Author: Ahmad Rois *
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) decided to go back to the 2019 Presidential Election. Jokowi cooperated with the Chairperson of the Indonesian General Assembly (MUI), Prof. Dr. Maruf Amin as Candidate Walik President in the face of competition in the 2019 Presidential Election. —2020. He has also served as the PBNU Senior Rais in the 2015-2020 period. As well as being the chairman of the central MUI fatwa commission.
Ma’ruf Amin has the blood of clerics in Banten. His grandfather is not just any kiai. Many archipelago kiai studied with his grandfather. “Amin is the grandson of the great cleric Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani,” wrote A. Effendy Choirie in the Islamic-nationalism of UMNO-PKB: Comparative Study and Diplomacy (2008: 367). Ma’ruf Amin has been General Chair of the MUI since 2015. He replaced Din Syamsuddin at the 2015 National Conference in Surabaya. If Din Syamsuddin is from Muhammadiyah, and has been the general chairman; Ma’ruf Amin is known as the figure of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and currently serves as the organization’s Rais Aam. Ma’ruf Amin grew up in the NU tradition. After studying at the People’s School and the Tangerang Ibtidaiyah Madrasa, his family, as noted in Mimbar Ulama: The 42-Year Journey of the MUI, “sent Ma’ruf Amin to the Tebuireng Islamic Boarding School, Jombang, Central Java. After graduating from the cottage, he continued to study at Ibnu Chaldun University, Bogor, West Java. “He was a member of the Indonesian Da’wah Coordination (KODI) for the Greater Jakarta Special Capital Region (DKI) in his youth. In addition, he is also active in the NU organization.
According to Jamal Ma’mur Asmani in Drinking the Wisdom of the Kiai (2018: 186), in his youth Ma’ruf Amin had been a lecturer at Nahdlatul Ulama University in North Jakarta from 1968 to 1971. He had also been Chairman of the Tanjung Priok Ansor Youth Movement Branch during the resistance against the PKI (1964-1966). Ma’ruf Amin also briefly became chairman of the Youth Front from 1964 to 1967. From 1968 to 1978, he became Deputy Chair of the NU in the DKI Jakarta area. “His political career up to the national stage began with his work at the regional level and community organizations,” wrote Zainal Abidin Amir in the Post-Soeharto Map of Islamic Politics (2003: 126). From a young age, Ma’ruf Amin has sat in the DKI Regional Representative Council (DPRD). Unmitigated, according to Jamal Ma’mur Asmani (p. 186), he served as Chair of the Islamic Group faction from 1971-1973 and from 1973 to 1977 became Chairman of the United Development Party Faction (PPP). Then, from 1977 to 1982, he was a leader of the Jakarta DPRD Commission A. When the NU people joined the PPP on the wishes of the New Order, Ma’ruf Amin became a witness to its history. The age of Ma’ruf Amin was 28 at the time and had become a member of the council.
He was once a member of the Syuro National Awakening Party (PKB) Council. Through this party, Ma’ruf Amin became a member of the DPR again in 1999. When he acted as President, Abdurahman Wahid (Gus Dur). After that, he actively became a fatwa commission at the MUI. Ma’ruf Amin is full of salt from the political world since he was young. If he enters politics when he becomes Chairman of the Tanjung Priok Ansor in 1964, at least Ma’ruf Amin has a career in politics for around 54 years, with all the ups and downs.
After half a century, at the age of 75, Ma’ruf Amin was close to the peak of power in this Republic. Jokowi decided to collaborate with the Chairperson of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) because the figure of Maruf Amin was closely related to diversity and a very wise religious figure. Especially by seeing the progress of Ma’ruf Amin’s career which is already sour in the world of government, politics, and religion so that there is no doubt about its credibility. If he wins, he will be the first vice president from Banten.
) * Student of Hasanuddin University FISIP
