity most of the nation's problems can be handled. Besides, NU's position would be in respected "throne" to meet its goals in all sectors.

"If Nu followers want to unite and struggle for NU, we (Nahdliyin) would succeed in both the world and hereafter," Hasyim said.

IN the meantime, he stressed the importance of good management of NU in villages by at least reinvigorating their mosques and NU typical activities like religious gatherings. (rif/amh)