Nahdlatul Ulama’s Leadership Crisis Deepens Amid Political Rivalries and Questions Over Governance

Photo Credit: NU Online - https://islam.nu.or.id/syariah/khilafah-dalam-pandangan-nu-v25vU

 

 

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest mass Muslim organisation, is facing its most serious internal rupture in years as a prolonged leadership crisis pits chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf (Gus Yahya) against the organisation’s supreme council, the Syuriah. The conflict erupted after Yahya invited Peter Berkowitz, a US scholar known for pro-Israel views, to a leadership training event in August—an act senior clerics claim violated NU’s values. While the controversy triggered the initial uproar, the deeper rupture reflects long-standing tensions between NU’s conservative clerics, progressive wing, and political elites seeking influence within the organisation.

 

On Nov. 20, the Syuriah gathered 37 of 53 board members and demanded Yahya resign within three days, citing both the Berkowitz incident and alleged financial misgovernance. When Yahya refused, the council issued a circular letter declaring his dismissal effective Nov. 26, temporarily transferring leadership to Rais Aam Miftachul Akhyar. The letter quickly spread across social media, igniting widespread confusion about NU’s leadership.

 

Yahya dismissed the circular as invalid, arguing it failed to meet NU’s administrative requirements and lacked mandatory digital verification. Speaking at PBNU headquarters, he emphasized that leadership changes can only be made through a national congress (muktamar), insisting he remains the legitimate chairman until his term ends next year. He accused the council of bypassing constitutional mechanisms and warned that such actions undermine NU’s institutional integrity.

 

The rift has fractured NU’s executive board. Yahya reshuffled key positions, including secretary-general Saifullah Yusuf, transferring him to a different role due to his prolonged absence and competing duties as social affairs minister. The Syuriah, however, interprets the reshuffle as a retaliatory move amid an escalating power struggle. Speculation has also grown around Saifullah’s role in a purported internal coup, fueled by diverging views on NU’s handling of coal mining concessions granted by the Jokowi administration in 2024—one of the most politically sensitive issues within NU today.

 

Behind the turmoil lie broader political dynamics. NU’s vast constituency—estimated at over 100 million—makes it an essential power base for political parties and national leaders. Its strong presence across East Java and Central Java has long made it a key electoral battleground. Analysts note that NU’s increasing involvement in practical politics, particularly during Yahya’s tenure, has deepened internal divisions. Tensions with the National Awakening Party (PKB), led by Yahya’s rival Muhaimin Iskandar, have further complicated the organisation’s internal landscape.

 

The crisis also intersects with a wider debate over the governance of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), which function as NU’s grassroots backbone. New research shows that over 77 percent of Indonesia’s more than 42,000 pesantren are NU-affiliated, with the organisation’s influence particularly concentrated in West Java, Banten, and parts of Aceh. This vast educational network not only shapes religious life but also influences political behavior—making NU’s internal turmoil a matter of national significance. As analysts note, the Berkowitz controversy may have served merely as a catalyst for a much deeper struggle over political direction, financial governance, and control of NU’s grassroots machinery.

 

NU’s leadership crisis carries implications that extend far beyond organisational boundaries. For the Prabowo administration, the conflict introduces uncertainty into a key political alliance: NU’s cohesion has historically been essential for securing electoral support across Java. A weakened or divided NU risks diluting its political leverage while empowering rival factions such as PKB or conservative pesantren networks. The mining concession controversy, meanwhile, exposes governance vulnerabilities within NU at a time when mass-based organisations are increasingly entering commercial sectors with limited oversight. 


For businesses and political stakeholders, the turbulence signals heightened unpredictability within one of Indonesia’s most influential social institutions. As NU’s competing factions mobilise provincial branches and pesantren networks, the organisation’s internal divisions could reshape political alignments ahead of the next electoral cycle. Consolidating leadership through a legitimate congress will be essential to restoring credibility and ensuring NU can perform its social, religious, and political roles without being consumed by factionalism.


The leadership crisis also reflects a broader pattern in which large social and religious organisations seek to gain or maintain influence by remaining closely connected to government institutions. As NU navigates internal divisions amid a shifting political landscape, its engagement with state policy and administrative processes can be seen as part of a wider effort to preserve organisational relevance in national affairs. This interaction is not unique to NU; many mass organisations in Indonesia operate in a space where societal roles, political interests and state priorities intersect. In this environment, efforts to retain influence may naturally lead organisations to assert themselves in policy discussions or government-led initiatives. 


Such dynamics highlight a structural challenge for Indonesian civil society: while long-established organisations contribute significantly to social cohesion and community services, their proximity to political processes can blur the boundaries between independent civic engagement and influence over state decision-making. This raises broader questions about how civil society actors should position themselves in relation to government, and how they can balance their social missions with the need to participate in national policy. For NU, finding this balance will be crucial to maintaining public trust while sustaining its long-standing role in Indonesia’s social and political landscape.

 

 

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POLITICS

December 4, 2025

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