Jakarta, NOT Online
Mustasyar, General Manager of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) KH Ahmad Mustofa Bisri (Gus Mus) responded to the plan of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to award the title of National Hero to the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto. Gus Mus expressed his objection to the plan.
“I at least agree that Suharto was made a National Hero,” said Gus Mus at his residence in Leteh, Rembang, Central Java, to NOT OnlineWednesday (5/11/2025).
On this occasion, he said that many Islamic boarding school and NU ulama were treated unfairly during Soeharto’s rule.
“There are many kiai entered Well, the NU nameplate can’t be installed, there are a lot of people who are told to install it demolished by the regents. “My own younger brother, Kiai Adib Bisri, finally left the civil service because he was forced to join Golkar,” said Gus Mus.
“Kiai Sahal Mahfudh was approached by the Golkar Central Java management and asked to become an advisor to Golkar Central Java. Kiai Sahal didn’t want to, I saw it myself,” he added.
Gus Mus explained that there were many ulama and national warriors who had great services, but their families never proposed the title of hero for them. This is done to maintain the sincerity of the deceased’s good deeds.
“There are many kiai who used to struggle, but their families don’t want to apply for the title of hero. The reason is so that their good deeds don’t diminish in the eyes of Allah. In other words, they avoid riya’,” explained Rais Aam PBNU 2014-2015.
No understand history
The caretaker of the Raudlatut Thalibin Islamic Boarding School, Leteh, Rembang, Central Java, believes that NU people who agree that Suharto is a hero show a lack of understanding of history.
“If NU people join in with this suggestion, it means they don’t understand history,” stressed the kiai who completed his studies at the Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School, Kediri and the Krapyak Islamic Boarding School, Yogyakarta.
Gus Mus said this sentence considering that there were many tragedies during the New Order era with kiai, Islamic boarding school students and NU members becoming victims.
During the 1971 elections, for example, a tragic incident occurred in Losarang, Indramayu, which was the base of the NU Party. They are intimidated, terrorized and treated sadistically.
Encyclopedia NOT recorded the incident based on Panda Nababan’s report in the Sinar Harapan Daily with the title Four Ten Lima Djam together People Strong NOT. He came to the scene of the tragedy with KH Yusuf Hasyim and Zamroni to see first hand the situation following the incident.
“They witnessed mosques being burned or houses being destroyed. Nababan said that NU Losarang residents suddenly left their house, because he saw that there were still plates and cups and rotting food on the dining table,” it stated in Encyclopedia NOT.
The plan is for Panda to report this event serially. However, this could not be realized because the army was hastily stopped. He was taken to the Defense and Security Intelligence Headquarters for a second interrogation after being arrested by the Indramayu District Military Command and told to leave Mangga City.
Apart from the Losarang tragedy, there was also the murder of Kiai Hasan Basri in Brebes, Central Java in 1977. Chronologically, Pelita Daily noted that the door of this figure was banged on. Then, he and his child were beaten.
“The purpose of publishing this chronology is to reject the government’s statement that Kiai Hasan Basri died by throwing himself into a well. This news is juxtaposed under a photo of Soeharto sitting, while serene–smilewhile speaking with the Brazilian Ambassador, Leonardo Elulio, who was saying goodbye from Indonesia,” as recorded in the article NOT Online entitled Tragedy Election 1977.
There was also the burning of 140 houses in Asembagus, Situbondo, East Java which occurred ahead of the 1977 elections. The kiai and local residents were also intimidated by the New Order. Photos of the burned house were published in the May 8, 1977 edition of the daily Pelita.
Apart from that, the 29th NU Congress in Cipasung in 1994 was also a tense event for Nahdliyin. The reason is, not just because Gus Dur was prevented from being nominated, but also by the New Order’s attempt to co-opt NU through the candidacy of Abu Hasan, which Choirul Anam mentioned in his book. Conflict Elit PBNU About Summit (2010), has distributed a lot of aid to kiai and Islamic boarding schools.
This gained enough support so that he got 142 votes, even though he lost to Gus Dur. He was reluctant to admit defeat until he went to court, something that was very foreign and doubtful to Nahdliyin.
It didn’t stop there, in 1996, the New Order through the Minister of Research and Technology BJ Habibie also asked Gus Dur to resign from his seat as general chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU).
“Oh… yes, that’s right. If you want more clarity, just ask Pak Tjip (meaning Soetjipto Wirosardjono). Coincidentally that day he came with me to the DPR. You can ask him directly,” said Habibie as quoted by Anam in the same book from Java Pos January 31, 1996 edition.
Soetjipto admitted that he had asked Gus Dur to resign from his position ‘in the interests of NU’. Asked about that last phrase, Soetjipto answered, “You can imagine for yourself how difficult communication is currently between NU and the government,” he said, which was immediately interrupted by Habibie.
Even though he admitted that the request was not related to Abu Hasan, the Konbes KPPNU, the rival NU management, which Abu Hasan proposed as a rival, changed it to the Extraordinary Congress (MLB). This is because Gus Dur said that he could resign constitutionally through the MLB mechanism.
