*THE 35TH NU CONGRESS, AUGUST 2026, A GIFT FOR THE 81ST INDEPENDENCE OF THE INDONESIAN : REINFORCING THE SUCCESS OF PRESIDENT PRABOWO’S ASTA CITA*
By: Husni Mubarok
Regional Executive of Nahdlatul Ulama, West Java Province.
The 35th NU Congress will be held in August 2026. This is a special gift from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) organization on the 81st anniversary of Indonesian Independence, a momentum for NU to reaffirm the success of the “Asta Cita” (8 Priority Programs) of President H. Prabowo Subianto.
The confirmation of the NU Congress date was announced by the Secretary-General of the PBNU, H. Saefullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), based on the results of the PBNU meeting, reinforced by the “pressure” of the joint forum decision signed by 23 heads of the NU Regional Leadership Council (PWNU) throughout Indonesia in a statement dated April 27, 2026.
The 35th NU Congress is the kick-off point not only for the highest deliberative forum within the NU organization in the PBNU leadership succession process, but also for determining the overall direction of NU’s service for the future of Indonesia.
More than that, it is a forum for reconciliation among the PBNU elite after several months of crucial internal conflict in NU’s long history as the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia.
NU, as a “jam’iyyah,” is certainly different from political parties, and even genealogically, it differs from “modernist” Islamic organizations, which are generally formed structurally with the formulation of a vision and mission, then develop their service by expanding their structural wings to the regions.
NU is the opposite. NU, founded and established by kiai (Islamic scholars), did not follow the theory of “global modernism” mentioned above. NU’s social ecosystem was established first through a network of religious cultural traditions within Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), then structured into a formal organizational structure due to legal and administrative interests in its relationship with state institutions.
In other words, NU’s cultural strength preceded its structural strength. Therefore, the NU Congress is more complex, not merely a forum for securing formal legal structural decrees, but also for securing recognition of the cultural morality of Islamic boarding schools, a subcultural variable inseparable from NU’s original “DNA” or “character.”
NU’s original character is based on the Islamic jurisprudence principle of “Almuhafadloh ‘alal Qodimish Salih wal Alkhdu bil jadidil Aslah.” It is not “revolutionary,” but always “tawashut,” maintaining a balance between preserving good traditions and proactively adopting new, better variants for the future needs of NU members in constructing the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
In the long history of NU’s journey as a “jam’iyah” (organization) in its first century (100 years) since its founding in 1926, to the best of my recollection, there have been at least two NU Congresses that can be seen as NU’s “jariyah” (continuing charity) of national politics in strengthening the integration of Islam, nationhood, and Indonesianness after Indonesian independence.
First, the 20th NU Congress in 1954 in Surabaya confirmed and ratified the results of the 1952 National Conference of Alim Ulama held in Cipanas, Cianjur, West Java, initiated by the Minister of Religious Affairs, KH. Masykur, representing NU in the cabinet at the time, upon the conferment of the title “Waliyul Amri Ad dhoruri Bil syaukah” upon President Soekarno of the Republic of Indonesia.
The conferment of the title “Waliyul Amri Ad dharuri Bil syaukah,” meaning emergency leader with full authority, was NU’s perspective to provide religious legitimacy for Bung Karno’s political position as President of the Republic of Indonesia in suppressing a number of rebellions and separatists that undermined the existence of the Republic of Indonesia.
Second, the acceptance of the sole principle of Pancasila in national and state life was determined by the decision of the 27th NU Congress in 1984 in Situbondo, East Java. Pancasila, from NU’s religious perspective, is the final philosophical foundation of the Republic of Indonesia.
This acceptance by NU cemented Pancasila as the sole ideology of the nation and state. Later, all Islamic organizations followed NU’s lead in accepting Pancasila as the sole principle, strengthening the integration of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) based on the nation’s philosophy, namely Pancasila.
The 35th NU Congress in 2026, the first NU Congress in a century (100 years), must be positioned as a continuation of strengthening NU’s national “charity” (amal jariyah), as NU’s first century after Indonesian independence in 1945, adapting to the future needs of NU members and the future of Indonesianness.
In this author’s perspective, the future of NU is no longer adequate if it is merely understood as a “jam’iyah” at the level of its outward attributes and only experienced as a segmentary Islamic organization.
Working from a narrow “jam’iyah” perspective only has the potential to lead NU to fall into what the Quran suggests: “They divide the religion into factions, each boasting only of its own faction” (Al-A’raf: 49).
It is time to project the structural work of NU’s “jam’iyah” going forward, at least through the kick-off point of the 35th NU Congress in 2026, to address social disparities and strengthen the community with “religious moderation” as the basis of social and cultural capital, NU can be presented as a solution for a new civilization.
This is the best way to maximize our contribution to the success of “Asta Cita,” the eight priority programs of President H. Prabowo Subianto, a path to strengthening Indonesia’s integrity for the future.
Congratulations on the 35th NU Congress. May we remain NU, both physically and spiritually.
West Java, April 29, 2026
Wassalam!
——–
