"NU (Nahdlatul Ulama) will support the government until 2014, f it helps the people. If the government is pro-people, NU will support it. But if it does not, NU will not be under any obligation to support it," NU general chairman KH Said Aqil Siradj said here on Sunday.
He made the statement after dedicating a Jihad Resolution National Monument at the Surabaya NU chapter building on Jalan Bubutan, Surabaya, which was the birthplace of the jihad resolution.
Before invitees including head of the province`s religious affairs office, Sudjak, the son of Bung Tomo, the late independence fighter, Bambang Sulistomo, one of history makers KHA Muchit Muzadi, the NU chief said NU would file a judicial review request on the gas and oil law to the Constitutional Court.
"NU also fought for a judicial review of the law on national education and won. Because of that the government now not only can but must help private educational institutions. So, the government now must also help Islamic schools and boarding schools in line with the Constitutio," he said.
He said after the national education law NU would also seek a judicial review on other laws that hurt the people among others the law on oil and gas, the law on agriculture, the law on foundations and others.
"The Prophet Muhammad himself in his hadits states that water, fire and grass may not be controlled by private parties but must be in the hands of the state. Fire is energy that includes gas, while grass is forests. The Prophet`s order is contained in Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution," he said.
In view of that, he said, NU would propose to the government to renegotiate its mining contracts with foreign investors that control "water, fire and grass."
"The renegotiations should include contract coverage, duration and profit sharing system. Until now we only get three percent of profit from the contracts like with Freeport. Only in one contract do we enjoy up to 40 percent of the profit, namely with Exxon," he said.
Aqil Siradj said NU would become "a friend" for the government if it would conduct renegotations. "If the government does not side with the people, we will not be its friend," he said.
The chief of the advisory board of the Surabaya NU chapter, Dzulhilmi, said on the occasion that the monument signed by Sahal Mahfudh (the chief adviser of NU) and Said Aqil Siradj was not aimed at reenacting history.
"We only wish to respect ulemas and motivate the younger generation to continue to fight for contemporary causes," he said.
In view of that he said he asked the NU board to also fight for the inclusion of the jihad resolution into school curriculums and the holding of the commemoration of Heroes` Day in Surabaya and the declaration of the PBNU building as a jihad resolution national monument.
"The jihad resolution made by clerics is in essence an edict stating that fighting colonialism is a personal obligation (fardhu ain) while dying in the fight against colonialism makes one a martyr and those fomenting disunity may be killed," he said.
With regard to the demand , Said Aqil said he supported it and promised to bring it to the President.
"I support it and therefore I will convey it to the President and propose that KH Wahab Chasbullah be declared a national hero," he said.(*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
